Our Mission

Tropic Ventures Research & Education Foundation (TVREF) is a non-profit organization established in 1998 in Puerto Rico to support long-term research and education in tropical forest ecology and sustainable forestry. Based at Las Casas de la Selva in Patillas, the foundation stewards approximately 930 acres of secondary rainforest under a 50-year agreement with Tropic Ventures, the managing entity. TVREF conducts scientific and educational research across the entire property. Our work advances ecological restoration, sustainable resource use, biodiversity conservation, and the integration of science and the arts, while nurturing global and local partnerships through a volunteer program and hands-on field engagement.

Our Mission

1. To pioneer sustainable forestry practices by researching the growth and responsible harvesting of tropical hardwoods, demonstrating that secondary forests can provide economic value without compromising ecological integrity.
2. To protect and restore biodiversity by maintaining 630 acres as an undisturbed rainforest reserve and using the remaining 300 acres for research to enrich species diversity, rehabilitate degraded zones, and study silvicultural techniques for long-term forest resilience.
3. To safeguard and document ethnobotanical knowledge, cultivating and studying rainforest plants with cultural, medicinal, and economic significance as sustainable alternatives to extraction-based industries.
4. To conserve Puerto Rico’s botanical heritage through the propagation and study of critically endangered endemic species. Our botanical team leads ongoing fieldwork, nursery propagation, and habitat restoration efforts, working to secure the future of these rare plants while deepening scientific understanding and public awareness.
5. To champion the circular use of forest resources by salvaging and repurposing hardwoods from urban hurricane-damaged trees—transforming what would otherwise become landfill into valuable material. Promoting the use of these so-called “waste woods” will reduce Puerto Rico’s heavy dependence on imported wood and help ease the global pressure on primary forests elsewhere.
6. To build a culture of education and synergetic exchange by hosting workshops, residencies, a hands-on volunteer program, and conferences focused on forest ecology, arts and sciences, sustainable livelihoods, and the future of rainforest communities.

At a time when deforestation and ecological collapse are accelerating globally, TVREF offers a living model of regeneration and possibility. In a world obsessed with extraction, we declare another way forward rooted in respect, restoration, and resilience. Against the tide of consumption, we choose care, continuity, and collective action. Synergetic education cultivates learning environments where participants are not passive recipients of knowledge but active agents in a dynamic, interconnected system. We want to bridge disciplines—ecology, art, science, culture, and technology—to encourage holistic thinking, creative problem-solving, adventurous living, and cooperative engagement. The focus is on synergy: where relationships, rather than isolated expertise, drive learning and transformation.

We rely on your support to continue this work. Forest research is often unseen, but it is the foundation of a sustainable future. Your donation empowers the next generation of scientists, conservationists, and visionaries. Thank you.