TUI Wildlife Costa Rica
TUI Wildlife Costa Rica aims to protect and restore the habitat of a variety of species including the endangered, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species) Classified Great Green Macaw and Lemur Leaf Frog in the area around Barbilla National Park. This 2000-hectare area in eastern Costa Rica serves as an important buffer to the nearby Barbilla National Park and the Cabecar Indigenous Reserve.
The rainforest in Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful and biodiverse places on earth. By absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it also plays a vital role as one of the planet’s best defences against climate change. But despite this, the Caribbean lowland rain forest is threatened by illegal logging, hunting, and encroaching agriculture. It’s essential to preserve it for current and future generations, and to help in the fight against climate change.
The reserve is extremely rich in biodiversity and covers 275 hectares of rainforest. This area is in a region where significant deforestation is still taking place. As a result, many tree and animal species are lost or threatened. These include a variety of endemic species as well as redlist threatened species, including the critically endangered Great Green Macaw that is frequently spotted in the reserve and the Lemur Leaf Frog.
The project will protect 275 hectares of rainforest – 4000 trees will be planted, and 10 nesting boxes will be installed to provide food and nesting opportunities for the critically endangered Great Green Macaw.
15 camera traps will be placed for spotting, counting and monitoring wildlife.
The critically endangered Lemur Leaf Frog has successfully been reintroduced in the area over recent years and the project will create a number of frog pools to support this.
To protect the reserve, a project coordinator will be employed, and two local rangers will be trained to help the local economy and conserve the flora and fauna of the rainforest. A local guide will also be trained to provide weekly free walking tours in the reserve. 200 school children and their parents, 10 teachers, and several local tourists will participate in these nature-based tourism experiences.
Project Partner
Work with Nature was born out of pure passion for the rainforest and its biodiversity. This passion is in the DNA of the foundation and is the unlimited motivation to continue with the good work they do. The foundation is located in the Netherlands and mainly focuses on fundraising and education in order to achieve the practical goals in Costa Rica. The foundation protects Costa Rican rainforest, and facilitates research in this area. Work with Nature is committed to the preservation and restoration of at least 2000 hectares of rainforest in Costa Rica through the purchase of rainforest and the active protection of both this rainforest and its biodiversity.
