This reserve was established on the site where the Research Center “La Chiquita” used to operate, an area dedicated to research and management study of forests typical of northwestern Ecuador. La Chiquita, whose name comes from an estuary located in this area, has become a sanctuary for the area’s fauna and flora. The main attraction of this area is the tropical rainforest of the Choco area, a highly biodiverse ecosystem that starts in Panama, runs through Colombia and reaches the northern coasts of Ecuador.