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 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 systemNow reading
  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

IV · The system

What this forest does.

Every species in a healthy forest has work to do. Together they regenerate the forest, filter its water and moderate its climate, as long as all the pieces are present.

Fruit ripening on a canopy branch

Forest function 01

Seed dispersal and forest regeneration

Bats, at 62 percent of mammal diversity here, disperse thousands of seeds every night across distances up to 10 km. Frugivorous birds carry seeds that wind cannot move. Tapirs and primates do more of the same. Pull any part of this out and the forest loses its ability to regenerate.

Fruit ripening on a canopy branch

Indicators, photographed on the property

A cup fungus fruiting on deadwood
A blue-winged butterfly on a heliconia stem
A shield bug on a leaf in the understory