“Para La Naturaleza” is the new website for the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico (CTPR), a private nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect lands of high ecological value, with the goal that by 2033; 33% of Puerto Rico’s natural ecosystems will be protected. Travelers with an ecological concern may be interested in checking out some of their sites Puerto Rico via the “Para La Naturaleza” website. The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico not only protects areas of high ecological value [and] buildings of historical importance. “Para la Naturaleza” offers regular tours of their protected areas as well as volunteer opportunities, workshops, and special events. Here are excerpts—showing some of the available tours—with a link to the full report below:

Hacienda Buena Vista (Ponce) was one of the major coffee plantations in Puerto Rico. Today, it is a historical site containing century old buildings and working machinery that gives visitors a look at life at the hacienda.

Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo is home to several different eco systems and Para la Naturaleza offers some cool ways to explore the lagoon, mangroves, coral reefs, dry forests, sandy and rocky beaches. You can take the traditional trolley tour around the reserve or if you a feeling energetic how about a bike tour. You can even snorkel here or take an evening tour to explore the Laguna Grande BioBay located within Las Cabezas de San Juan.

Hacienda La Esperanza Nature Reserve located in Manati on the north coast of Puerto Rico contains 10 different ecosystems and was the home of one of the largest sugarcane haciendas in Puerto Rico. Today you can tour the various buildings at Hacienda La Esperanza including the Manor House and Sugar Mill as well as learn about its rich history.

The San Cristóbal Canyon is located in the towns of Barranquitas and Aibonito and has an elevation of between 748 feet to 2,140 feet with an overall length of 5.6 miles along the heart of Puerto Rico’s Cordillera Central (central mountain region). One of the highlights of Cañón de San Cristóbal is Salto La Vaca; Puerto Rico’s highest waterfall with a height of some 300 feet.

Other protected areas are: Río Encantado (in the northern karst region of PR and home to the Río Encantado Underground River and Cave System; Casa Ramón Power y Giralt in Old San Juan, the birthplace of Ramón Power y Giralt, the first Puerto Rican delegate to the Courts of Cádiz in Spain; Medio Mundo y Daguao, located in the Eastern region near Ceiba and Naguabo (it includes the second largest mangrove forest on the island, and provides shelter for the manatee, turtles, the Puerto Rican Boa and the Yellow Shouldered Blackbird); Inés María Mendoza Nature Reserve, also known as Punta Yeguas, in Yabucoa (it is home to the very rare Ortegón tree); Sierra Pandura, located along the Pandura Mountain Range; The Jorge Sotomayor del Toro area, located in the Sierra de Cayey ridge; Dorado Pterocarpus Forest, located along the north coast of the island, home to the Pterocarpus freshwater swamp; El Convento Natural Protected Area (Cueva El Convento) in Guayanilla and Peñuelas, home to one of the largest underground cave-spring system in PR’s southern karst zone, where you will find El Cedro gorge and El Convento Cave; Las Lunas, located in the subtropical wet forest zone of the Sierra de Cayey near Caguas; Cerro Las Mesas in Mayaguez; La Parguera Nature Reserve in the southern region, and home to La Parguera Biobay, a coastal mangrove fringe, coral reefs and sea grass beds; and Finca Los Frailes in the Loíza municipality (the area includes estuarine lagoons, mangroves, Pterocarpus forests, herbaceous swamps, and coastal plains).

[Many thanks to María Acosta Cruz for bringing this item to our attention.]

To join one of their tours, to volunteer, or to attend one of their workshops, go to http://www.paralanaturaleza.org/?lang=es

For full information, see http://www.discoveringpuertorico.com/2013/08/para-la-naturaleza/

Photo above: Las Cabezas in Fajardo