Reforestation Nursery - Caño Negro

Caño Negro is a wildlife reserve wetlands almost on the Nicaraguan border. The project work here focusses on conservation and environmental protection.

Although steps have been taken to conserve Costa Rica’s wild places, approximately 20,000 acres of land is destroyed annually. Recent studies suggest that only one quarter of Costa Rica’s original forest cover is still intact. Half of this is under the protection of national parks and biological reserves. Indigenous and forest reserves, wildlife refuges and privately owned plots occupy the other half and this is where the problem exists. Laws are too lenient on land that is not deemed a national territory, and recent amendments to forestry law makes it even easier to obtain logging permits. We aim to reverse this trend by building a tree nursery that can grow native species that eventually can be planted in and around the community.

2022 Update:

Continued to work on the creating wooden structure beds for the germination of native plants within the SINAC nursery.

What is SINAC?

SINAC is the Costa Rican National System of Conservation Areas. Their mission is to manage the conservation and sustainable management of wildlife, forest resources, protected areas, watersheds and water systems for the wellness of current and future generations.

Mangrove Trench Digging - Bahia Thomas, Guanacaste

Sadly, the Mangroves at Bahia Thomas have been badly damaged by a salt production company. They cut down many trees to make the land flat and in the process of extracting the salt they damaged the mangroves and subsequently damaged the unique habitat of a variety of animals.

Did you know?

Not only do mangroves store up to up to five times as much organic carbon as tropical upland forests, but they also serve two very important ecological functions.

1. Their interlocked roots stabilise shorelines, preventing erosion and protecting the land — and the people who live there — from waves and storms.

2. They provide ideal breeding grounds for much of the world’s fish, shrimp, crabs, and other shellfish.

2022 Update:

The aim of this new project in Costa Rica was to aid the natural restoration of the mangrove, by digging channels, making sediment deposits to generate the perfect environment for plants to grow and removing excess sediments from the trenches to allow for better waterflow. Our student travellers worked a total of 29 days on this project.

Project Bahia Juinquillal - Guanacaste

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Bahia Junquillal National Wildlife Reserve was created to protect the region’s coastal mangroves and dry forests. It has been awarded the Ecological Blue Flag certification in recognition for its conservation efforts and is home to several species of mammals, reptiles, and birds. Through tourism the National Park generates income to put back into new conservation and environmental projects.

A recent hurricane in the area destroyed buildings and facilities and has impacted tourism in the area. The aim of this project was to help the National Park restore tourist facilities so it can start to regenerate income for their conservation efforts.

2022 Update:

39 wooden benches were built, 20 concrete benches and 20 barbeques were constructed for recreation use by day visitors.

Pollinator Hotel - Cano Negro

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Building two pollinator hotels to provide suitable habitats to a variety of different pollinators which in turn will help maintain the biodiversity of the Tropical Rain Forest. They can be found in the Caño Negro Park and the other in the offices of the Caño Negro National Mixed Wildlife Refuge.

Camera Traps, Wildcrossings and Fauna Bridges - Caño Negro

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These projects involve working alongside SINAC and include placing camera traps for wildlife observation, building fauna crossings to allowing a safe passage for various animals between ecosystems split by paths or highways.

2022 Update:

7 camera traps were placed for monitoring and 3 monkey bridges were constructed.

Additional projects in collaboration with SINAC include:

• Caño Negro Refuge boundary markers to outline a clear separation between the refuge land and the private land. This is vital in assisting the patrolling of the park rangers and to keep away unauthorized visitors.

• Recycled cap wall mural in the SINAC facilities of the Caño Negro Community. The character the mural is based on is Toño Pizote. Why? Toño Pizote is the official mascot for the prevention and control of forest fires in Costa Rica.

• Maintenance of railings in the Refuge to maintain the safety of pedestrians.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Centre - Terraba

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Many people work in the nearest city (Buenos Aires), leaving vulnerable SEND members on their own without anyone to care for them. We aim to build a SEND Centre with a kitchen and dining room, toilets and a classroom that will be staffed by the local community. There will also be facilities to cook and sell products to raise funds for the maintenance of the centre.

2022 Update:

This project started in 2019. The original structure was pulled down, new foundations laid, and 1800 bricks used to construct the walls. Our travellers in 2022 did a fantastic job of restarting the project by levelling floors, constructing structural columns and finishing the rear bathroom, drainage and septic tank and children’s play area.

School Garden - Terraba

150 students attend the local primary school in Terraba. At the school there is a fully functioning kitchen and cafeteria however a considerable amount of money is spent on buying ingredients for preparing meals. The school would like to be more selfsufficient and grow their own food.

2022 Update:

Student travellers helped create a school garden and have planted cucumber, radish, coriander and corn.