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 photography. Finding Species maintained an international program in Ecuador from 2007–2012 to document and photograph the endangered flora and fauna of the rain forest. Currently, the American staff is based in Takoma Park, Maryland, and

San Marcos, Texas San Marcos ( ) is a city and the county seat of Hays County, Texas, United States. The city's limits extend into Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, as well. San Marcos is within the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area and on the Interstate 35 ...

History

While conducting botanical research at the Bilsa Biological Reserve in Ecuador, botanist Margot Bass realized the importance and value in scientifically photographing the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

. Bass continued her work in 1996 in Ecuador's

Yasuní National Park Yasuni National Park () is in Ecuador with an area of 9,823 km2 between the Napo and Curaray Rivers in Napo, Pastaza, and Orellana Provinces in Amazonian Ecuador. The national park lies within the Napo moist forests ecoregion and i ...

, where she and other botanists established Finding Species to document and conserve plant species. The construction of roads and the exploration for oil in

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 accompanying public relations campaign involving photographs and international outcry, played a crucial role in the government's decision to stop the construction of the road. Resulting from many years of working within the rainforest is ''Common Trees of Yasuni'', a book dedicated to the trees of Yasuni National Park located in Ecuador's

Orellana Province Orellana () is an inland province of Ecuador. The capital is Puerto Francisco de Orellana (also known as Coca). It was created on July 30, 1998, from part of Napo Province. The name of the province derives from the explorer Francisco de Orella ...

. Finding Species was formally incorporated in 2003 as a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit organization focusing on photography, science and conservation. In 2010, Finding Species collaborated with Telfonica to release ''Armonia Ecuador'', a coffee table book featuring photographs of various ecosystems and species throughout Ecuador. The book was released on March 3, 2011. Finding Species has documented and photographed more than 250 tree species for the Smithsonian Institution, Columbia University and University of Maryland's leaf-recognizing iPhone app,

LeafSnap Automated species identification is a method of making the expertise of taxonomists available to ecologists, parataxonomists and others via digital technology and artificial intelligence. Today, most automated identification systems rely on image ...

Collaborators

* Smithsonian Institution * 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

References

External links

* {{cite web, url=http://www.tvecuador.com/index.php?option=com_reportajes&view=showcanal&id=1212&Itemid=27, title=Reportajes, work=tvecuador.com<
A Durable Yet Vulnerable Eden in Amazonia
New York Times

Europa Press

The Hindu
Ecuador, la culla della biodiversità

Faden
Lenyűgöző biodiverzitási forrópontot találtak
Ecuadorban Animal conservation organizations Environmental organizations based in the United States Environmental organizations established in 2003 Non-profit organizations based in Maryland Non-profit organizations based in Texas Biodiversity