The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to secure functional and healthy ecosystems in the islands of Puerto Rico, and to instill in their inhabitants a sense of responsibility toward the conservation of our natural resources, so that we may count on the ecosystem services that will help us achieve our social, economic and quality-of-life goals…

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Call us at (787) 722-5834

The central offices of The Conservation Trust are located in the Ramon Power and Giralt House on 155 Tetuán Street in Old San Juan. Here, the visitor can find information on all of the Trust’s Nature Reserves and protected natural areas, as well as tour the permanent exhibition OJO Isla and visit the gift shop, which offers a wide variety of audio-visual products and gifts with environmental motifs. For more information, please call 787.722.5834.

Only 8% of our land is protected. You can do something to make this number grow by establishing a conservation easement or making a land donation. By supporting our Land Conservation Program, you’re not only protecting land: You’re securing valuable services that only nature provides us – services we depend on for our very survival…

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Visitors can take the guided tours offered by the Trust. Make reservations online by calling 787.722.5882.

The Nature Reserves and protected natural areas managed by the Trust are rich in biodiversity and include representations of all of the Island’s ecosystems: mangroves, humid and dry forests, cave systems, bioluminescent bays and lagoons, offshore coral reefs, rocky coasts and sandy beaches, karst hills and wetlands, among others. Practically all of the natural coastal communities that exist in Puerto Rico can be found within a relatively small area at Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo. Because of the diversity of their ecosystems, these natural areas serve as habitat for a great variety of animals, among which are bird species endemic to Puerto Rico such as the Múcaro and the Puerto Rican Woodpecker, crustaceans, amphibians and reptiles. Different bat species, considered to be the only surviving native mammals of Puerto Rico, rest and prey in the Island’s coastal forests. River estuaries, wetlands, mangrove forests, thalassia beds and coral reefs serve as natural breeding ground and reproduction area for fish; beaches serve as nesting area for different marine turtle species, such as the endangered leatherback sea turtle, and the thalassia beds provide the primary source of food for these marine turtles as well as for the Antillean manatee.

Yes. Currently, all of our tours are guided by our environmental interpreters. For this reason, our tours have limited spaces. We are working to provide the possibility of self-guided tours in the near future. For the moment, it is necessary to use our reservations system to arrange for your participation in our tours and events.

Every event has its own terms and requirements depending on its level of difficulty. As a general rule, we recommend you use closed and comfortable shoes so you can walk with ease in our events and activities. Bathing suits are not allowed. Please, refer to the specific information for each event in which you will participate on our reservations page online, in our activities calendar or by calling (787) 722-5882.

There are no refunds for cancelled tours or events. Rescheduling is only possible when a cancellation is notified in accordance to our terms and conditions. All request for cancellations/rescheduling for individuals should be made three (3) days before the event or tour, and two (2) weeks for groups. There will not be any refunds outside of these terms and conditions, nor in the case of an absentee/no show. For more details, please read the cancellation/rescheduling and absentee/no show policy in our terms and conditions.

The Trust offers a variety of educational resources for students, teachers, companies, professionals and individuals. Through its Education Program, the Trust offers information on environmental topics, specially designed and guided tours through its natural areas, nature immersion workshops for children ages 9 to 12, and certification workshops for teachers, among others. Through its production and reforestation program, Árboles… más árboles (A+A), the Trust offers information and guidance on native tree species, including tree planting workshops. As part of the Trust’s Study and Research program, students and scientists have access to the Trust’s natural areas (including facilities in which to spend the night). AMIGOS of the Trust have a chance to learn about the Trust’s different natural areas through the specially designed Encounters with Nature, and, during the summer, children ages 9 to 12 have a chance to participate in the Trust’s Nature Immersion Workshops offered at both Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo and Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce.

The easiest way to contribute to the Trust’s mission is by becoming an AMIGO of the Trust. Through an annual contribution, our AMIGOS not only help support the diverse programs and initiatives of the Trust, but also receive benefits like field trips designed specially for AMIGOS known as Encounters with Nature. There are different categories of AMIGOS: student (up to 12th grade); college student (with valid I.D.); individual; individual over 65; family; and corporate. Contributions vary by category. Also, the category of AMIGO by Nature (AMIGO por Naturaleza) is available for those individuals or corporations who wish to adopt the total cost of a project.

The Conservation Trust is a non-profit organization, tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) and Section 509(a)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code and under the tax laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Donations in cash and land made to the Trust, including the establishment of conservation easements, have diverse tax benefits for donors. The Puerto Rico Conservation Easement Law of 2001, as amended, provides a tax credit of 50% of the conservation easement value, as established by a professional appraiser, to the person who donates a property or establishes a conservation easement with a bona fide non-profit organization or governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of ecological, agricultural, historic and/or cultural areas such as the Trust. Because the title of the property remains with the owner, he or she will continue to enjoy use of the land within the uses permitted by the easement. For more information on land donations and the establishment of conservation easements, please contact the Trust’s Land Acquisitions, Donations and Conservation Easements Program by telephone at 787.722.5834 ext. 243 or 239, or by e-mail at asd@fideicomiso.org

In its mission to protect functional ecosystems in the islands of Puerto Rico and to secure the essential services they provide, the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico has focused its land acquisition and ecosystem management strategies on a regional approach, based on Puerto Rico’s main watersheds. As such, 5 distinct Regions have been established and labeled according to their cardinal direction: Northern, San Juan-Central, Southern, Eastern and Western Region. The Conservation Trust’s natural protected areas are managed and supervised according to this regional network. As part of this approach, each Region has a designated natural protected area as its operational headquarters:

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The Trust allows certain scientific and educational uses compatible with the conservation and management objectives for its Nature Reserves and protected natural areas. Local universities and science students visit the Trust’s natural areas to conduct research, students and teachers participate in nature immersion workshops, and environmental associations, agencies and corporations hold special activities such as meetings, conferences and seminaries compatible with the Trust’s conservation and educational purposes. Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce, Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature Reserve in Fajardo, Hacienda La Esperanza Nature Reserve in Manatí, the San Cristóbal Canyon Protected Natural Area between Aibonito and Barranquitas, and the Ramón Power and Giralt House in Old San Juan are some of the Trust’s protected areas that have facilities that can be rented by groups. Filming and photography activities, compatible with the area’s educational and research aims, are granted special permits issued by the Trust and entail the company’s signature in use agreements, the corresponding release of responsibility and insurances. People or companies interested in making special use of the Trust’s protected natural areas need to fill out a request form and send it to fideicomiso@fideicomiso.org

Getting involved in our conservation efforts is easy! Simply use our reservation system to check for available dates and times for each event and reserve your spaces …

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Only in facilities with visitor centers that can receive the public without notice (walk-ins), or through a previous arrangements for special visits. You may contact the Conservation Trust directly at (787) 722-5882 to request more information.

No. It is not allowed to bring food or refreshments to any of our tours. Coolers and music equipment are also not allowed inside our properties. Smoking and bringing or drinking alcoholic beverages is also prohibited in our natural areas and facilities. Please, refer to the general terms and conditions of our events.

We reserve the right to admit additional people to a previously reserved tour or visit. Any arrangement or circumstance related to this type of change needs to be notified in advance by phone. There will be no refunds if one or more participants do not show up for an event or activity (see cancellation/rescheduling and absentee/no show policies in our terms and conditions for more details). Your payment is due at the time of the reservation. There will be no adjustments for no-shows or for a reduction of the amount people attending the event after a reservation is made and paid for.

No, at this moment there are not discounts of this kind.

As part of its conservation initiatives, the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico directs a program known as Árboles, más Árboles (Trees, more Trees), dedicated to producing, distributing and planting endemic and native tree species in Puerto Rico, which are better suited to local soil and climate conditions. The more than 60,000 trees produced every year by the Conservation Trust’s Native Tree Nurseries are either used for reforestation purposes, sold to the public at selected locations, or given away for free during the annual Conservation and Reforestation Fair…

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