A Zoo staff field research program in protected areas of Venezuela. Projects include the conservation of endangered species such as the spectacled bear, Orinoco crocodile, hybrid spider monkey, and Andean condor. The collaborative efforts involve universities, the national park system, government agencies and non-government conservation organizations. Teachers are provided materials and training, allowing them to implement conservation programs in their school systems. The money is used toward the purchase of land around the existing preserves, thereby increasing the size of the protected areas.
Ecotourism benefits communities by stimulating the economy and providing funds for local projects.
Ecotourism also provides support of research and conservation of endangered species by designating a small portion of ecotourism fees to conservation projects. In addition, the facility functions as a storehouse for information on the rich biodiversity of the Amazon rain forest. Seldom does an individual have an opportunity to make a direct contribution to a conservation project producing such tangible results. Your support will provide a financial basis for the creation and allocation of scholarship grants and research stipends for students, scientists and educators. Contributions will also help expand the Amazon Biosphere Reserve through continued acquisition of rain forest habitat which might otherwise be lost forever through resource extraction for short-term economic gain, imprudent agricultural use or other unsustainable land use activities.