Welcome to Caparú Ranch and Biological Station
Caparú Ranch,
located in northern Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, encompasses
an impressive variety of vegetation types. A satellite
image of the ranch tells the whole story. The majority of the ranch
property is represented by a large seasonally
inundated grassland. The ranch takes its name from one of the South
American endemic residents of this grassland, reflecting in
its behavior and physiology the seasonality of the region,
burying itself in a mucous capsule during the dry season -
the lungfish or “caparú”.
The far western portion of the property is characterized by
2 main habitat types. Immediately surrounding the grassland
runs a wide strip of cerrado
woodland, itself partially flooded during the rainy season (December-May),
represented by a darker tan on the satellite image. To the west and north
of this strip on terra firme lies rainforest, which
runs unbroken north into the Amazon Basin.
The general location is northeast
Bolivia Bolivia (14?°, 54' S, 61°, 05' W) approximately 40
km north of the small (~100 families) town of Campamento, which is ~150 km north
of the town of San Ignacio. San Ignacio is about an 8 hr bus ride from
the city of Santa Cruz. The isolation is ideal for biologists seeking little
impact over the course of their research projects by outside human-induced influences
such as large-scale agriculture or hunting.
Furthermore, the property is located near to the southern border of Noel
Kempff Mercado National Park, established in 1993 to preserve the variety
of unique, virgin ecosystems within its borders.