Teresa Gil

RAREC - RAINFOREST AWARENESS RESCUE AND EDUCATION CENTER

RAREC is a wildlife rescue center, and our core program is the rescue and rehabilitation of confiscated or injured species for future release. Our center also serves as a research facility for Amazonian wildlife, with the goal of protecting existing wildlife populations. Our base for field operations is our rescue center, which serves as a protected sanctuary, with programs aimed to revitalize populations through rescue, rehabilitation, and reintroduction to the species' regular environment. We aim to replicate the success of similar programs abroad; building a strong support system for conservation efforts is the best method for those species to regain a solid footing in their habitat of origin. Locally, there is little awareness about the plight of the species, its importance to the ecosystem, or its protected status. Thus, RAREC's rescue and rehabilitation program is complemented by our youth education program, our program for training in alternative sources of income, and our medical campaign programs. Our focus is the people living in the remote communities of the Amazon. By offering them viable alternatives to poaching, and by offering them an incentive to become involved in conservation, we will help protect the wildlife living in the vicinity of these communities. Programs focused on environmental education and sustainable development are the most important aspect of our mission statement. They will become key to reaching an understanding with the local community, as we emphasize the important of conservation efforts and how precious the commitment to conservation should be to all of us.