Caparo: the last forest in Venezuela

Caparo Forest Reserve, located in Barinas, southwest Venezuela, has virtually vanished. More than 140,000 hectares were devastated and the threat of squatting prevails in the absence of authorities.
Just right after walking on the road identified as Pica 8, up there, at the peak of a huge palm tree, a spider monkey looks at visitors calmingly yet with curiosity. Hundreds of students and researchers have been here before us. And the monkey knows or should know- that there is nothing to be afraid of. We are at a place filled with nature, with evergreen exuberant vegetation. We are at one of the most attractive spots of the last trace of a biodiversity complex that has almost vanished. This is the 7,000-hectare Caparo Forest Reserve, protected by the University of Los Andes (ULA). Read Article