Seed guardians of the Amazon: A family's solitary fight to save endangered plants

ALTO ILA, Ecuador (AP) — On a recent journey into the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle, Ramón Pucha realized he was being trailed. Fresh puma tracks now lined the path alongside his own footprints. Unfazed, he continued his trek, focused entirely on the precious cargo he carried — seeds from some of the world’s most endangered plant species.

Pucha and his family have spent years recreating their own piece of jungle with rescued species on a 32-hectare farm called El Picaflor in the Indigenous Quichua community of Alto Ila, 128 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of the capital, Quito.

“I have a passion for nature, for plants, for animals,” said Pucha, 51, noting that his drive to protect the environment is so intense that many people in his community consider him “crazy.”

To save endangered plant species, Pucha ventures deep into the jungle, often alone, for up to five days at a time. On more than one occasion, he said he returned empty-handed because — as a consequence of climate change and severe droughts across the region — many of the large trees had stopped producing seeds annually.

Once the seeds reach home, Pucha’s wife, Marlene Chiluisa, takes charge. She plants them in suitable soil and compost so that they can begin to grow into plants that are then replanted in the rainforest. The family even shares the fruits of their labor, selling or gifting a percentage of the plants to neighbors committed to forest regeneration.

Jhoel, the couple's 21-year-old son, has stepped into his father’s role as the family’s successor. An expert botanist, he moves through the forest identifying plants by their common, traditional and scientific names with ease. He also serves as a guide, ferrying visitors across the turbulent Ila River in a precarious craft made of wooden planks lashed to a buoy.

Yet, for all their effort, the family’s struggle remains a solitary one.

“Nobody gives us any incentive—not the government, not foundations, not anyone,” said Chiluisa.

Ecuador's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock recognizes the importance of the family's work, calling El Picaflor a “living laboratory” and a vital seed bank in an area scarred by 50 years of constant logging.

But while Ecuador was the first country to enshrine the “rights of nature” in its constitution, that reputation is now at risk. Environmentalists and Indigenous groups warn that President Daniel Noboa’s decision to merge the Ministry of Environment with the Ministry of Energy and Mines threatens the very landscape the family is fighting to save.

‘That is my legacy’

As he walks across the property that was once barren pastureland, Pucha pauses to observe the plants, describing the unique purpose of each one.

His eyes light up as he points to a small, growing tree, which he says is now rare in the area — a type of fine wood that will reach maturity in 100 years. Though he knows he will never see it fully grown, he remains committed to his mission.

“That is my legacy for my children and for humanity,” he says, noting that these species are essential to the Amazon’s survival, serving as medicine for humans and a food source for the animals that naturally replant the forest.

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