Adopta un árbol
The San Antonio de las Aradas parish belongs to the Quilanga canton (southern part), Loja province, located in the southwest of the Republic of Ecuador. It has an altitude of 1640 meters above sea level and covers an area of 110.30 km². According to the last census conducted in 2010, the parish has a population of 1700 inhabitants.
It is a town dedicated to agriculture and livestock, with pastures for cattle, pigs, goats, and poultry.
Unfortunately, in 2019, the province of Loja alone experienced 91 fires, resulting in a total of 6,339.00 hectares burned. The largest fire occurred from September 5 to 20, 2019, affecting the Fundochamba and San Antonio de las Aradas parishes in the Quilanga canton, consuming around 4,411 hectares.
Regrettably, the fire affected approximately 100 community members, as well as the watersheds of Fundochamba and San Antonio de las Aradas, pastures, coffee crops, and animals. In addition to fires, another challenge is mining, which causes significant environmental problems, especially in water sources supplying populated areas and irrigated fields.
Due to all the aforementioned reasons, it has been decided to take action to mitigate the environmental impact through the reforestation of native plants. Planting, afforesting, and reforesting help generate oxygen and reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere. The more trees we plant, the more greenhouse gases are mitigated; for example, a hectare of new forest fixes around 4 tons of CO₂ per year, while an established forest fixes approximately double that amount.
Who else does the "Adopt a Tree" Project Help
The Adopt a Tree project involves the continuous care of native and endemic species that contribute to the regeneration of both soil and forests. All this work is carried out with the help of communities in the affected areas, providing them with an opportunity for economic income, so the positive impact is not only environmental but also social.
The money collected from the tree adoption fee is used for seed collection, germination, and cultivation in a nursery, as well as the transportation, replanting, and care of each tree. As mentioned earlier, this work is done by people from nearby communities with the sole purpose of boosting their economy.
How to help
Adopt a tree, whether as a gift, as compensation for your travel footprint, or even in honor of someone special…
To adopt a tree, you can do so through bank transfer or credit card payment via PayPal or WeTravel.
If you want to contribute, there are different contribution plans in USD depending on the number of trees you would like to plant:
1 Tree
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Conservation of 1 tree.
10 Trees
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Conservation of 10 trees.
25 Trees
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Conservation of 25 trees.
50 Trees
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Conservation of 50 trees.
100 Trees
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Conservation of 100 trees.
Voluntary
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Voluntary contribution for reforestation and/or forest conservation
When you adopt a tree, you receive:
- Adoption certificate.
- The exact location of the tree on Google Earth.
- Photographic evidence of the tree planting.
- In the case of planting more than one tree, you receive a planting report detailing the species planted.
NB: To ensure the survival of the trees and true environmental recovery, tree planting takes place in winter, i.e., December to March. Therefore, the photographs are sent depending on the scheduled planting date.
Want to visit ?
If you want to experience our exciting “Adopt a Tree” project up close, we invite you to include it in your travel itinerary to Ecuador. Allocate a day to visit San Antonio de las Aradas, where you’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in this conservation initiative.
When visiting San Antonio, you’ll have a day full of discoveries: from exploring the planting area and the greenhouse where these trees are born to getting lost in a picturesque southern Ecuadorian town. There, you’ll have the chance to admire endless coffee fields, immerse yourself in the crystal-clear waters of a winding river, and be part of the warmth of the local community.
If you want to donate...
Thank you for considering donating! Your generosity makes a significant difference in the lives of those who need it most. To streamline the donation process, we have enabled a secure payment link that you can use to make your contribution quickly and easily.
*The donation packages mentioned above do not include additional fees charged by platforms such as WeTravel or PayPal.
For voluntary donations, please contact us to generate a personalized payment link. Also, if you prefer to make a donation via bank transfer, feel free to get in touch.
*The donation packages mentioned above do not include fees for interbank wire transfers.
Additionally, we understand that some donors prefer to contribute directly to charitable organizations without intermediaries. If this is the case for you, we would be delighted to provide you with the direct contact information for the foundations, allowing you to communicate with them directly and coordinate your donation.
Please feel free to reach out to us at mariapaula@egt.ec to obtain the contact details of the organizations you wish to contribute to directly or to address any questions you may have.
We appreciate your generosity and commitment to the well-being of the community. Every donation counts and makes a difference!
