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Finding Species
Finding Species, Inc is a US based non-profit organization founded in 1996 to contribute to the resolution of critical environmental, conservation, and biodiversity issues through aesthetically beautiful, scientifically significant photographs. Finding Species maintained an international program in Ecuador from 2007-2012 to document and photograph the imperiled flora and fauna of the rain forest. Currently, the U.S. staff is based in Takoma Park, Maryland, and San Marcos, Texas.

History
While conducting botanical research at the Bilsa Biological Reserve in Ecuador, botanist Margot Bass realized the importance and value in scientifically photographing the plants in the rain forest. Bass continued her work in 1996 in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park, where she, and other botanists, established Finding Species to document and conserve plant species.

The construction of roads and the exploration of oil in Yasuní inspired Finding Species to partner with Scientists Concerned for Yasuní in publishing a report on the biological value of the park. The report included over thirty Signature Species of wildlife found at Yasuní. This report, as well as the public relations campaign involving the photographs and the international outcry, played a crucial role in the government’s decision to stop the construction of the road.

Finding Species was formally incorporated in 2003 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

In 2010, Finding Species collaborated with Telfonica to release Armonia Ecuador, a coffee table book featuring photographs of varios ecosystems and species throughout Ecuador. The book was released on March 3, 2011.

From 2010 to 2013, Finding Species documented and photographed over 200 tree species for the Smithsonian Institution’s leaf-recognizing iPhone app, LeafSnap. Finding Species received funding in 2014 to complete 50 of the most common tree species of Canada.

Mission
Finding Species uniquely contributes to the resolution of critical environmental, conservation, and biodiversity concerns through aesthetically beautiful, scientifically significant photographs. Finding Species approaches these large-scale challenges building from four cornerstones: photography, science, technology and partnerships. Photography, Science, Technology, and Partnerships are the cornerstones in which Finding Species undertakes educational projects, conservation campaigns, and scientific research.

Finding SpeciesID
Common and Conspicuous Trees of Yasuní – The Common and Conspicuous Trees of Ecuador is a book written by Finding Species botanists and photographers. Published in Spanish, this book documents the trees, as well as the fragile and complex ecological and anthropological features, of Yasuní National Park.

EoL/BioBlitz – Finding Species photographers, along with botanical experts, photo-documented more than 100 species of plants and an additional number of species of various taxa collected at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore during the 2009 Bioblitz. Finding Species used its technology and worked with experts in taxonomy to produce definitive species identifications. The plant images have been processed and made available to the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) and the National Park Service (NPS).

GeckoWeb – Finding Species created an educational, interactive website of the Geckos of the United States in collaboration with scientists and researchers, with the support USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII). GeckoWeb has provided scientists and naturalists with a high-quality website to identify and study geckos and their threatened habitats in the United States. Finding Species located and documented species throughout the country, taking some of the most up-close, detailed images ever captured of these elusive species.

LeafSnap – Finding Species has collaborated with the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Department of Botany to document woody plants of the Washington, DC Metro Area and the trees and shrubs of New York City’s Central Park to protect native plant species, habitats, and the wildlife that depend on them. This collaboration has developed with Columbia University and the University of Maryland to create what is now known as LeafSnap. Finding Species is currently working closely with the Canadian Wildlife Federation to expand the project into Canada.

NBII – Finding Species has partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey, NBII Digital Image Library to build two special collections of approximately 2,000 biodiversity images for public use. Users of the NBII library are able to search for and download these images and use them for non-commercial purposes at no cost. The library contains well-documented images associated with plant and animal species, landscapes, wildlife management, and biological study/fieldwork.

Signature Species
Conservation of the Dry Forest – Finding Species photo-documented rare coastal species, and created materials about these species and habitats to feature in exhibits, books and presentations.

Conservation of the Andean Tapir – This project had four major outcomes. The first was to increase scientific knowledge of the Andean tapir. Fieldwork and photo-documentation were conducted and determined the size of, location of, and threats to the remaining tapir populations in Ecuador. Finding Species and collaborating scientists collected field photo-documentation and camera trapping of the tapir in remote locations as part of this work. The second outcome was to enlist community support. Finding Species conducted an outreach campaign to local communities surrounding Llanganates and Sangay National Parks about the endangered status of the tapir and its biological value and lack of harm to humans. Biologists and photographers engaged communities to reduce their hunting and ranching activities in the parks that threaten the tapir. The third was to improve local and national policies and laws by educating local and national government officials about policy and legal changes that would better protect the tapir and other endangered plants and animals. The fourth outcome was to improve government management practices in the national parks where the tapir is found. Park rangers and other federal and local government agency officials must be engaged in actively reducing hunting and cattle ranching activities in the parks, increasing plant cover, and creating safe biological corridors and buffer zones for migration of the species. Finding Species has educated these officials through workshops, and has made the tapir a flagship species in the Baños region based on its unusual charisma and importance to Andean ecosystems.

Conservation of the Snakes of Ecuador – Finding Species has photo-documented the venomous and non-venomous snakes of Ecuador, creating guides that will allow researchers to more easily and accurately identify snakes, expediting research on tropical snakes.

Protection of the Long-Wattled Umbrellabird in Ecuadorian Choco – Finding Species collaborated with the UCLA conservation and research organization, The Center for Tropical Research to provide effective conservation action for the forests of north-western Ecuador. The partnership’s work includes research into the biology of the long-wattled umbrellabird and surveys of its population, which will help towards developing conservation strategies for this unusual species.

Armonia Ecuador Book

Faces of Sustainable Development and Climate Change
Conservaition of High Andean Wetlands – Finding Species worked with Park Rangers and the Ministry of the Environment officials to monitor the presence or absence of aquatic bird species, finding effects of climate change and/or the pressure on their habitat caused by the exploitation of the water. On a monthly basis their populations were verified for the presence and absence of waterfowl. This database helps monitor species numbers and determine migratory species and routes. With the creation of the High Andean Wetland Bird Guide, identification and monitoring techniques, resulting in a map provided by Finding Species to the local government in Quito, recommending a new protected area. Quito accepted the recommendation and it is now know as Cerro Las Puntas.

Sustainable Energy—Yasuní ITT Campaign – Finding Species worked to protect Yasuní National Park in Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse parks in the world. Yasuní is threatened by industrial development, road-building projects, and illegal logging and hunting. The main strategic aim of the campaign combined public education, media outreach, a traveling photographic exhibit, dissemination of the technical report on the biodiversity of Yasuní, and the impacts over it by road building produced by the international leading tropical scientists joint in the “Scientists Concerned of Yasuní” network. The campaign has raised national and international attention on the region and avoided the construction of a new oil road within the Yasuní, known as the Save Yasuní Campaign (see the Signature Species Program). Finding Species formed a network with more than 50 leading neotropical research scientists, who helped with charts and technical reports on the park’s tremendous biodiversity and threats to it. Finding Species met with senior government officials to present the findings of the reports and seek better alternatives for development. This campaign and the associated exhibition of the Signature Species of Yasuní resulted in extensive media coverage, including articles in the New York Times, Ecoamericas magazine, El Comercio and La Hora (two leading national newspapers in Ecuador), the Dow Jones Newswire, Associated Press, AFP, the Environment News Service, and commentary on several Ecuadorian radio stations. Finding Species developed documents for the government’s negotiating committee for the most important climate change meetings in the last three years. Finding Species also hosted, with funding from UNESCO and UNDP, Ecuador’s first Renewable Energy Conference to shed light on the need for this kind of initiative and the need to change the development path within Ecuador to a more sustainable one. As part of this campaign, Finding Species created a TV documentary, broadcasted at prime time nationally, to tell the world the importance of this ITT Initiative.

Headwaters to the Amazon – Finding Species documented the origins of the Amazon River from its source in the Ecuadorian Andes to Alto Napo in the territory of Ecuador by means of pictures and videos. Thus, highlight in the importance of interconnection between ecosystems spanning the tributaries of the Ecuadorian Amazon and their connection to human activities and their environmental impact.

Corredor Cerro Las Puntas Metropolitan Area for Conservation – Within the rural areas of Quito, near the boundaries of the Cayambe Coca National Park, Finding Species conducted workshops with the local population, interviews with stakeholders, and field research to understand social conflicts and conservation status of the area. The project overlapped social needs and productive conflicts with the natural habitat map to create the boundaries for the new protected area within the buffer zone of the Cayambe Coca National Park. The proposal facilitated the necessity of protecting some 28,000 hectares to assure water supply and healthy environment for the future of 80,000 people.

Sustainable Cities Group – AVINA supported the Sustainable Cities program to form a coalition of different organizations and companies, to create and lead round table discussions over key issues in Quito. Finding Species organized meetings for these discussions. The idea was for the coalition to come up with concrete proposals on environmental legislation for Quito. All the organizations were local representing a movement from the citizens to promote use of bicycles, air quality, recycling, etc.

Vida Amazonia –. The project “Vida Amazonia” proposed a series of educational activities focused to the young citizens of the Amazonian cities of Puyo and Coca and the Andean city of Quito. The objective of this project was to raise awareness on the bond among culture, welfare and natural resources, with the belief that a conscious society is respectful of the environment where it lives. Donors and partners to this project where the AVINA foundation, the multi-institutional network “Articulación Regional Amazónica”, the USAID program Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon (ICAA), the Tiputini Biodiversity Station and Finding Species. Activities in this project ranged from artistic performances, photographic exhibits, gastronomic festivals and musical concerts to lectures and debates. These activities involved young school and college students, laymen and scientists and were documented in numerous written, spoken and visual media in the national and international press.

Save Yasuní Campaign – Yasuní National Park in Ecuador is threatened by industrial development, road-building projects, population growth, and illegal logging and hunting. Finding Species worked to protect this park from exploitation. The main campaign strategies combine public education, media outreach, permanent photographic exhibits, reports produced in collaboration with leading tropical scientists, and meetings with key decision makers. The organization has generated major national and international attention on the issue, and stopped a major oil road from being built.

Green Sea Campaign – Finding Species worked to protect the biodiversity of the Napo Moist Forest ecoregion from exploitation.

Collaborators

 * Smithsonian Institute
 * Canadian Wildlife Federation
 * Columbia University
 * Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
 * U.S. National Arboretum
 * USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure
 * The Center for Tropical Research
 * CONGOPE (Consortium of Provincial of the Ecuador Autonomous Government)
 * FONAG (Fondo Para la Proteccion del Agua)
 * AVINA