Eco EraSupport
Primary forest interior, where the biological surveys are carried out

Before you can protect a place well, you have to know what is there.

Conservation begins with observation.

A forest can appear healthy from a distance while its ecological relationships are changing underneath the canopy. Research makes those changes visible: which species live here, where they are moving, how water changes between the headwaters and the river, where erosion is occurring, which habitats are regenerating, and which edges are under pressure.

The findings

Nine findings from the research on this land.

Scan the index, then select a finding to read the evidence behind it.

  1. The Naranjo River at the lower boundary01The land850 mof elevation, from the Naranjo River to the highest ridgeRead the evidence
  2. Water dropping through rock at El Salto del Nara02The ground60°+slopes, where tree roots do the structural work of holding soilNow reading
  3. Rainwater held on a leaf in the understory03The waterDaysthat rain is held in canopy and soil before it reaches the riverRead the evidence
  4. The Naranjo running clear over boulders04The measurements6.1–8.3pH range, with low nitrates and the conductivity of an undisturbed watershedRead the evidence
  5. Mist moving through the canopy05The evidence4M+tonnes of CO₂ stored in the primary forest on the propertyRead the evidence
  6. Bromeliads on a forest branch06The record717+species documented across plants, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibiansRead the evidence
  7. Cup fungus fruiting on deadwood07The system6forest functions working together as one self-regulating systemRead the evidence
  8. Cerro Nara canopy in morning mist08The horizon35 yrsof family protection so far; the next step is legal protection that outlasts itRead the evidence
  9. A group walking the forest09The practice4connected areas of conservation work, from patrols to peopleRead the evidence

I · The ground

The architecture beneath the forest

The beauty of Cerro Nara is inseparable from its geology. The country here is steep and structurally active, shaped by tectonic uplift, erosion, intense rainfall, and the constant movement of water downhill. Some slopes exceed 60 degrees. At El Salto del Nara, water drops more than 50 meters through the forest.

On terrain like this, trees perform structural work.

Roots bind the soil, leaf litter softens the force of rainfall, and understory growth slows water moving across the surface, while fallen branches, fungi, soil organisms and decaying matter keep building the porous ground beneath the canopy.

Protecting the forest here also protects the slopes.

Slope and decomposition

Water dropping through rock at El Salto del Nara
El Salto del Nara · more than 50 m of drop
Cup fungus fruiting on fallen deadwood
Decomposers rebuilding soil from fallen wood
A white spathe flowering on the shaded forest floor
Ground cover holding the surface in place