Dracula Youth Reserve is a conservation FIRST: a nature reserve entirely funded by young people. It is a 244-acre private protected area in the Andean Chocó cloud forest of northwestern Ecuador – one of the most biodiverse and threatened ecosystems on the planet.
The reserve was established in 2021 after a two-year fundraising effort between Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, the Rainforest Trust and EcoMinga.
Reserva: The Youth Land Trust (reservaylt.org)
All funds were raised by volunteers, 26 years old or younger with personal donations and youth-led fundraising initiatives like Run for the Rainforest. Funds were matched through Reserva’s youth empowerment campaign, 1 Million Letters #ForNature. In June, 2021 they reached their fundraising goal of $178,000.
Henry and Alice selling cookies and lemonade.
Work at Dracula Youth Reserve has only just begun. This precious ecosystem is constantly under threat from deforestation for agriculture, cattle ranching and gold mining exploration. But Reserva is committed to help protect it from exploitation.
You can help to save the rainforests by writing a letter using this online form:
1 Million Letters Campaign — Reserva: The Youth Land Trust (reservaylt.org)
Watch the young people on WILD HOPE’s beautiful film: Does Nature Have Rights?