Situated
in the middle of the bio diverse cloud forests of the
Henri Pittier National Park, the Rancho Grande Biological
Station works in what was intended to be a lodge when
it was built in the 1930’s. At 3,609 feet above sea level
and just 18 miles from Maracay on the road to coastal
Ocumare, this is an incredible place not only for the
never-ending research of the tropical mountain ecosystems,
but also for observing birds
and bats. Created by the Central University of Venezuela’s
School of Agronomy in 1966, scores of projects both by
local and international scientists are on the work here
on an innumerable array of topics.
Founded
in 1963, the Los Roques Scientific Foundation maintains
a vital marine biological station in the key of Dos Mosquices,
located in the southwestern part of Los
Roques Archipelago National Park. In such an unbelievable
and scenic setting, researchers work to promote and develop
the conservation, the sustainable use and the investigation
of the marine resources and train the necessary professional
human resources to attend the mentioned areas. They study
the conch, evaluate the fishing
potential of Venezuela’s insular platforms, handle an
integral program for the conservation of marine turtles,
evaluate the fishing of lobster, the biology and ecology
of sharks, the archeology
of Venezuelan islands
and research and monitor the coral reefs.
In
the heart of the Llanos
or grasslands, El
Frio Biological Station is actively involved in conservation
issues since 1974, serving as a breeding station for rare
Orinoco Crocodiles and anacondas. Here a group of Spanish
biologists in conjunction with national and international
organizations including UNESCO and La Salle Foundation
of Natural Sciences has succeeded in combining programs
of conservation, research, environmental awareness, ecotourism
and traditional cattle ranching. Also in the Llanos, but
in their central portion, the Branger Foundation has equipped
Hato
Piñero with a biological station that counts with
all the basic services, including dormitories, library,
meeting room, herbarium and others, providing researchers,
professionals and students with the necessary conditions
to conduct programs and projects in environment issues,
farming and general applied sciences. From 1982, an important
number of ecological projects have been developed with
species such as the spectacled caiman, the capybara, the
jaguar and other “cats”, the capuchin monkey and two species
of peccaries.
Located
on the scenic road to Kavanayen, the Parupa Scientific
Station was originally opened in the early 70’s to carry
out experiments on viable reforestation and agricultural
systems for the marginal soils of the Gran
Sabana. Because of the discouraging results obtained,
the station was ceded to the Gran Sabana Authority in
1991. It has recently been remodeled for biological research
and environmental management practices in the degraded
areas of the region. West of the Gran Sabana, inside Venezuela’s
biggest forest reserve in the Caura River basin, the Dedemai
Biological Station studies the birds,
the fish and the animals
of the area, supported by organizations as the New York
Zoological Society.
Contact
us to include scientific
tours in a customized itinerary of travel to Venezuela.
