Reserva Natural de la Sociedad Civil
Morrocoy
A project of Sembrandopaz
El Salado · El Carmen de Bolívar · Colombia

406 hectares of tropical dry forest, given back to the land.

Morrocoy Nature Reserve, under the stewardship of Sembrandopaz, turns conservation into restorative justice, restoring one of the world's most endangered ecosystems while helping a community heal.

Support the Reserve See the story ↓
406
hectares of protected and restored tropical dry forest
9.6
hectares at San Pedrito, our eco-tourism & education site
2023
the year we received the reserve
At risk
<8%
of Colombia's tropical dry forest remains today
Morrocoy 1
The Reserve

Ecology and restorative justice, growing from the same roots

In 2023, the Crecer en Paz Foundation gifted 406 hectares of tropical dry forest to Sembrandopaz, which now stewards the land as Morrocoy Nature Reserve. It sits in El Salado, El Carmen de Bolívar, a community still healing from years of conflict.

Today the reserve is dedicated to conserving and restoring Tropical Dry Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems on Earth, while giving the surrounding community a stake in what grows back.

The Land

One reserve, fragmented

The 406 hectares of Morrocoy aren't one unbroken block. The reserve is made up of two adjoining areas, Morrocoy 1 and Morrocoy 2, mapped and monitored across El Salado, El Carmen de Bolívar.

Live map · Morrocoy 1 & 2
What restoration looks like

From open scar to closed canopy

Both plots were left exposed by deforestation long before Sembrandopaz began restoring them. This is the starting point every hectare of today's forest had to grow back from.

Morrocoy 1

2011 Morrocoy 1 in 2011
Today Morrocoy 1, closed canopy forest, present day

Morrocoy 2

2011 Morrocoy 2 in 2011
Today Morrocoy 2, present day

Restoring land like this isn't instant. Closed-canopy tropical dry forest takes years of active planting, monitoring, and protection to return. Every gift to Morrocoy funds that work.

Who lives here

Home to thousands of species, many vulnerable or endangered

The Morrocoy reserve is home to endangered wildlife. Our wildlife camaras and scientific expeditions monitor them.

Cottontop Tamarin

One of the world's most endangered primates, native to this stretch of forest.

Keel-billed Toucan

A signature sighting for visitors exploring San Pedrito's trails.

Thousands of plant species

The backbone of a dry-forest ecosystem under active restoration.

Camera Traps

Wildlife captured by our camera traps

White-faced Capuchin White-faced Capuchin
Titi Monkey Titi Monkey
Tayra Tayra
Ocelot Ocelot
Capped Heron Capped Heron
Giant Anteater Anteater
Armadillo Armadillo
Roadside Hawk Roadside Hawk
Skunk Skunk
Mexican Anteater Mexican Anteater
Ocelot at Night Ocelot at Night
Toucan Toucan
Peccary Peccary
Jaguarundi Jaguarundi
Programs

Teaching the next generation to protect what's theirs

Education is at the center of Morrocoy — not an add-on to conservation, but the reason it lasts.

School in the Forest

Classrooms with no walls

Children learn ecology, biology, and stewardship directly in the reserve — turning the forest itself into the curriculum.

Ecological Youth Protectors

Young people, leading

A youth program that builds leadership and care — for the forest, for themselves, and for their communities.

San Pedrito Trail
Visit

Come see the forest for yourself

San Pedrito is the reserve's 9.6 hectare visitors center with a focus on eco-tourism and environmental education. Trails, bird watching, and a base for the School in the Forest and Vigias Ecologicos programs, tucked into the tree line above El Salado.

Plan a visit

Help us restore the Tropical Dry Forest, hectare by hectare.

Give to Morrocoy