Rainforest Conservation Volunteer Program in Costa Rica

Rainforest Conservation in Costa Rica

The Rainforest conservation program protects and studies a private reserve of 140 hectares of rainforest in Costa Rica’s Caribbean lowlands. Volunteers in this program help with the protection of the rainforest and learn to live in harmony with nature.

Overview

The biodiversity and the density of different species in Costa Rica are among the highest in the world. The Rainforest conservation program protects and studies a private reserve of 140 hectares of rainforest. Volunteers in this program help with the protection of the rainforest and learn to live in harmony with nature.

The project’s objective is to learn with and from one another. By sharing knowledge and research, the project grows and has a positive impact on the forest, the volunteers and the local community.

The conservation project and foundation protects 140 hectares of wildlife reserve which is growing. The objective of the project is to understand exactly what it is that they are protecting, what the threats are, and which measures need to be taken to have the biggest possible sustainable impact for both nature and human beings alike. The goal is to increase their reserve to 2000 hectares of rainforest to protect and preserve. As well as to connect with the local population, helping them with alternatives, to prevent logging and illegal activities like hunting.

The project is located about 3 hours from San Jose and 2 hours from Puerto Viejo. The private reserve is located in Costa Rica’s Caribbean lowlands between the Barbilla National Park, an Indian reservation, the village of San Miguel and banana plantations. Surrounded by a beautiful, tropical rainforest, there is only a very small town nearby that provides some basics, there is a mini-supermarket, a small local school, a church and a soccer field.

Volunteer Work Schedule

On the first day, the Project Coordinator will show you around and explain what to do on the following days. The project has a strong focus on three main subjects: biodiversity, reforestation and sustainable living.

Volunteers work around 8 hours daily, 5 days per week. Your weekends are free.

Breakfast is served at 7am and will be a typical Costa Rican dish. At 8am your day starts with a hike into the tropical rainforest reserve for about 3 hours to start accumulating data, conducting research and other projects (for example planting or measuring trees in the reforestation area).
There are also days that you will stay on the research project area to work in the organic vegetable garden, build a tree nursery, investigate collected bugs, make an inventory of the butterflies or for example make chocolate from the cacao you collected.

Lunch is served at 12.30 after which the afternoon is usually spent by processing data, analyzing the trap cam video’s, studying the collected dung-beetles or frog pictures, writing up research or working in the garden.

5 pm a lovely dinner is served. After dinner you can chat with the other volunteers and students in the community house, play games, read or chill in a hammock. It gets dark in Costa Rica by 6pm and by 9pm the project expects you to be quiet and make up for a new and wonderful day to come.
There are daily operational duties too. Work at the project can be physically demanding, but no 2 days are the same!!