MOUNTAIN TAPIR FOREVER
Community-Based Mountain Tapir Conservation
Established 2017
“A large animal needs a large area.
If you protect that area, you’re also protecting
thousands of other plants and animals.”
~ George Schaller
An initiative of:
In memory of Sheryl Todd
“We work with local communities to conserve the last refuges of the mountain tapir.”
The Mountain Tapir
Tapirus pinchaque, its scientific name refers to its mysterious and elusive nature, like a ghost of the night.
The IUCN estimates a population of only 2500 individuals for the mountain tapir and declining. This species requires the most urgent contributions from tapir advocates around the world!
©2024 Sergio Sandoval
Our Strategy
Our approach brings together scientific research and community action to protect the mountain tapir and its habitat. Through a network of Community Conservation Centers (CCC) being established in key areas across the Andes, we are starting to work in collaboration with universities and research institutions so that these spaces will serve as destinations for field courses, internships, and thesis projects. At the same time, we expect that local communities lead biodiversity monitoring and develop sustainable livelihood initiatives, demonstrating that science can become a practical tool to protect nature while strengthening rural well-being.
“Anonymous heroes like Víctor Flórez protect páramo landscapes once cleared for cattle ranching. Today, these lands are refuges for the mountain tapir, spectacled bear, puma, frailejón, and vital water sources for downstream communities.”
News
Community Conservation Center for the Mountain Tapir
We are building the first Community Conservation Center (CCC) for the mountain tapir, an initiative that brings together local communities, science, and rural tourism.
Through training in community tourism and camera-trap monitoring, women and young people are becoming local hosts and co-researchers, creating new income opportunities while protecting this endangered species.
Tapir guardians are a key part of our strategy
When people join our initiative to protect the mountain tapir, everything begins to transform in favor of the species. Our allies can participate in different ways: benefactors as volunteers, students through internships, and researchers by staying in the territory to study the tapir, its ecosystem, and the species that share its habitat