CURPoB history in the Amazon

The EsBaran Field Station at the Yarapa River Lodge was inaugurated in July, 2001, as a research facility dedicated to education, conservation, and the discovery of novel medicinal compounds from applied field chemoecology, under the direction of Dr. Eloy Rodgriguez. The laboratory was constructed as an annex to the Yarapa River Lodge, an ecotourism venture, with funds granted from Esther Bondareff, George and Barbara Howel, Dr. Jay and Anita Hymen, and Dr. Charles Mango, President of the Yarapa River Lodge.

The EsBaran Field Station at the

Yarapa River Lodge

Objectives

The Primary goal of the EsBaran Field Station is to provide a research facility in the Peruvian Amazon to foster increased understanding of the complex biological interactions that sustain the complex ecosystem of the Amazon Basin in support of long-term sustainable use and conservation of these invaluable resources. More Specifically, research at the EsBaran Field Station aims to:

1) Survey and catalog the inventory of biological diversity found along the Yarapa River Basin while providing researchers with field experience in the broad range of disciplines neccessary for this task.

2) Promote colloaborative efforts and research-based training between North American and Peruvian scientists, students and educators, while enhancing knowledge and awareness within the local communities to promote the long-term sustainable use and conservation of the bioregion.

3) To explore potential value-added derivatives of biodiversity. This includes both tangible returns in the form of new discoveries in the biomedical and related sciences, as well as the less tangible goods such as the promotion of ecotourism and an ecological aesthetic, and the corresponding benefits to the local communities, and to participating students and researchers of all nationalities.