Proyecto Washu

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Protecting the brown-headed spider monkey

When you support Proyecto Washu, you help to make a difference for one of the most threatened primates in the world, and its habitat—the forests of the Ecuadorian Chocó.
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Helping people to protect their forest home.

Proyecto Washu takes a participatory approach to conservation by promoting sustainable economic opportunities for Ecuadorians that improve the outcomes for both humans and wildlife.

Brown-headed spider monkeys are considered the most threatened primate in Ecuador, and one of the 25 most threatened primates in the world.

Proyecto Washu’s latest surveys estimate that approximately 250 brown-headed spider monkeys left. In the province of Esmeraldas, Tesoro Escondido is home to 193 of these monkeys, a critical population for the species’ connectivity and survival.

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Proyecto Washu believes that local communities lose the most from deforestation, but they also stand to gain the most from protecting forests.

Proyecto Washu knows that biodiversity conservation in highly diverse regions is directly linked to the quality of life of local communities, and their alternative income program, known as the Sustainable Matrix Model, creates conservation solutions that improve the livelihoods of both people and wildlife.

Find out more

Brown-headed spider monkeys are considered the most threatened primate in Ecuador, and one of the 25 most threatened primates in the world.

Proyecto Washu’s latest surveys estimate that approximately 250 brown-headed spider monkeys left. In the province of Esmeraldas, Tesoro Escondido is home to 193 of these monkeys, a critical population for the species’ connectivity and survival.
Find out more

Proyecto Washu believes that local communities lose the most from deforestation, but they also stand to gain the most from protecting forests.

Proyecto Washu knows that biodiversity conservation in highly diverse regions is directly linked to the quality of life of local communities, and their alternative income program, known as the Sustainable Matrix Model, creates conservation solutions that improve the livelihoods of both people and wildlife.
Find out more

Species Impact

Brown-headed spider monkeys are mainly threatened by habitat fragmentation caused by deforestation for logging and converting land to livestock grazing pastures. Spider monkeys diet relies on mature fruit, which requires large areas of healthy forest to produce.

Proyecto Washu’s conservation efforts in Esmeraldas involve local communities, who help them protect more than 500 acres of forest and maintain more than 350 acres of agricultural lands, all while using best practices to improve landscape conditions for wildlife.

Proyecto Washu also rehabilitates brown-headed spider monkeys who have been victims of the illegal wildlife trade, establishing the first sanctuary for brown-headed spider monkeys rescued from wildlife traffickers in the province of Esmeraldas.

Team Values

As part of Proyecto Washu’s Sustainable Matrix Model, they have worked with local farmers to create Washu Chocolate, a zero-deforestation product. The sale of Washu Chocolate supports their conservation actions and promotes the consumption of products that are socially and environmentally responsible. By supporting the empowerment, success, and self-sufficiency of local communities, Proyecto Washu demonstrates the positive impacts of conservation for local people. This also helps local leaders encourage neighboring communities to participate as well.

Conservation Solutions

Icon Boosting Local Economies
Icon Expanding Education
Icon Restoring Habitat
Icon Scientific Research
Icon Tackling Wildlife Crime

Boosting Local Economies

Through their social enterprise, Washu Chocolate, Proyecto Washu supports cocoa farmers living alongside brown-headed spider monkey habitat to reduce agricultural expansion. It also helps them use their soil more sustainably and increase crop production. By improving the quality of cacao and obtaining direct buyers that recognize the added value of conservation, participating farmers can increase their income and avoid causing deforestation. All of this, combined with drone monitoring and environmental education activities, helps Proyecto Washu transform farmers into conservation ambassadors, a win-win for wildlife and people.

Expanding Education

Proyecto Washu’s environmental education programs focus on farming families that participate in their Sustainable Matrix Model. They raise awareness about the impact that human activities have on ecosystems, the consequences of these impacts, and how to use natural resources and farmland in a sustainable way. Together with teachers and students in the Ecuadorean province of Esmeraldas, Proyecto Washu also generates educational material to broadcast on the local radio.

Restoring Habitat

Proyecto Washu recently made a purchase agreement for hundreds of acres of land, formerly a mix of forest fragments and pastures, to restore it into intact habitat for brown-headed spider monkeys. The monkeys help forest restoration efforts by dispersing fruit seeds, making them “farmers” of the forest. Proyecto Washu aids restoration efforts by creating the initial tree-lined corridors between forest fragments, which are then further supported by the seed dispersal of the spider monkeys. This helps turn former pasture lands into biodiverse forests again.

Scientific Research

Proyecto Washu’s research efforts compare the functionality of different ecosystems along the Ecuadorean coast, including the protected Jevon Forest, the sustainably-managed farmlands of Tesoro Escondido, and more fragmented areas that require restoration, like the province of Manabí. Their goal is to understand different human impacts on primates and develop adequate conservation strategies for the species. They also study the behavior of spider monkeys in captivity, who were victims of wildlife trafficking, in order to rehabilitate them and develop a reintroduction program for returning them to the wild.

Tackling Wildlife Crime

One major threat that primates face is the illegal wildlife trade. In order to capture a young primate, poachers often must kill the mother, which puts the young primate’s survival at risk as well. In 2014, Proyecto Washu established a rehabilitation program for spider monkeys rescued from the pet trade, caring for their health so they can one day be released to the wild again. Rehabilitation programs are expensive and time-consuming, so Proyecto Washu also allows their supporters to “adopt” spider monkeys in order to contribute to the cost of their monthly care.

Boosting Local Economies

Through their social enterprise, Washu Chocolate, Proyecto Washu supports cocoa farmers living alongside brown-headed spider monkey habitat to reduce agricultural expansion. It also helps them use their soil more sustainably and increase crop production. By improving the quality of cacao and obtaining direct buyers that recognize the added value of conservation, participating farmers can increase their income and avoid causing deforestation. All of this, combined with drone monitoring and environmental education activities, helps Proyecto Washu transform farmers into conservation ambassadors, a win-win for wildlife and people.

Expanding Education

Proyecto Washu’s environmental education programs focus on farming families that participate in their Sustainable Matrix Model. They raise awareness about the impact that human activities have on ecosystems, the consequences of these impacts, and how to use natural resources and farmland in a sustainable way. Together with teachers and students in the Ecuadorean province of Esmeraldas, Proyecto Washu also generates educational material to broadcast on the local radio.

Restoring Habitat

Proyecto Washu recently made a purchase agreement for hundreds of acres of land, formerly a mix of forest fragments and pastures, to restore it into intact habitat for brown-headed spider monkeys. The monkeys help forest restoration efforts by dispersing fruit seeds, making them “farmers” of the forest. Proyecto Washu aids restoration efforts by creating the initial tree-lined corridors between forest fragments, which are then further supported by the seed dispersal of the spider monkeys. This helps turn former pasture lands into biodiverse forests again.

Scientific Research

Proyecto Washu’s research efforts compare the functionality of different ecosystems along the Ecuadorean coast, including the protected Jevon Forest, the sustainably-managed farmlands of Tesoro Escondido, and more fragmented areas that require restoration, like the province of Manabí. Their goal is to understand different human impacts on primates and develop adequate conservation strategies for the species. They also study the behavior of spider monkeys in captivity, who were victims of wildlife trafficking, in order to rehabilitate them and develop a reintroduction program for returning them to the wild.

Tackling Wildlife Crime

One major threat that primates face is the illegal wildlife trade. In order to capture a young primate, poachers often must kill the mother, which puts the young primate’s survival at risk as well. In 2014, Proyecto Washu established a rehabilitation program for spider monkeys rescued from the pet trade, caring for their health so they can one day be released to the wild again. Rehabilitation programs are expensive and time-consuming, so Proyecto Washu also allows their supporters to “adopt” spider monkeys in order to contribute to the cost of their monthly care.

When you get involved, donate, or spread the word on social media, you are truly making a better world for brown-headed spider monkeys and the communities that live near them. Here are a few ways you can help:

Connect with Proyecto Washu on social media to learn more about their work and be a voice for spider monkeys.

Visit Proyecto Washu’s website and sign up for their newsletter to deepen your connection with conservation.
VISIT WEBSITE

Volunteer – If you would like to volunteer with Proyecto Washu, please reach out to info@proyectowashu.org with the name of the program that you are interested in participating in.

Adopt a Spider Monkey – If you would like to “adopt” a monkey rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, you can contribute to helping the cost of their care, feeding, and maintenance of their rehabilitation facility.

Buy Chocolate – Washu Chocolate remains a small enterprise, but Proyecto Washu are working hard to provide a service that will allow consumers to purchase their chocolate online. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact them using the information here and they’ll try to send out chocolate bars as quickly as possible.

Lastly, donate to support Proyecto Washu’s work protecting spider monkeys. Through our donation model, 100% of your donation goes to field with zero taken for overhead or administration.

Nathalia Fuentes, Proyecto Washu
Proyecto Washu's "Sustainable Matrix Model," integrates agroecology, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and environmental education. Thanks to this model, local families have become our greatest allies for biodiversity conservation.
Nathalia Fuentes, Proyecto Washu

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Photography Credits: Proyecto Washu, Jaime Culebras