Third Millennium Alliance

As members of the 1% For the Planet community since 2005, we’ve had the good fortune to support the work of many fine organizations doing great work to help preserve the natural environment.

One in particular stands out. Third Millennium Alliance (www.3malliance.org) is an international nonprofit alliance of ecological engineers, conservationists, businesses, scientists, and communities working together to preserve the last remaining rainforest ecosystem in western Ecuador.

Only 2% of western Ecuador’s rainforest is still intact

What inspires us about 3M Alliance is their practical, on-the-ground approach to creating sustainable solutions to preserve this vital biodiversity. Jerry Toth, Director of 3M Alliance, and his team live it everyday and are creating positive change in one of the world’s most important conservation areas. The primary project of 3M Alliance is to protect the last remaining tropical rainforest in the Choco-Manabi Biological Corridor. Encroaching cattle ranching and timber exploitation threaten this rich and diverse ecosystem.

Colombian architect, Simon Velez, arguably the most renowned architect using bamboo today, worked with the massive Guadua angustifolia for his large-scale projects including his famed ZERI project.

Bamboo provides the backbone to rainforest protection in Ecuador

The Jama-Coaque Reserve is rich with diverse plants and animals including the neotropical giant Guadua angustifolia, the largest bamboo species in the world and able to withstand heavy loads comparable to other timber.

Other advantages of this species include its durability, low use of water and seismic resistance. Despite its tremendous utility and its historical importance in the region, lack of interest and knowledge of bamboo in the rest of Ecuador has rendered its cultivation, and management financially unattractive.

We’re supporting the 3M Alliance group to change this perception by implementing initiatives to raise the knowledge and value of bamboo among a new generation of local farmers.