Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge Reserve in Costa Rica

Rara Avis
Rainforest Lodge & Reserve
Costa Rica

A new way to save the rainforest

RARA AVIS is designed to show that rainforest is a valuable economic resource that should not be destroyed and that can produce substantial economic benefits for the surrounding communities. As such, we are operating a rustic lodge, biological station, and a more comfortable lodge; we encourage tourism, biological research, and the development of new ways to use the rainforest without destroying it.

The tropical rainforest is not only a place of extreme beauty, but is home to countless plants and animals, undiscovered foods and an infinite amount of genetic material with a vast potential for the future benefit of man. The tropical rainforest; a natural cleanser of our air and a stabilizer for our planet's atmosphere. The tropical rainforest; cleared at the devastating rate of 42 million acres per year. With this deforestation, an estimated 50,000 species of plant and animal life are condemned to extinction. In addition to these dramatic loses, our global climate is changing at a dizzying speed. We are experiencing drought, storms and rising sea levels.

Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge and Reserve in Costa Rica a new way to save the tropical rainforest jungles Deforestation is the most serious environmental threat facing most of the developing world, yet environmental concerns tend to be lost on people who need food and homes. Local farmers are by no means getting rich from subsistence farming, but some sort of more appropriate economic activity must replace their current means of survival.

Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge and Reserve in Costa Rica a new way to save the tropical rainforest jungles Rara Avis is a publicly held Costa Rican corporation whose principal goal is to demonstrate how the economically sound conservation and management of a tropical rainforest can serve the needs of landowners and governments, as well as the needs of the planet. As we prosper, we serve as a financial and ecological model for our neighbors both near and far. We have much to do, for we intend to change the way people think about endangered resources that are threatened by economic activities and a growing population.

Since our inception in late 1983, we have set out to prove that tropical forests can create substantial market benefits if the appropriate resources are managed properly. Through tourism and the protection and development of forest products on a sustained-yield basis, we are indeed demonstrating the feasibility of these ideas.

Specifically, Rara Avis has purchased 409 hectares (1010 acres) of primary rainforest adjacent to Braulio Carrillo National Park and has found conservation buyers for an additional 558 hectares (1379 acres). Our primary business is tourism, which, in turn, allows us the financial flexibility to support our other programs. We operate two lodges on the properties; the Waterfall Lodge with 10 rooms with private baths and El Plastico Lodge and Biological Station with 29 beds in 7 rooms. All of our visitors are educated about the rainforest and the surrounding social, economic and political issues. The hotel has produced a small operating profit since end of 1990, and demand greatly exceeds capacity in the high season.

The second area of our business, and perhaps the most vital on an international level, is the research and development of programs pertaining to selective farming. One endeavor already underway at El Plastico is our sponsorship of a butterfly project. With no disturbance to the local ecosystem, we are producing live butterflies for export to North America and Europe for greenhouses and zoos. We are at a break-even point in this program and are delighted that the idea has subsequently been put into action by local farmers in our area.

A second project is the collection and growth of seedlings. We have already begun the cultivation of timber tree seedlings for reforestation and tree plantations. The demand is strong and we hope to demonstrate to owners of forested land that an allotment of a portion of their property for this purpose could be extremely lucrative. Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge and Reserve in Costa Rica a new way to save the tropical rainforest jungles

There is also a steady demand for several other species of plants in our area and the harvesting of these products are currently in the R & D stages. Ornamental palms, epiphytes, such as orchids and bromeliads, and wicker are all possibilities for selective farming. Rara Avis has also been host to a variety of educational and research-oriented pursuits, ranging from local elementary school students learning about the relationship between conservation and development, to international high school, university and graduate programs based on rainforest ecology, to numerous field researchers continuing their investigations on a variety of plant and animal life.

Rara Avis has been successful in disseminating many of our ideas for alternative forest usage, in making ourselves known as a tourist destination, and in meeting operating costs. However, we have a need to raise capital for the expansion and completion of our facilities and programs in order to fully realize our goals. Our profitability is limited by the lack of sufficient rooms and the difficult access. Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge and Reserve in Costa Rica a new way to save the tropical rainforest jungles

Rara Avis' future plans include the expansion of our tourist facilities and infrastructure (with 20 rooms, we would achieve enormous economies of scale); a purchase of additional rainforest land, and continued investment into the research and development of sustainable forest products. Through the sale of capital stock in the company and new bank financing, we expect to be showing a substantial overall profit by the end of ten years.

We are but pioneers in our efforts but we believe this approach may be the only sensible way to serve the needs of the many. The preservation of our rainforests is undoubtedly critical to the health of our planet. We hope you will join in the fight to preserve those that remain.

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Rara Avis Jungle Rainforest Lodge & Reserve
Costa Rica

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