{"id":74341,"date":"2022-03-15T12:27:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T11:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/?p=74341"},"modified":"2024-02-19T13:51:39","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T12:51:39","slug":"meet-ryan-lynch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iucn.nl\/en\/story\/meet-ryan-lynch\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the conservationist: Ryan Lynch"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ryan Lynch is a tropical ecologist with a master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation and a specific focus on amphibians and reptiles.  Although originally from California, he has spent the past twenty years in the tropical forests of Ecuador after first visiting the country in 2001. Driven by his love of the land and nature, as CEO of Third Millennium Alliance (TMA) he protects 800 hectares of nature every day.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Header photo: Ryan Lynch \u00a9 Santiago Serrano<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Two percent<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Ecuador’s coast is home to some of the wettest rainforests: the Choc\u00f3 rainforests, as well as the last remnants of dry coastal forests in South America.  The critically endangered Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchin monkey and the Ecuadorian mantled howler monkey, vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, are just two examples of the thousands of unique species that live here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Although the area is considered one of the most extraordinary destinations in South America, its native wildlife is declining dramatically, largely due to human activity. Deforestation is a major, global threat to nature. Nowhere is this more evident than in Ecuador’s Pacific Forest, which has lost 98% of its original forest cover in the past two generations alone. This makes Ecuador’s coast one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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