A private business owner interested in conservation originally developed the Floresta Amazonica Hotel. At the same time they conserved 60 ha of forest in the city of Alta Floresta. Following on from the Alta Floresta Project a second facility,  designed to accommodate ecotourists, the Cristalino Jungle Lodge was built in 1992. In 1997 the lodge and partners (IBAMA and ICMBio) collaborated to raise money to purchase forest that surrounded the lodge and in doing so created the first private reserve (RPPN) in the State of Mato Grosso.

The non-governmental Cristalino Ecological Foundation partnered with Cristalino Jungle Lodge in 1999. Their combined objectives were to engage in environmental education, conservation and monitoring, research and to foster sustainable development. All of these activities have been actioned through a management plan. Research activities include fauna and flora surveys, forest ecology, climate studies, water quality assessment and jaguar conservation awareness.