5,000 m² of protected rainforest in Costa Rica

5,000 m² of protected rainforest in Costa Rica

Hey nature lovers. We take you on a trip to Costa Rica. We, in this case, means me Félix, one of the three founders of Plant for Future, accompanied by my wife Kim. Our motivation to visit the Central American country was threefold. On the one hand, we wanted to see for ourselves how the state of Costa Rica understands its nature for what it is, namely an immeasurably valuable treasure that needs to be protected, and on the other hand, we wanted to see for ourselves where we as Plant for Future have already been able to help and where our help will also be needed in the future to preserve this unique natural treasure.

With over 25% of its territory designated as a protected area and a reforestation rate of 20% over the last 30 years, Costa Rica is certainly considered the model country in terms of environmental protection. This was not always the case, however. For a long time, ideas of conventional land exploitation were also followed here through the establishment of monocultures and cattle pastures. These scars are still visible today, but a change of course by the state and the commitment of countless non-governmental organizations is helping to further turn the country around and heal it. But more on that later. Anyone traveling to Costa Rica naturally wants to experience as much of its unique nature as possible. We are no exception and our animal wish list got longer and longer…

Right at the top, the quetzal! And so, before we turned our attention to the Pacific rainforest areas and our partners from the “Rainforest of the Austrians”, we went to the cloud forest in San Gerardo de Dota at an altitude of around 3,000 meters. A truly breathtaking backdrop, characterized by untouched nature. Vegetation that is second to none, accompanied by the sound of thundering waterfalls. In fact, we should be lucky enough to see the legendary quetzal as well as countless hummingbirds. A unique creature and not without reason a figurehead for environmental protection. Their presence speaks for the stability of the local ecosystem. The animals live on wild avocados and are sensitive to any interference with their habitat.

Now let’s get to work! Admittedly the most pleasant one I have ever had to deal with in the course of my work at Plant for Future. Keyword partner care. We were delighted to accept the invitation from Michael Schnitzler and the “Rainforest of the Austrians”. A man and an organization whose 30 years of activity we can only admire and from whom we can learn a great deal. Full of anticipation and admittedly also with some excitement, we headed for the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, which is located in a 14-hectare reserve protected by Michael and his team and attached to the neighboring Piedras Blancas National Park. This area alone is home to over 300 bird species, almost 100 species of mammals and countless reptiles and amphibians. By planting several thousand rainforest trees in the nearby valley of La Gamba, Esquinas Rainforest Lodge is one of the few CO₂-neutral eco-lodges. But that’s not all – the association “Rainforest of the Austrians”, founded by Michael in 1991, has set itself the task of buying back and renaturalizing areas that were previously used for commercial purposes, thus creating wildlife corridors between isolated “forest islands” and the Pacific coast and thus a link between the large national parks “Piedras Blancas” and the “Corcovado”. In this way, the genetic diversity and migratory behavior of different species should be taken into account. In order to protect these areas in the long term, gamekeepers are employed, sustainable ecotourism and tropical research are carried out and the local population is involved. This is what a sustainable concept for the protection of nature looks like.

We got to know each other better over lunch with Michael and his partner Suse. Two of the most admirable people we have ever met in our lives. Michael’s passion has always been traveling to the green paradises of our planet. A man who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, crossed the Grand Canyon on a raft, traveled to the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica before finally finding his passion in Costa Rica. Rainforest! And now we are sitting in the middle of his life’s work. Full of respect, we listen to his experiences and adventures and chat about our visions and goals for protecting our wonderful planet.

The next day we visit the La Gamba Tropical Station, a research, teaching and training institution of the University of Vienna on the edge of the “Austrian rainforest”. In one of the most species-rich lowland rainforests in Central America, it offers the best conditions for seminars, courses and field research. Flo, a biology doctoral student, proudly showed us around the tropical station and raved about his bee collection, which is an elementary component of a study on the interaction between pollinators and plant diversity in the areas to be reforested.

A huge palm oil plantation in the middle of an intact ecosystem

Nevertheless, great things have already been achieved. For example, the Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula in south-western Costa Rica has been connected to the Piedras Blancas National Park by wildlife corridors. Pumas, which were once isolated in Corcovado National Park, were recently captured on video traps in Piedras Blancas National Park. This is really great news that gives us hope. Now, in collaboration with our partner, we are aiming to expand the project to the northeast, starting from Piedras Blancas National Park, and we need your help!

Full of excitement, we reached the 30-hectare wildlife corridor that connects an area of the eastern foothills of the Piedras Blancas National Park with the forests of the Fila Gamba. This corridor is divided into the “Finca Amable” and the “Finca Eduardo”. The “Finca Amable” is surrounded on both sides by palm oil plantations and borders the banks of the Rio Bonito and the forests of the Piedras Blanca National Park to the north. It borders Finca Eduardo to the north. The first trees were planted in 2010 to reforest this section of the corridor. After only 10 years, this area is now completely covered with dense secondary forest and has more than 200 different tree species. It is impressive how quickly the trees grow under the local tropical conditions. Especially in times of advancing climate change, such a rapid regeneration of nature can bring someone briefly out of a feeling of powerlessness.

Compared to the “Finca Amable”, the “Finca Eduardo” is still quite new “on the loose”. With your help, we were able to protect 5000 m² of this area forever and incorporate it into the corridor. Some of the trees we can just see are only 3 months old. But here, too, the immense growth rate due to the ideal climatic conditions is immediately apparent. This area is now being left to nature with a little start-up help. Various methods are used. Firstly, trees from the nearby tree nursery “Finca Modelo” are transplanted with earthworm compost and cared for over 4 years until the tree’s own ability to survive is ensured. On the other hand, smaller areas surrounded by intact forests can be left to their own devices. Nature will reclaim these areas in no time at all if the areas to be reforested are not too large. But even in this case, there is already external research on so-called patch reforestation. This involves the creation of several small forest sections in a very large area to be reforested, with the aim that the forested “patches” connect with each other independently over a certain period of time. This is due to the fact that conventional reforestation by planting individual trees is very cost-intensive.

Finca Eduardo with recently planted trees

The two fincas in the large biological corridor are strategically located to connect the existing forest sections and support the migratory behavior of the animals. However, adjustments have also been made here to create even better conditions. The Rio Bonito river overflows its banks several times a year, causing the soil to be affected by groundwater, so drainage ditches were dug before reforestation began. With complete success. The two fincas in the corridor are also separated from each other by a small road. A monkey ladder is planned above the road so that the animals can still cross it undisturbed. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Last but not least, we visited the national park whose name had been ringing in our ears every day since we arrived in San José. The biggest, the most beautiful, the richest in species, the most original! Various superlatives, its significance for Michael’s project and not least our curiosity were more than enough reasons to visit this corner of the world. After a few hours of adventurous driving over bumpy, bumpy “roads” through several small rivers, we arrived at our destination and could hardly believe our luck. We were in the middle of the rainforest off the coast of the Pacific. We can say that the next few days in this forest have irreversibly changed our awareness of nature. From our accommodation we looked down on a lagoon with huge crocodiles, while the bright red macaws held a loud concert in the trees. Words can hardly describe our experiences in the days that followed and because pictures are known to say more than a thousand words, here is our almost complete animal wish list mentioned at the beginning.

Have fun and don’t forget: “Preserve existing forests, create new forests.”