Costa Rica wildlife conservation

Environment

This project plays a key role in helping to protect the region's wildlife, as if this sanctuary was not in place then there would be nowhere for the orphaned and injured animals of the region to go. The project was created after the passion two young girls showed to protect the rainforest and all of its inhabitants resulted in the project's foundation, and it has grown ever since. The initiatives that are in place here really give volunteers the chance to get hands on in making a difference to the sloths, anteaters, birds and other animals that call the project site home. Volunteers will help with cleaning, enrichment, monitoring and caring for the animals as well as a whole host of other tasks. A good example of how volunteers have been able to help comes from a recent “plant a tree day” that took place just off of the project site, as with the assistance of volunteers they managed to plant around 1000 trees!

The project is also big on recycling when the opportunity arises. A good example of this can be found in the kitchen where there are separate bins for food waste, plastic, and other waste products. By separating this all out into the separate components, it ensures that the project team are able to recycle everything they possibly can as the plastic is taken away by the appropriate people, the food waste is added to a compost pile and then reused on different animal related projects around the centre, and the remaining waste is disposed of in the correct manner. These measures help to ensure that this small part of Costa Rica remains as litter free as it can be.

Community

One of the best examples of how the volunteers at the project site help the local community is via the work they do both in replanting trees and caring for the animals at the centre. The locals in the area know that they are able to take any injured or orphaned animals they find into the sanctuary to have care provided for them. This means that the volunteers are providing a service to the local community as without this centre running, and the volunteers providing support to keep it that way, the locals would have nowhere to take their sick and injured animals.

There is also an element of campaigning for change at the project site which the team are very proud of. Volunteers teach not only international visitors to the local lodge about the importance of conservation, but they also spend time teaching the local people about how important it is to conserve the nature that surrounds them. Without these lessons going on the locals would not know about the best practice regarding care for animals, and this could have a detrimental impact on the local ecosystems.