ABOUT US
It was on a trip to the jungles of Ecuador, that founders David Tieszen and Joshua Swenson witnessed the severity of rainforest devastation in what had formerly been a thriving and diverse ecosystem. David, an educator at a private institution in Quito, had taken Joshua, a former student and Ecuadorian resident, to this particular area to help document the impact of the deforestation, as he describes below.
“I had witnessed the once-pristine jungle give way to encroaching settlement and deforestation. As places once accessible by dugout canoe were now bisected with roads, and as settler houses were constructed on foundations formerly anchored by trees, the threat of environmental impact weighed heavily on each of us.”
Weeks later, with the images fresh in their minds, they were spurred to action and developed a non-profit foundation known as the Rainforest Restoration Foundation. With a shared vision in promoting positive ecological change, and familiarity with the country’s language and customs, both served an integral role in assuring the organization’s success.