Seed guardians of the Amazon: A family's solitary fight to save endangered plants
Associated Press
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Ramon Pucha demonstrates how to turn a leaf into a hat to protect himself from the sun while looking for seeds to grow on his family's farm, where he preserves native species and shares seedlings with neighboring communities in an effort to protect biodiversity, in Alto Ila, in Ecuador's Amazon region, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)Ramon Pucha, his son Jhoel, and his wife Marlene cross the Alto Ila River during an expedition to search for native seeds to grow on their farm, where they preserve species and share seedlings with neighboring communities in an effort to protect biodiversity, in Alto Ila, in Ecuador's Amazon region, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)Ramon Pucha shows seeds and plant materials he has collected from the forest near his family farm in Alto Ila, in Ecuador's Amazon region, where he grows native species and shares seedlings with neighboring communities in an effort to preserve local species, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)Ramon Pucha, his wife Marlene, and their son Jhoel collect fish from a pond on their farm, which they've turned into a conservation site to preserve native species and promote sustainable food practices, in Alto Ila, in Ecuador's Amazon region, Tuesday, FEb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)A beetle stands on a leaf on the family farm of Ramon Pucha, which he has turned into a conservation site to preserve native species and promote biodiversity, in Alto Ila, in Ecuador's Amazon region, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
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Ramon Pucha demonstrates how to turn a leaf into a hat to protect himself from the sun while looking for seeds to grow on his family's farm, where he preserves native species and shares seedlings with neighboring communities in an effort to protect biodiversity, in Alto Ila, in Ecuador's Amazon region, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)