Conservation of Nature
Leslie Holdridge and Joseph Tosi, Topical Science Center (CCT/TSC) founders, visited Monteverde in 1968, meeting with the Quaker leader Hubert Mendenhall. Holdridge and Tosi learned about the primary forests in the area and suggested the local community preserve them. A few years later, George and Harriet Powell, a young couple from the U.S., did their PhD thesis research in Monteverde, where they were amazed by the outstanding biodiversity and sought to protect such beauty. The Powells and the TSC established the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve in 1972, a global example for private wildlife conservation, research, environmental education, and ecotourism.
Research
The Research Program produces technical and scientific information for its correct management. Ecosystems, populations, and species data are generated through local and international alliances with scientific and academic institutions. The Program’s current tasks include tracking projects for the quetzal, climate change, mammals, herpetofauna, and running meteorological stations.
Control and Protection
The Control and Protection Program helps the Monteverde Biological Preserve and ensures its ecosystem reproduction by watching wildlife, securing visitors, supporting public policies, aiding other conservation programs, and managing the geographic information system (GIS). This program is part of the Arenal-Monteverde Protected Zone General Plan from the Costa Rican Conservation Areas National System (SINAC).
Environmental Education
In our 30+ year partnership with the Costa Rican Public Education Ministry (MEP), the Monteverde Preserve’s Environmental Education Program has promoted environmental awareness and bio-literacy to public and private elementary and high schools inside the Bellbird Wildlife Corridor communities.
Academic
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve’s Academic Program caters to student groups eager to learn about cloud forest ecology and Costa Rican ecosystems. The program organizes and facilitates educational activities such as specialized natural history hikes, night hikes, and workshops on plants, insects, and bird and mammal monitoring. The program also organizes visits to other regions of the country to explore different ecosystems, such as the tropical rainforest, the tropical dry forest, mangroves, and conservation projects in wildlife corridors.
Ecotourism Management
The Ecotourism Management Program’s regenerative and educational experiences boost the human-wildlife connection. We offer visitors different tours, services, and a naturalist shop. Our ecotourism approach reduces negative outcomes, enhances conservationism, improves the tourist experience, and promotes the Preserve’s staff well-being, thus generating revenue we invest in other sustainable and cultural projects.
Bellbird Wildlife Corridor
The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve is located inside the 88,000-acre Bellbird Wildlife Corridor. The Corridor links the Arenal-Monteverde Protected Zone’s cloud forest with the Gulf of Nicoya’s mangroves. Bellbird Wildlife Corridor has astonishing ecosystem diversity, including 11 life zones with rich cultural and economic diversity.
