La Hesperia: Preservation in Ecuador’s western range of the Andes

By: Rayna Weiss (Arena)

KEY WORDS: Ecuador, Reserve, Community, Conservation, Preservation, Sustainability, Cloud Forest, Ecotourism

Enduring Understandings:
1) Balancing our community’s energy consumption and production with the natural world can sustain our environment and benefit the economic welfare of people.
2) Environmental problems associated with over consumption leads to social, political, and economic instability, which can lead to security issues and concerns.


First day working on the reserve and we already have so many questions. Luckily, Alexandra, owner and passionate conservationist, answered all we had to ask during our orientation.

Here’s the situation: La Hesperia is a private reserve in Ecuador (one of the few hundred). On the reserve, roughly 20 of the 814 hectares are dedicated to harvesting fruits, vegetables, some meat, dairy, and hardwood. The rest is allocated for conservation and preservation of the cloud forest. The overarching goal at La Hesperia is to act as a model for other reserves.

During the 19th and 20th century, the Luit family owned La Hesperia and tried to build a farm. They were unsuccessful in maintaining the forest boundary causing them to lose their crops. In frustration, the Luits passed the land to the Miranda Family. The Mirandas worked the land planting sugar cane, coffee and other crops. In 1988, they decided to protect La Hesperia’s forest by founding a reserve. To this day, La Hesperia has been fighting to maintain private conservation. Since 1988, La Hesperia has preserved 814 hectares of precious cloud forest.


In Ecuador, there are laws about land use. Landowners are each allotted approximately 150 hectares. If the land is not being used productively, it can be divided among the community members. There are exceptions to this law in regards to ecological preservation. However, locals in a nearby community do not see the benefit of preservation at La Hesperia because they are not experiencing direct economic or social profit. As a result, locals have at times moved onto the land, cutting the forest for development and agriculture. Due to these actions, La Hesperia has hired lawyers and undergone litigation.


Upon arriving at La Hesperia, these were our first impressions and concerns:
1) How does La Hesperia interact/include the community members?
2) How is La Hesperia financially supported?
3) What are future concerns at La Hesperia?
4) What are the goals of La Hesperia?

1) When first arriving at La Hesperia, we felt the reserve was very segregated from the community below. However, we soon learned that La Hesperia has a small Montessori school that includes students from the community. After having children, Alexandra and her husband Juan Pablo realized that they were going to encounter a schooling problem. The closest school to La Hesperia is about 1 hour away and is not adequate. In order to solve this problem, they decided to home school their children, Jota and Joaquin. Alexandra realized that if she was going to be spending time and effort teaching her own children, she should include children from the local communities as well.

2) La Hesperia has a challenging time supporting their financial needs. The volunteers each pay $20 a day, which covers food, housing and some project fees. Their larger financial needs, such as the school, construction, and employee/teacher salaries are usually covered by donations and grants.

3) Future concerns at La Hesperia are primarily financial. As Alexandra says, “preservation doesn’t pay and I have to pay my teachers.” She has mentioned how ecotourism could help pay to preserve the area and, simultaneously, benefit the community. She explained that when the community directly benefits economically from preservation, they are more likely to support preservation.

4) La Hesperia has a list of future goals. Their number one goal is to protect the existing forest and maintain the reserve as an Important Bird Area (IBA). They also would like to become 80% sustainable. Right now, they are only 20% sustainable, meaning that 20% of the food we eat and resources we use come from the reserve. They want to continue to create programs to foster community development in addition to educating the public about conservation and ecology. Lastly, they want to continue to conduct and broaden their research and share their experiences with more nature enthusiasts, local communities and volunteers.


Discussion Questions:
1) How can La Hesperia further include the community?
2) Do you think that it is fair for La Hesperia to own 814 hectares while the community members have significantly less land?
3) What are some ways La Hesperia could overcome their financial difficulties?
4) What concerns can you see involving social, economic, and environmental justice?

For more information, visit La Hesperia’s website: www.lahesperia.org