Costa Rican National Park Volunteer - Caribbean Region
Refugio de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo
Location:
Southeast of the Caribbean coast, between the mouth of the Cocles and Sixaola rivers, in the province of Limon, county of Talamanca.
Area Information:
Created on October 29, 1985, important ecosystems are wetlands; marshes, lagoons, flooded forests, reefs, marine plants, and seaweed beds. The habitats for threatened species such as manatees and Baula, Caguama, Green, and Carey marine turtles, are protected here. South of Punta Mona lies the only remanining cativo forest on the country's southern Caribbean coast. There is only tropical wet forest on the refuge.
Volunteer Projects:
- Support the area school with English-Spanish lessons for children
- Infrastructure maintenance (group work, four people)
Special Activities:
- Maintain and repair trails
- Elaboration of an area of indigenous plants
- Sow grass at the sides of the lagoon to feed the manatees (for biology, science students, etc.)
- Repair signs
- Sculpture project on the beach, made of ocean debris (prerequisite: ease of working with hands and able to use cutting tools)
- Monitor animals in the park
- Monitor freshwater turtles
Parque Nacional Cahuita
Location:
On the Caribbean coast, 44 km south of Limon.
Area Information:
Created on September 7, 1970, this park protects one of the better developed coral reefs on the Caribbean coast and one of the most important in Costa Rica. It also protects a sample of marshy forest with Yolillo and Sangrillo, as well as beautiful white sand beaches. It has transition zones of tropical wet forest, mountain rain forest, low mountain rain forest, and wet mountain forest.
Volunteer Projects:
- Trail maintenance
- Repair sanitary services
- Instal trash cans
- Construct fences for the installations, sowing of indigenous plants
- Construct cabins and tables (February and April)
Specific projects:
- Continued analysis of tourism marketing (knowledge in ecotoursim,
marketing)
Parque Nacional Barbilla
Location:
On the province of Limon, its main entrance is located 3 km east of Siquirres city, on the road to Limon city.
Area Information:
Located inside a tropical wet forest, and covered by virgin forest, this park contains large quantities of plant and animal species, many of them rare or endangered. Main attractions include Dantas River, Ayil Lagoon, and Tigre Hill, and the area of Dos Ramos.
Volunteer Projects:
- Survey trail capacity (for students and professionals of Environmental Studies, Environmental Interpretation, Ecotourism)
- Work with the indigenous community to collect historic data of the area (for historians, teachers)
- Create park maps (for designers, drawers, engineers, architects)
- Participate in environmental education program with the schools in the vicinity (for environmental teachers)
- Create and collect information for a botanical garden with emphasis on medical plants used by local communities (for botanists, forest engineers, biologists)
Reserva Biológica Hitoy Cerere
Location:
On the basin of Estrella and Telire rivers, at the foothills of the Talamanca Mountain Range, 67.5 km from Limon.
Area Information:
Created on April 27, 1978, this park houses two life zones and a transition zone between tropical wet forest and premountain rain forest. The reserve houses 40 species of mammals, including some endangered or threatened species, 230 bird species, 30 amphibian species, and about 30 reptile species. Some unique plant species can be found here.
Volunteer Projects:
- Group project: construction of a trail from the house to the waterfall (three kilometers)
- Group project: creation of a location for exhibitions
- Paint the roof
- Repair trails
del.icio.us
Stumble It!