Research at the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve highlights the extraordinary biodiversity that remains unknown to science

A new study published in Scientific Data, part of the Nature Portfolio, has documented nearly 7,850 distinct genetic units of anthropods (insects, arachnids and their relatives) in Ecuador’s Mashpi-Tayra Reserve during just one year of sampling. Out of 8,057 samples collected, that translates to 96% of the species collected being endemic to the area.

The findings provide powerful evidence of the enormous amount of tropical biodiversity that remains unnamed and largely invisible to science. Many of the genetic units identified through DNA barcoding may represent species that have never been formally described.

Led by Ecuador’s National Biodiversity Institute, or INABIO, the international study analyzed more than 952,000 specimens collected from 10 sites in Ecuador, Costa Rica and Panama. Researchers recorded more than 45,000 distinct genetic units across all study locations.

Located where the Andean foothills meet the Chocó lowlands, the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve protects nearly 8,000 acres of tropical cloud forest. Its variety of elevations, microclimates and habitats creates exceptional conditions for biodiversity and endemism.

The reserve is managed by Fundación Futuro and supports long-term conservation, scientific research and ecological monitoring. Since Mashpi Lodge opened within the reserve in 2012, researchers working in the area have contributed to the discovery of 26 species new to science and more than 70 scientific publications.

Protecting a Connected Landscape

Mashpi-Tayra is part of the larger Chocó landscape, one of the world’s most biologically rich and threatened regions. Fundación Futuro is among the Ecuadorian conservation organizations collaborating to strengthen protection and ecological connectivity across the region.

Rainforest Trust supports this broader, locally led conservation partnership by helping coordinate planning and fundraising for habitat protection, restoration and long-term protected-area management.

“This study reminds us that when a tropical forest is lost, we may lose species before science has even had the chance to discover them. Protecting connected landscapes like the Ecuadorian Chocó safeguards both the extraordinary wildlife we know and entire dimensions of life that remain unseen.”

The findings demonstrate that protected forests are not only refuges for known wildlife. They are also living libraries of genetic and ecological knowledge that science is only beginning to understand.

About Rainforest Trust

Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has been working with partners to safeguard imperiled tropical habitats and threatened species by helping to establish protected and conserved areas in partnership with Indigenous and local organizations and communities. To date, Rainforest Trust has helped protect more than 68 million acres of vital habitat across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. Rainforest Trust is a nonprofit organization that relies upon the generous support of the public to successfully implement its important conservation action. The organization is proud of earning a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.

For media inquiries:

Rainforest Trust, Brynn Garner, brynn.garner@rainforesttrust.org