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 ridgeNow reading
  2. Water dropping through rock at El Salto del Nara02The ground60°+slopes, where tree roots do the structural work of holding soilRead the evidence
  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 land

850 vertical meters, from the Naranjo to the highest ridge

The Eco Era reserve climbs from roughly 250 meters above sea level to around 1,100 meters. Each band of that climb holds a different forest.

The climb passes through primary and secondary rainforest, steep ravines, headwater streams, mature canopy, waterfalls, and a succession of habitats shaped by elevation and water.

Elevation profile · select a band

Elevation 1,100 m

The upper ridge

Cooler and wetter, with different plant communities. Birds arrive here seasonally from lower ground, which only works while the whole gradient stays forested.

1,000+
acres held directly
10,000+
acres of protected and co-stewarded landscape, of which about 5,810 acres are the legally designated protected zone

Since 1991, the Caldarelli De Leon family has helped protect this landscape from the pressures that have fragmented tropical forests throughout the region.

Scale matters here: a forest may be legally protected and still fail ecologically if it becomes isolated.

A jaguar's range doesn't stop at a property line, and neither does a tapir's, or the water running through both.

The gradient, band by band

The Naranjo river at the lower boundary of the property
250 m · the Naranjo at the lower boundary
A headwater ravine cutting through steep ground
500 m · headwater ravines and steep ground
Mature primary forest interior
800 m · mature primary canopy
Cloud moving across the forested upper ridge
1,100 m · cloud contact on the upper ridge