Ep. 378 - Dracula Orchids & the Threat of Gold Mining

In Defense of Plants Podcast

In Defense of Plants

Botany, Natural Sciences, Ecology, Nature, Plants, Science

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 July 2022

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Dracula Reserve in Ecuador was formed with orchids at the center of its focus but it is home to untold numbers of species. New discoveries are made every year, which further emphasizes this region as a biodiversity hotspot for the planet. Sadly, both legal and illegal gold mining operations threaten the future of this reserve and all the organisms and people that call it home. Join me and EcoMinga director Javier Robayo as we discuss this issue and how you, the listener, can help protect the future of this forest. This episode was produced in part by Margaret, Daniel, Karen, David, Earl, Jocelyn, Gary, Krysta, Elizabeth, Southern California Carnivorous Plant Enthusiasts, Pattypollinators, Peter, Judson, Ella, Alex, Dan, Pamela, Peter, Andrea, Nathan, Karyn, Michelle, Jillian, Chellie, Linda, Laura, Miz Holly, Christie, Carlos, Paleo Fern, Levi, Sylvia, Lanny, Ben, Lily, Craig, Sarah, Lor, Monika, Brandon, Jeremy, Suzanne, Kristina, Christine, Silas, Michael, Aristia, Felicidad, Lauren, Danielle, Allie, Jeffrey, Amanda, Tommy, Marcel, C Leigh, Karma, Shelby, Christopher, Alvin, Arek, Chellie, Dani, Paul, Dani, Tara, Elly, Colleen, Natalie, Nathan, Ario, Laura, Cari, Margaret, Mary, Connor, Nathan, Jan, Jerome, Brian, Azomonas, Ellie, University Greens, Joseph, Melody, Patricia, Matthew, Garrett, John, Ashley, Cathrine, Melvin, OrangeJulian, Porter, Jules, Griff, Joan, Megan, Marabeth, Les, Ali, Southside Plants, Keiko, Robert, Bryce, Wilma, Amanda, Helen, Mikey, Michelle, German, Joerg, Cathy, Tate, Steve, Kae, Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Lynn, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Brett, Jocelyn, Ethan, Sheryl, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Chris, Alana, Rachel, Joanna, Lori, Paul, Griff, Matthew, Bobby, Vaibhav, Steven, Joseph, Brandon, Liam, Hall, Jared, Brandon, Christina, Carly, Kazys, Stephen, Katherine, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, Manny, doeg, Daniel, Tim, Philip, Tim, Lisa, Brodie, Bendix, Irene, holly, Sara, and Margie.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone and welcome to the In Defensive Plants Podcast, the official podcast of
0:04.4	Indefensive Plants.com.
0:05.8	What's up? This is your host, Matt. Welcome to the show. How is everyone doing this week?
0:09.9	I'm doing great because I just spoke with one of the most inspirational conservationists I've ever
0:14.9	met. Today we are hearing from Javier Rabio. He is the executive director of Foundacion Icominga. And this is a topic you have
0:23.4	heard about if you've been listening to this podcast for a while now. They own and operate a bunch of
0:29.1	land conservation efforts down in Ecuador and all of it is really focused on tiny orchids,
0:35.9	such as those in the genus Dracula or Tigia.
0:39.3	But they're doing amazing work for biodiversity as a whole in one of the most biodiverse areas
0:43.8	of the entire world.
0:45.5	When you hear some of the stories he's going to tell you today, it just becomes so apparent
0:50.0	why land protection in this region is so important.
0:53.3	And Javier is here to talk to us about an issue that the Dracula Reserve is facing with
0:57.7	legal and illegal mining operations.
1:01.0	Please stick around to the end of this conversation because he gives you a ton of ways that you,
1:04.7	yourself, no matter where you're at, can actually help this mission in a major way.
1:09.2	Javier, like I said, is one of the most inspirational people
1:11.8	doing amazing work to protect plants and the planet. So let's just jump right into it. Without
1:17.0	further ado, here's my conversation with Javier Robayo and I'm working with the Cominga Foundation
1:40.3	during the last 12 years, more or less. I'm studying ecology on the university.
1:46.8	And during my first year on the university,
1:52.7	I listen in a speech about conservation,
	...

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