A small group of Ecuadorians, united under the name of Itapoa, are buying up remaining land in the Choco Rainforest. The Choco once covered the northern lowlands from the base of the Andes to the Pacific. Now only 5% remains, very little of which is protected. Logged and cut for banana production, the area is now being transformed into a sea of African palm oil plantations. However, some community members have developed sustainable ways to earn a living, including growing cacao on their land and selling the beans to French chocolate manufacturers, who pay four times more for organically grown products. In order to be included in the local cooperative and reap these financial benefits, co-op members must leave at least seventy percent of their natural vegetation intact or grow that equivalent back as secondary forestland.