Seed guardians of the Amazon: A family works alone to save native species

In Alto Ila, Ecuador, Ramón Pucha and his family run El Picaflor, a 32-hectare seed nursery that rescues and grows endangered native plants for replanting and local use. Environmental groups have said a government decision to merge the Environment Ministry with Energy and Mines could pose a risk to protections for areas like this.

Ramón Pucha and his family run El Picaflor, a 32-hectare seed nursery and conservation farm in the Indigenous Quichua community of Alto Ila, about 128 kilometres southeast of Quito. Pucha makes multi-day trips into the jungle to collect seeds of endangered native plants while his wife, Marlene Chiluisa, tends seedlings and their son, Jhoel, helps identify species and guide visitors. The area has seen decades of logging and recent severe droughts that have reduced seed production in some large trees. The family sells or gives a portion of plants to neighbours committed to regeneration and has turned former pastureland into a local conservation site. Key details: - The farm, El Picaflor, functions as a local seed bank and nursery for native Amazonian species. - Ramón sometimes spends up to five days in the forest collecting seeds and has returned empty-handed when droughts prevented trees from fruiting. - Marlene prepares soil and compost for germination and the family shares seedlings with neighbours to support forest regrowth. - Ecuador's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock recognizes the farm as a living laboratory and a vital seed resource in an area affected by 50 years of logging. - Environmentalists and Indigenous groups have said President Daniel Noboa's decision to merge the Ministry of Environment with the Ministry of Energy and Mines could threaten protections for landscapes like this. - Their son, Jhoel, 21, is described as an expert botanist who helps identify plants and assist visitors. Summary: The family's work preserves native plant species that provide medicine and food for wildlife and supports local forest regeneration. National policy changes and longer-term climate impacts create uncertainty about the broader protections and conditions that affect sites like El Picaflor. Undetermined at this time.