Located in the northwest portion of Ecuador, a unique venture began called the Tagua Initiative was formed.  This began in 1990 by Conservation International as a means of creating economic incentives associated with the tagua palm nut, trying to find a way for the harvests to be sustained.  Because of this initiative, today we see almost 2,000 people belonging to the Comuna Rio Santiago-Cayapas, holding down jobs.  However, these jobs depend on the rainforest being left unharmed, allowing the tagua nut to continue growing.