Protecting whitewater resources, economic sustainability, and biodiversity in Ecuador

Years of exploring and documenting whitewater rivers in the Ecuadorian Andes and observing the significant and growing threats to watershed quality led to the formation of the Ecuadorian Rivers Institute in August, 2002.

The ERI is incorporated in the state of Colorado as a US non-profit 501c3 organization, and works to protect and conserve unique watershed resources in Ecuador.

The ERI targets river drainages which are important for recreational river use and advocates protecting river corridors for the benefit of maintaining the high levels of biodiversity and realizing sustainable, tourism-based economies in these areas.

Investigation, education and conservation are our primary activities. We engage in river and water quality monitoring, local river festivals, educational seminars and tourism advisory. We advocate for protected river designations, the Jondachi-Hollin-Misahualli-Napo free-flowing protected ecological corridor, and improvements to environmental legislation and watershed management/policy.