The Butterfly Conservatory is a Rainforest Regeneration Project devoted to restoring the varied species natural to the ecosystem that surrounded the Arenal Volcano just 50 years ago. At that time Arenal was a primitive area, and this primary forest formed the northern zone of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, which also includes the Children’s Eternal Rainforest.
This massive forest was cut for timber and cattle ranching during the 1950’s, under a misguided government initiative to establish Costa Rica as a producer of beef for the international market. The idea was to cut the rainforest, sell the wood on the international market and then give land grants to farmers for creating small cattle ranches. The program was a miserable failure because the lands within a rainforest are not suitable for growing good grasses for cattle, and the beef produced was tough with very little flavor, so it never met the standards for the international market.
The Butterfly Conservatory was started six years ago by purchasing one of these small (5 hectar, or thirteen acre) cattle ranches. Since that time we have been continually rehabilitating the site into a Nature Demonstration Center for educating the public about methods for regenerating previously cut rainforest. The objective is development of a world class eco destination for nature lovers, and to help raise awareness of the importance of tropical rainforests. In this short period, significant regeneration of the natural plant biodiversity of the area has taken place, attracting many species of birds and animals such as toucans, sloth’s and monkeys.
Already known a one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful gardens, it has over 2000 species of plants and trees native to the Arenal area. The purpose of the Conservatory is to preserve innate species of plants, and create a regenerated habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife. The Butterfly Conservatory contains the largest butterfly exhibition under atrium in Costa Rica and provides a location accessible to tourists, students, and nature lovers. The Conservatory is designed to be a living classroom where students, pros or amateurs are able to study all phases of plant husbandry and identification, butterfly and frog life cycles, and forest regeneration.
The Butterfly Conservatory provides an educational experience about regenerating the rainforest in the Arenal area, and has diversified exhibits of butterflies, frogs, insects and plants that are integrated into this environment along with reproduction centers. There are four large atrium habitats that provide representation of the plants, trees, butterflies, and frogs in the four ecosystems surrounding Lake Arenal; the lowland habitat, highland habitat, edge of forest habitat, and inside the forest habitat. We also have laboratories, reproduction greenhouses, an exotic frog habit, plant nurseries, organic composting facilities, and a Rainforest River walk in addition to the botanical gardens and orchid atrium.
It is maintained by tourist entrances and donation of energy from visitors. It also serves as a scientific and educational center for students and individual volunteers under supervision by biologists from the University of Costa Rica and other national and international Universities.
