The Miranda Estancia ranch, which previously occupied the land where today stands the Caiman Ecological Refuge, was founded in 1910 by British investors who wished to create a large beef cattle farm in the Pantanal.

Around 1950, this area was purchased by Brazilian investors who kept the original farm and its activity until 1985 when the Miranda Estancia ranch was divided amongst its owners, making the original farm disappear, and, in its place, arose numerous new farms. Among these was the Estancia Caiman, that currently harbors the Caiman Ecological Refuge with an approximate area of 53,000 hectares (130,965 acres).

The naming of Caiman Ecological Refuge or CER, aims to bring together, under the brand, three different activities that share the same physical space:     
1. Estancia Caiman, which is an extensive beef cattle operating ranch;
2. Caiman Lodge, a pioneer ecotourism operation in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul state.
3. The nature conservation program which sponsors three main scientific projects: the Hyacinth Macaw Project, the Jaguar Conservation Project and the Blue-fronted Parrot Project. It also develops wide contact and exchanges with universities. On the property there is a Private Reserve of Natural Patrimony encompassing 5,600 hectares (13,837 acres).

All these activities are under a broader name - Caiman Ecological Refuge - aiming the exchange of information and experiences among themselves, creating a network for a gradual interdependence amongst all them. The main result of that is a wider control of the economic and environmental actions, which should always try to reach the sustainability of the human being's presence  in the Pantanal in harmony with nature.

The Caiman Ecological Refuge grows in national and international projection supporting such researches, who supply us with more information about the conservation of the area and guide us for the best economic development, always considering its impact and effects in nature and wildlife. The projects supported by CER are: Hyiacinth Macaw Project, Jaguar Conservation Project, Blue-fronted Parrot Project and Private Reserve of the Natural Patrimony “Dona Aracy”. Caiman Ecological Refuge has as on of its goal, the development of partnerships with nationally recognized projects and of great impact in favor of the Pantanal's conservation. The CER grows in national and international projection by supporting such researches. These researches generate data on the conservation of the area, guiding the project to the best economic development, always considering its impact and effects in nature and wildlife. The researchers benefit from the permanent research base facility in natural environment, as assurance of the continuity and respect to their field research, besides the entire projection and environmental education resulted by the visitation of Caiman Lodge's guests. More than 12 research projects had been carried out in the CER property and currently, the projects supported by Caiman Ecological Refuge are:

Hyiacinth Macaw Project - principal investigator Neiva Guedes
Jaguar Conservation Project - principal investigator Leandro Silveira
Blue-fronted Parrot Project - principal investigator Gláucia Seixas

Since the begining of the Caiman Ecological Refuge activities, in 1987, was created an area within the property, which would a presevation area. Finally, in 2004, the Private Reserve of the Natural Patrimony "Dona Aracy" was created officially, with an area of 5600 ha, consolidating the ideals that led the creation of CER and ensuring the preservation of an important portion of Pantanal for present and future generations. The location of RPPN "Dona Aracy" was chosen with the support of the University of Sao Paulo, ESALQ, through satellite images, trying to include the most representative area of the ranch, in the fashion that the largest number of different habitats would be represented in it. Within the 5,600 ha of the RPPN gallery forests, open savannas, forested savannas, caranda palm tree forests, vazantes (depressions on the land where the water flows to the rivers), temporary rivers, capoes (islands of forests) and cordilheiras (long and narrow forests), typical on borders of the vazantes can be found.

Hyiacinth macaw Project By: Neiva Guedes, Coordinator of the Hyiacinth macaw Project

Brazil stands at first place as regards megadiversity: it possesses between 15 and 20% of the total Earth species, given that 20-22% are of plant species, approximately 10% of amphibians and mammals and 17% of birds of the planet.Concerning the Parrot family [crooked beak species], it is the richest country with 72 species, some of them being endemic. For the biodiversity conservation, the situation is not the best due the loss of habitat area and mischaracterization of the main biomes. The Hyiacinth macaw Project is a positive conservation example in Brazil, which grew out of a personal initiative and has been interruptedly carried out for the past 16 years with the support of many institutions, companies and NGO's. It was created with educational purposes to study biology and ecology of the Hyiacinth macaw, (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), in its natural environment.

Since the beginning there has been studies involving biology, ecology, behavior, genetics, conservation, sanity, nutrition and hundreds of artificial nest-boxes have been set up. More recently, techniques were developed aiming at the handling of natural and artificial nests, as well as the handling of eggs and offsprings to increase the reproductive success of that particular speciess in nature. With the project, the hyacinth macaw started to be lifted up as the flag for the conservation of biodiversity and many positive results were gathered. In the beginning of the project, the population of the hyacinth macaw in Pantanal was estimated in 1500, today, there are more than 5000. The number of macaws are not only growing, but they are also expanding to places where they did not occur before. The farmers are interested in the conservation of the nesting sites of the hyacinth macaw, which ends up benefiting other parrots, such as the Red and Green Macaw (Ara chloroptera), Golden-collared Macaw (Primolius auricollis), and other 17 speciess of birds that occupy the same nests. Apart from those field activities, the project also encompasses another conservation aspect, which is the environmental education and awareness of the general public. Thus, the human population is more aware, informed and able to denounce against the traffic of wild animals. That happens through the distribution of informative material (brochures), articles in magazines, newspapers, videos and scientific lectures for the laic public.

As a result, the community in general has supported and participated in the conservation process, becoming more concerned to environmental issues. The Hyiacinth macaw Institute already welcomed dozens of interns and volunteers from all over Brazil and abroad, who were trained in field activities and nowadays carry out other projects throughout the country. Also the publication of dozens of scientific papers in books, articles and conferences in Brazil and abroad were done. In 2007, small groups will be allowed to accompany the activities of the Hyiacinth macaw Project as part of an experimental ecotourism program.

Jaguar Project - PANTANAL By: Leandro Silveira, Coordinator of the Jaguar Project

Pantanal is nowadays one of the last large refuges for the jaguar throughout its entire geographical distribution. To ensure the conservation of that species in Pantanal, researchers created the JAGUAR PROJECT (www.jaguar.org.br) which acts in two fronts. The first one works with the long-term monitoring of the jaguar population in the region, and the second front monitors the preying of cattle by the jaguars and applies handling actions to compensate the farmer financially for each cattle proved to have been a prey and offering medical assistance, dentistry assistance and educational assistance to the community of employees of the Jaguar Project's partner properties. The research base of the Jaguar Project - Pantanal is located in Caiman Ecological Refuge - State of Mato Grosso do Sul, and the activities encompass, until the present day, the area of 12 rural properties that surround the Refúgio. For the monitoring of the jaguars, two methodologies were used: photographic traps and radio-telemetry. The first one registers the animals of the region through picture cameras installed in the field, allowing them to be catalogued, counted and monitored through time.

Given that each jaguar have an exclusive skin spot pattern, it is possible to identify each one of them individually through the pictures. The second method consists in capturing the jaguars and equipping them with a collar carrying a radio-transmitter. Thus, the pinned jaguar may be monitored from a distance and its habits may be recorded through time. Through the combination of those two methods it will be possible to accompany if the jaguar population in the region is diminishing, increasing or keeping the same. That information is essential to implement actions to preserve the species and evaluate its risk of extinction in the region. Up to now, 17 jaguars were captured for the placing of the radio-collars and the collection of biological material (blood and ectoparasites) for genetic and sanitary analysis. Through the photographic traps, more than 30 jaguars have already been individually identified.

Blue-Fronted Parrot Project, By: Gláucia H. F. Seixas, Coordinator of the Blue-fronted parrot Project

Every year, hundreds of Blue-fronted parrot (Amazona aestiva) offsprings are removed from Pantanal and from the Cerrado* of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul to supply the illegal trade of pet animals, within and outside Brazil. An important indicator of that activity is the more than 4 thousand parrots seized, since 1988, by inspection bodies. It is estimated that the real number of animals taken from their natural habitats is two or three times more. Such numbers bring concern to environmentalists and authorities, who started to consider the Blue-fronted Parrot the symbol species of the traffic of wild animals in the State of Mato Grosso. Purposing to generate information about that particular species and to alert the population as to the damages caused upon nature, deriving from the traffic of wild animals, the zootechnist and doctorate degree student in Ecology and Conservation/UFMS, Gláucia Seixas, began in 1997, the Blue-fronted parrot Project.

The project wants to focus everyone's attention to an important aspect: the removal of those animals from nature, under no criteria, and the destruction of the environment where they inhabit will contribute to the extinction of the species.

The first farm to support the project was Caiman Ecological Refuge where, since 1997, the team develops research actions and environmental education. Many results have already been witnesses throughout these past years, including information about: monitoring of seized parrots and release wearing radio-transmitters; monitoring of nests, eggs and offsprings of free-parrots; monitoring of collective native parrot nests and verification of the daily activity pattern of the parrots and the use of natural resources for feeding and reproduction. Many results have already been published in scientific periodicals or non-scientific journals, specialized books and events. All the activities were developed with the support of a team comprising biologists, veterinarians, zootechnists and field assistants. The project is carried out by a Non-Governmental Organization of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul - Fundação Neotrópica do Brasil. Besides Caiman, the project counts on donations, sales project products and support from companies such as the Parque das Aves - Foz Tropicana, Refúgio da Ilha Ecologia and Fazenda San Francisco.

tbc