Rio Bravo, as it is known, was established by Programme for Belize in 1988 with the purchase of 110,044 acres (44,533.2 hectares) of land from Gallon Jug Agroindustries.
[3] Rio Bravo sits atop an extension of the Yucatán Platform, which is composed mostly of Cretaceous to early Pleistocene limestone, although dolomite and evaporites are also present at various depths.
Visits to Rio Bravo consist primarily of researchers and university students, though educational outreach programs to the local community also attract visitors.
Originally, the site was used as a logging camp established by British buccaneers and African slaves in the 18th century to harvest mahogany.
Rio Bravo receives funding from donations as well as a number of income-generating projects, including carbon credit-generating sequestration plots.
[5] Nest boxes in the shallows of the lagoon house a study population of the mangrove swallow, and a vacuum insect sample sits behind the cafeteria.