Geoversity is creating conservancies that serve as campuses for our Life Changer experiential learning programs, each with ecological and cultural diversity.
Geoversity’s main campus is the Mamoní Valley Preserve, which encompasses 5,000 hectares (12,500 acres) of rainforest and aspires to geographically include the entire 12,200-hectare (28,900 acres) upper Mamoní watershed and its 1,500 hectares (3,900 acres) of old-growth forests.
It is located within the largest remaining stretch of contiguous rainforest in the exceptionally biodiverse Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena eco-region: one of the top 25 Biodiversity Hotspots in the world and adjacent to the indigenous Gunayala territory, Emberá communities and the national protected areas Narganá and the Chagres National Park.
Incredibly, it is a mere 2-hour drive from the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, in the narrowest stretch of the Americas.
MVP Campus Facilities
Our science and leadership training center, Centro Mamoní, along with our Agroforestry site, form parts of Geoversity’s off-grid rainforest campus in the Mamoní Valley Preserve. Here students, volunteers, interns and tinkerers join our team to achieve our campus’ goal of becoming 100% self-sufficient with food, building materials, energy and water use, while sharing experiential learning experiences with guests from all over the world. Facilities are connected to broadband WiFi, can host up to 55 people at a time, and are sustainably powered 24/7 by a unique hydro-electric system and solar panels. The cabins and hand-crafted furnishings are built with locally sourced bamboo and salvaged hardwoods— most cabins even have flush toilets and hot water!
MVP Communities
The Upper Mamoní Valley is a sparsely populated mountainous region with close proximity to Panama City. There are four communities: San José de Madroño, El Valle, La Zahina, and Mamoní Arriba (listed east to west). Total population of the valley is estimated below 500 people, enough to support four small rural schools and one understaffed health center, all of which are located along the Mamoní river and its major tributary, the San José. Smaller ranching outposts are interspersed throughout the Valley—mostly along the main dirt road that runs along the river and connects the four villages.
Other Conservancies
Geoversity has been actively expanding its campus locations for its Life Changer experiential learning programs, each with ecological and cultural diversity in mind.
The Borrego Institute of Living Design in San Diego, USA:
The Borrego Institute for Living Design is a cross-disciplinary ecotone where art, design, mythic storytelling, and evolutionary processes connect diverse minds for thriving futures. They work to catalyze a fundamental paradigm shift in all human endeavors—from mechanistic efficiency-driven thinking to adaptable design based on life’s observable patterns and processes—in order to facilitate cultural renewal for greater resilience, adaptability, and expanding opportunity.
Locations under development:
- Geoversity´s Pacific Marine Field Station and Conservancy, Cébaco Island
- Geoversity´s Wetlands Field Station and Conservancy, Bayano
- Geoversity´s Urban Forest Campus in the City of Knowledge and the Camino de Cruces National Park, Clayton, Panama
- Geoversity’s Atlantic Marine Field Station, The Azores, Portugal
- The Caracol River Basin Conservation Community
- The Dianmayala Conservation Community
- Geoversity’s Biocultural Design Center, Urban Forest, Amador Causeway, Panama City
Deemed a “magical destination” by Nat-Geo Travel, the Mamoní valley is home to unique pairings of ecological restoration, rural development, scientific research, and life-changing learning adventures for indigenous people, global youth, and business leaders.
