A private foundation is creating new nature reserves spanning thousands of acres of South American bird habitat. It is to protect some of the rarest birds in the world. This unique conservation effort took birth from the surprise 1997 discovery of a new bird species in southern Ecuador.
To protect nearly the entire known range of the Jocotoco antpitta, more than 5,500 acres (about 2,200 hectares) of cloud forest have been set aside till date. Jocotoco antpitta is the ground-dwelling antbird that initiated the movement. Encompassing more than 14,000 acres (5,600 hectares, an additional six reserves have been established in other parts of the country.