Updates from ARCC in the Amazon
The past several months have been a time of exciting accomplishments and growth for ARCC. From forging new partnerships and testing innovative technologies, to producing a documentary alongside our Indigenous allies, our team and fellows have been busy. Alongside all of this, we’ve also been celebrating some exciting milestones—including a major academic achievement for our Executive Director.
Here are some of the highlights of what ARCC has been working on—and what we're looking forward to next.
New Partnerships on the Horizon
In June 2026, our team spent a week visiting the Yachana Foundation along the Napo River in Ecuador to explore opportunities to support the long-term protection of their 1,000+ hectare reserve and the remarkable conservation projects they lead. After an inspiring visit, we are exploring ways to join forces and help ensure the continued success of both this extraordinary landscape and the community-based initiatives it supports. We can’t wait to share more about what we’re building together!
Ethan Duvall (Executive Director) and Joseph See (Jungle Guru) explore one of the many amazing waterfalls on the Yachana Reserve.
This area is located between the Yasuni and Sumaco National Parks, at the base of the Andes-Amazon transition zone, creating a unique and incredibly biodiverse landscape.
Research Expedition to Colombia’s Piamonte Region
In collaboration with Reserva Youth Land Trust, Salvemos Selva, Trepatroncos, and Ropey Science, ARCC member Joseph See recently traveled to Colombia’s Piamonte region to support the group and observe the deployment of an innovative canopy camera designed by the Ropeyscience team. We’re excited about the potential of this technology for our own research and hope to begin deploying these cameras soon.
Introducing: Dr. Executive Director!
There was another exciting milestone to celebrate this year: ARCC Executive Director and Co-Founder, Ethan Duvall, successfully defended his PhD dissertation at Cornell University in May, following years of research in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Ethan’s doctoral research focused on wildlife nutrition, behavior, and their influence nutrient cycling within rainforest ecosystems and beyond. Through years of fieldwork in the Amazon, his research has helped shed light on the complex relationships between wildlife and rainforest environments, and the broader processes that sustain these incredibly diverse forests. Congratulations Ethan!
Bringing the Important Stories to the Screen
ARCC Vice President Naia Andrade recently spent several weeks in the Waorani community of Mintapare in the Ecuadorian Amazon, filming and developing her latest documentary project. Funded by ARCC and supported by the BBC Natural History Unit’s Project Songbird Scholarship, the film follows Eweme, a Waorani hunter who teaches his grandson the traditional craft of making and using a blowpipe. The film offers an intimate glimpse into the knowledge and traditions passed from one generation to the next, and the importance of preserving them as life in the Amazon continues to change. We can’t wait to deliver you a sneak peak!
Left to right: Pablo Mesa (Sound Designer), Eweme (Main Contributor) holding his blowpipe , Naia (Film Director), little Eweme (Eweme’s Grandson) and Wiñaqui (Family Member) after a great day filming together in the forest.
New insights from San Isidro Ecological Corridor
After two major field campaigns, ARCC Fellows Elias Viteri-Basso and Ariel Guerrero-Campoverde have gathered an encouraging collection of wildlife records that are helping examine how human presence and land use influence mammal communities in the San Isidro Ecological Corridor. Among their findings are videos like the one below, captured with the help of Paleblue batteries, offering an encouraging glimpse of the wildlife using these landscapes and highlight the potential role of private protected areas in supporting diverse mammal communities.
ARCC at TEDx Amazonia
In August, ARCC Fellows Nicolás Schuldt and Natalia Jaramillo presented their work at TEDxAmazonia, an event that brings together researchers, conservationists, community leaders, and changemakers to share ideas and stories about the Amazon and its future. Held in Baños and Puyo, the event is a great opportunity to connect science, conservation, and community-led efforts to protect the Amazon..
ARCC Fellows Natalia Jaramillo (Left) and Nicolás Schuldt (Right) presented their work on TEDx Amazonia on August in Baños and Puyo.
Gathering with AOWARE Artisan Partners
In June, the ARCC Team gathered with the Asociación de Okienani Waorani de Orellana (AOWARE), who we are partnering with to strengthen and support their sustainable, culturally integrated income-generating activities. During our meeting, we discussed how ARCC can help represent and promote AOWARE’s work in the United States while expanding opportunities for their products. By increasing distribution and creating greater visibility for AOWARE’s work, we hope to help include more women in these economic opportunities and contribute to sustainable development for Waorani communities in Orellana Province. It was a meaningful opportunity to connect, share ideas, and continue building a partnership rooted in cultural preservation, economic empowerment, and long-term sustainability.
