Dracula Reserve Expansion 2026
This is the incredible cloud forest we have the opportunity to protect.
In partnership with Fundación EcoMinga, the Orchid Conservation Alliance has an opportunity to protect an exceptional property adjacent to the existing Dracula Reserve. This property encompasses nearly 637 hectares (1,574 acres) of largely primary forest, extending from approximately 1,450 to 2,700 meters (4,760–8,860 feet) elevation.
Acquiring this property would do far more than simply add acreage to the reserve. It would create a larger, contiguous protected landscape and safeguard an important habitat for plants and wildlife. Because it borders the Dracula Reserve, protection of this property can be incorporated into the existing management plan. In a region where forest continues to be destroyed and fragmented, securing intact habitat before it disappears is one of the most effective conservation actions we can take.
Much of the property remains little explored. Steep cliffs and difficult terrain have kept some areas virtually inaccessible, and the forests above 2,500 meters have not yet been systematically surveyed. These higher-elevation habitats may harbor additional rare, endemic, or even undescribed species. Protecting the land now ensures the survival of these forests and whatever biological treasures remain to be discovered within them.
We need your help to protect it.
An initial botanical survey revealed an extraordinary diversity of orchids, including an impressive number of Dracula species: D. andreettae, D. erythrocodon, D. fuliginosa, D. gigas, D. hirtzii, D. iricolor, D. levii, D. psyche, D. terborchii, and D. vespertilio.
The forest also supports many cloud forest orchids including various Oncidium, Cyrtochilum, Masdevallia, Dryadella, and Epidendrum species. Numerous rare and geographically restricted orchids, including Brachionidium imperiale, Habenaria corydophora, Platystele pamelae, Pleurothallis ecomingae, P. markgruinii, Porroglossum aureum, P. eduardii, P. raoorum, Telipogon maldonadoensis, Trisetella vittata, and Zootrophion argus are also found here. The rare tree Carapa amorphocarpa also has been documented on the property.
And the importance of this forest extends far beyond orchids. Wildlife recorded in or near the property includes the critically endangered Brown-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps), the Black-and-Chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori), and the spectacular Plate-billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena laminirostris). Other remarkable inhabitants include the EcoMinga Montane Rat (Pattonimus ecominga), Carapaz’s Forest Mouse (Chilomys carapazi), and the aptly named Dracula Anole (Anolis dracula).
This is a rare opportunity to protect a large block of intact Andean forest while directly expanding an already established and successfully managed reserve. Every contribution toward the purchase of this property will help secure permanent habitat for orchids, birds, mammals, reptiles, and countless species still waiting to be discovered.
By expanding the Dracula Reserve, we can ensure that this extraordinary forest remains standing, both for the species we know are there today and for those we have yet to discover.