Conservation - COSTA RICA Project Information for Conservation in Costa Rica

Our Conservation Projects in Costa Rica

Our conservation project in Costa Rica works on a rotation system. Every four weeks the project moves to a different national park, so a volunteer who signs up for a four-month placement will spend one month at each of the four national parks. The number of parks a volunteer works at and the order in which they visit them will depend on the length and start date of their placement. Below is a brief description of each park:

Diria Forest National Park

This 5400-hectare reserve is comprised mainly of primary (virgin) tropical dry forest and at the highest altitudes, humid tropical forest. This park is important for protecting species of flora, 130 species of bird, large mammals such as spider monkeys, white-faced capuchins and coyotes, and the Aquifers which can be found below ground. There are also large diversities of frogs and snakes (coral, rattlesnake) and other reptiles and amphibians.

Barra Honda National Park

This 2300-hectare park is renowned for its remarkable system of caves. To date, 19 separate caves have been discovered in the limestone ridge that makes up the Barra Honda formation. There is a large abundance of deciduous flora within the park as well as fauna ranging from armadillos and raccoons, to parrots and coyotes.

Las Baulas Marine National Park

This park is comprised of three nesting beaches, Playa Grande, Playa Langosta and Playa Ventanas. It also protects two mangrove estuaries, Estero de Tamarindo, the largest mangrove estuary in Central America, and the smaller Estero de San Francisco, It supports the largest nesting colony of leatherback sea turtles (baulas) on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, with a population of about 800 female turtles nesting per year.

Lomas de Barbudal Biological Reserve

This 2279-hectare reserve forms a unique forest island within its heavily deforested surroundings. A dry forest habitat, it is predominantly a biological reserve for insects and holds an estimated 240 species of bees. As well as insects, the reserve also has diverse fauna species and, in the dry season, mammals such as monkeys and anteaters.

The role of the Volunteer

Each conservation volunteer joins an ongoing effort to conserve the environment. Volunteers come and go, and during their time in Costa Rica they work with permanent local environmentalists who give them the opportunity to become involved and contribute to this important long-term project.

Volunteer Role at Las Baulas Marine National Park:

Leatherback turtles in Costa Rica come under threat from poachers, tourists, developers and animal predators. Volunteers here work alongside local marine biologists to help protect this endangered species. Tasks include patrolling the beach, marking nests, releasing hatchlings (during nesting season), clearing the beach of rubbish and helping with camp duties.

Volunteer Role at Diria Forest National Park, Barra Honda National Park and Lomas de Barbudal Biological Reserve:

At these three national parks volunteers work alongside park staff, resident scientists and park rangers. Tasks include:

• Helping with taxonomic inventories (making a record of every single species of insect, invertebrate, fungus, flowers etc.).
• Assisting in environmental education projects if there is a school within the boundaries of the park or within the nearby community.
• Constructing, maintaining and extending trails within the reserves.
• Establishing (and testing) camp sites, picnic sites and viewpoints.

Volunteers live together in rustic dormitories within each reserve. We prefer volunteers to know some basic Spanish so that communication with the Costa Rican staff is easier.