History

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From Miranda Estancia to Estancia Caiman ranch to Caiman Ecological Refuge.

The Miranda Estancia ranch, which previously occupied the land where today stands the Caiman Ecological Refuge, was founded in 1910 by British investors who wished to create a large beef cattle farm in the Pantanal.

Around 1950, this area was purchased by Brazilian investors who kept the original farm and its activity until 1985 when the Miranda Estancia ranch was divided amongst its owners, making the original farm disappear, and, in its place, arose numerous new farms. Among these was the Estancia Caiman, that currently harbors the Caiman Ecological Refuge with an approximate area of 53,000 hectares (130,965 acres).

The naming of Caiman Ecological Refuge or CER, aims to bring together, under the brand, three different activities that share the same physical space:     

1. Estancia Caiman, which is an extensive beef cattle operating ranch;

2. Caiman Lodge, a pioneer ecotourism operation in the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul state.

3. The nature conservation program which sponsors three main scientific projects: the Hyacinth Macaw Project and the Blue-fronted Parrot Project.  It also develops wide contact and exchanges with universities. On the property there is a Private Reserve of Natural Patrimony encompassing 5,600 hectares (13,837 acres).

All these activities are under a broader name - Caiman Ecological Refuge - aiming the exchange of information and experiences among themselves, creating a network for a gradual interdependence amongst all them. The main result of that is a wider control of the economic and environmental actions, which should always try to reach the sustainability of the human being's presence  in the Pantanal in harmony with nature.