Taricaya Ecological Reserve

About us

In 2001, Taricaya Research Center was born as a non-profit association dedicated to biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of resources.

We are a community of people living in the middle of the rainforest as a family and as a team working together in the different projects to make a positive impact towards rainforest conservation.
Our staff includes Peruvians from Puerto Maldonado and from other regions of Peru, and former volunteers who made Peru and our jungle their home. With a variety of skills, degrees, and experiences we put together our knowledge, passion and dedication to make Taricaya a great place to live and work in direct contact with nature helping to preserve it.

Projects:
• Taricaya Research Center started working towards wildlife conservation since its foundation and was officially recognized by the government as a Wildlife rescue center in 2008. We were one of the first centers putting into practice wildlife release.
• Taricaya Turtle Repopulation Project: In 2005 Taricaya was awarded custody from the government of a river island about 1.5km from the reserve known to be a nesting spot for this river turtle during the dry season. We employed the help of an Ese-Eja native as our guide to monitor and protect the beaches of the island from poachers and our resident biologist set the methods for collection and relocation of the eggs in artificial beaches and release of the baby turtles when born. Every year for two months (July/August) volunteers and staff camp on the island deterring poachers and collecting the eggs from every nest laid.
• Bio-diversity research: Ornithology, Botany, Entomology, Bats (Chiropterology), Herpetology, Mammalogy
• Agroforestry: Develop new techniques for agriculture and reforestation designed for local families to recover their abandoned plots with plants and timber that will provide them with a better income; Regenerate and reforest areas of land into productive and valuable forests; Promote effective and more sustainable alternatives for land users in the region; Educate and create project awareness to convince more people to replicate this project, either independently or with our help to expand our area of influence.
• Reserve Monitoring: We created a border limit trail that circumvents the entire reserve and opened trails within the reserve to effectively monitor the area against any intruders like poachers and loggers and for investigation.
• Butterfly House: In 2012, we built a Butterfly House with the idea of studying the life cycle of butterfly species to assess the possibility of in situ captive breeding as an economic option for local families through the legal sale of the off spring in the local markets.
• Mahogany Project: In 2004, Taricaya started a study to develop a new strategy for commercial plantations under the Agroforestry system.

Sandra Fernandez Osores is a Team Member of the Taricaya Ecological Reserve.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.