Santuario Macao also works as a school and an education center. Local students, national and international, of all ages, come to witness the success of this restoration project in this part of the Central American jungle. Our objective is to demonstrate to all visitors that sustainable production is possible, that economical growth is viable and true to biological biodiversity.
Every 22nd of April on Earth Day, children and teenagers from nearby schools and neighboring communities visit us and participate in educational activities. Accompanied by a local guide, they take a tour through the forest, the botanical garden and the agroforestry plantations. After this, they visit the main space at the lodge and a talk about the ecology of the area takes place. Here we talk and teach the importance of the emblematic species: the scarlet macaw. This type of action, in an area with low indexes of development, it’s very important for bettering the quality of the education of hundreds of children.
On the other hand, the reserve also works as an area for field research for university students from different parts of the world. Every year we have the pleasure to receive the University of Manchester, who have developed and worked important research on the ecology of the sanctuary, particularly on the field of herpetology. We have also received students at postgraduate level from national universities that have developed studies in the area of ornithology and birdwatching.
This high demand for researchers has taken us to dream with a long term project: a biological station that works as an experimental school, specialized in providing all the necessary services for whomever comes to learn about our experiences and to teach us about theirs.
