Adopt and protect tropical rainforest in Costa Rica

€2.50 = adopt 1 m² of rainforest and guarantee years of protection.

Already 2,780,000 square metres (m²) of rainforest protected. Join the fight against deforestation! CBF-certified & ANBI-registered.

Why protecting the rainforest matters now

Every minute, tropical rainforest disappears. Costa Rica is no exception: trees are felled for agriculture and timber, and the habitat of thousands of species vanishes. What remains is bare ground, while the original rainforest in the background shows just what we stand to lose. Protecting tropical rainforest means capturing CO₂, preserving biodiversity and keeping the climate stable. And once a giant of the jungle is cut down, it doesn’t simply grow back. That’s why we buy up threatened rainforest in Costa Rica and protect it for good. For €2.50, you can adopt 1 m² of rainforest. Help us turn the tide.

Adopt now

Our impact on Costa Rican Rainforest

Nature conservation

Protecting existing rainforest See our approach

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Nature restoration

Reforesting former rainforest Read all about it

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Research

Biodiversity research and more Explore the research

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Awareness

Education and employment Read all about it

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Protecting and restoring rainforest, together with local communities.

See what we stand for in just 3 minutes.

Protect and restore tropical rainforest, together with local communities

Adopting a piece of rainforest may sound light-hearted, but the impact is real. Tropical rainforests are under pressure worldwide, with catastrophic consequences for plants, animals and people alike. As a stable, CBF-accredited non-profit, Adopt Rainforest protects the rainforest in Costa Rica, offering a positive counterweight to deforestation.

Our work rests on four pillars:

  1. Long-term protection of existing rainforest
  2. Sustainable restoration of former rainforest, including reforestation
  3. Research into biodiversity and strengthening nature
  4. Raising awareness through education and employment

Give Costa Rica’s rainforest a future

Through our approach, we protect one of the most beautiful and biodiverse places on Earth: the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica. This is an area we must preserve for current and future generations alike. You can help by adopting your own piece of rainforest.

Our goal: buy and protect 2,000 hectares of rainforest

Our ultimate goal is to protect 2,000 hectares of rainforest, so that monkeys and jaguars return to the area. We protect and reforest the forest, create better prospects for the local population, teach children about the importance of the rainforest, and carry out research.

Give rainforest as a gift

Looking for an original and sustainable gift? Give a piece of rainforest. The recipient receives a personal adoption certificate and contributes directly to protecting tropical forest in Costa Rica.

Act now!

Our goal is to protect at least 2.000 hectares of tropical rainforest.

Started with 3 hectares GOAL: 2000 hectares
278 hectares of rainforest protected!

Our achievements

Together with our donors and partners, we make a real difference. See what we've accomplished so far: from the 48.5-hectare expansion that connects our reserve to Barbilla National Park, to 27,500 new trees — and become part of our next success!

Watch Eufonia now

From today, 22 April – Earth Day – our documentary Eufonia is available to watch online! This day is dedicated worldwide to protecting our planet, which is precisely why we chose this moment to share this story with you. The documentary follows local guide Gerald in his work for Adopteer Regenwoud. Watch the documentary here!

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Video: 25.000 trees grow

In 2023, the foundation launched a large-scale reforestation project at the reserve in Costa Rica. The goal: to restore 25 hectares of deforested area – former pasture land – to original tropical rainforest. Thanks to the efforts of nine local workers and with the support of Trees for All, as many as 25,000 native trees were planted! These trees continue to be carefully maintained. We are enormously proud of the impressive growth that is now visible. In this video we take you through the progress of this special project.
(more…)

Reserve expanded by 48.5 acres!

We are extremely proud to tell you that the reserve has been expanded by 48.5 acres! And it is not just any expansion, it is finally the connection between the reserve of Adopt Rainforest and Barbilla National Park that we have been working towards for so long. 48.5 hectares, that’s almost 100 soccer fields and […]

An extraordinary new step for foundation Adopt rainforest

From 25 hectares of grassland to a thriving rainforest

This month chairman Martin and founder Matthijs were at Trees for All’s headquarters to ratify a new cooperation for reforestation of 25 hectares of grassland. One of the largest projects in Costa Rica for the Adopt Rainforest Foundation to date. A total of more than 27,500 trees will be planted. (more…)

Adopt Rainforest deploys park rangers to protect rainforest

In recent years, the reserve of the Adopt Rainforest Foundation has been easy for project manager Maarten to oversee. Two or three times a week he and the students make his rounds through the project area for the biodiversity research. For this research they visit several plots of the area, giving them a good insight into what is happening. Should any illegal logging occur, it is immediately noticed. The same goes for illegal hunting. In addition to the local presence, camera traps are hung at various places in the reserve. These are checked weekly. Should hunters or poachers walk through our reserve, this is quickly noticed.

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Connection with Barbilla National Park another important step closer!

Despite uncertain economic times and the impact of Corona, the Foundation has some fantastic news to report. Over the past few months, we had to pull out all the stops and negotiate hard to acquire an important piece of land. And we succeeded! We were able to expand the reserve by 65 hectares, or 650,000 square meters!

(more…)

Special reserve expansion realized!

Last summer we were able to open the proverbial champagne bottle again! Despite all external influences, we managed to formalize the purchase of a beautiful and especially strategically important piece of rainforest! It concerns the 9 hectares on which the research center is located. (more…)

Adopt Rainforest exceeds target amount crowdfunding campaign!

The crowdfunding campaign for the local workers of Work with Nature in Costa Rica has been more than successful! We still have 3 days to go and have already reached the target amount! Great to be able to support the local population in this way and to keep the research project going.
(more…)

Adopt Rainforest reserve on Dutch television!

At the end of September a crew of Dutch television came to film at our reserve in Costa Rica! The filming is for the programme ‘De Buitendienst’, which is described by the producers as a nature programme for children from 8 to 88 years ;-). There are two episodes recorded. The first episode will be about trees and their superpowers, in which Matthijs will tell about the importance of the tropical rainforest.
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131 – hectares of rainforest protected!

Wow! Thanks to many donors and funds, it has been possible to protect a new plot of 38 hectares of rainforest. This brings our total to 131 hectares of protected rainforest!

2017 – Research in rainforest started!

At the beginning of June 2017, Adopteer Regenwoud, together with Dutch students from various green courses, launched two long-term studies in the Work with Nature reserve!

2016 – Construction ranger station realised

The construction of a ranger station at a strategic location in the protected Work with Nature reserve has been realised! From now on the rainforest will be continuously guarded and we will employ a local labour force.

Adopteer Regenwoud

Het laatste nieuws

Documentary ‘Eufonia’: Trailer & Premiere 2025

Over the past year, documentary filmmaker and dedicated foundation volunteer Bram Sturm and his crew have worked hard on a remarkable new project: Eufonia.
The result is a unique and intimate glimpse into the life of Gerald, who works in the rainforest reserve of Adopteer Regenwoud. We were already deeply impressed by the outcome — and now the Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam has confirmed it: the film has officially been selected!
A truly special achievement that we’re excited to share with you.

(more…)

Video: 25.000 trees grow

In 2023, the foundation launched a large-scale reforestation project at the reserve in Costa Rica. The goal: to restore 25 hectares of deforested area – former pasture land – to original tropical rainforest. Thanks to the efforts of nine local workers and with the support of Trees for All, as many as 25,000 native trees were planted! These trees continue to be carefully maintained. We are enormously proud of the impressive growth that is now visible. In this video we take you through the progress of this special project.
(more…)

Volunteer Profile: Annemarie

Adopt Rainforest employs a lot of volunteers who do amazing and, above all, very diverse work. In this blog post we would like to share the experiences of Annemarie, who has been volunteering for Adopt Rainforest since September 2022.
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The impact of forest clearing on the climate

Why one forest is not like the other

Written by: Zoë Schreurs

Humanity has cleared countless acres of forest over the centuries. But not all forests are the same. Sure, a forest in Costa Rica has trees and squirrels, just like a forest here in Europe. But while we can certainly draw comparisons between our temperate forests and tropical forests, there are many differences. In this blog post, we take a closer look at why tropical rainforest logging is even more disastrous and how the consequences extend much further. And logging is certainly ongoing. Globally, the tropics lost 4.1 million hectares of primary forest in 2022, 10% more than in 2021, the platform  Global Forest Watch reported. (more…)

A valuable week of collaboration

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming professors Edwin Pos and Yann Hautier of Utrecht University to our project in Costa Rica. It was a week entirely dedicated to local collaborations. Our project managers Maarten and Hanneke together with the professors visited different organizations in Costa Rica to strengthen existing collaborations and initiate new ones.. (more…)

Reserve expanded by 48.5 acres!

We are extremely proud to tell you that the reserve has been expanded by 48.5 acres! And it is not just any expansion, it is finally the connection between the reserve of Adopt Rainforest and Barbilla National Park that we have been working towards for so long. 48.5 hectares, that’s almost 100 soccer fields and […]

An extraordinary new step for foundation Adopt rainforest

From 25 hectares of grassland to a thriving rainforest

This month chairman Martin and founder Matthijs were at Trees for All’s headquarters to ratify a new cooperation for reforestation of 25 hectares of grassland. One of the largest projects in Costa Rica for the Adopt Rainforest Foundation to date. A total of more than 27,500 trees will be planted. (more…)

Connection with Barbilla National Park another important step closer!

Despite uncertain economic times and the impact of Corona, the Foundation has some fantastic news to report. Over the past few months, we had to pull out all the stops and negotiate hard to acquire an important piece of land. And we succeeded! We were able to expand the reserve by 65 hectares, or 650,000 square meters!

(more…)

The living proof of successful nature conservation

More than 11 years ago, the founders of the Adopt Rainforest foundation visited this beautiful area for the first time. What a beautiful area with giant big trees, several rivers and an enormous biodiversity of plants and animals. Yet there was something they both noticed immediately. There were no monkeys at all. (more…)

Special reserve expansion realized!

Last summer we were able to open the proverbial champagne bottle again! Despite all external influences, we managed to formalize the purchase of a beautiful and especially strategically important piece of rainforest! It concerns the 9 hectares on which the research center is located. (more…)

Costa Rica – from large-scale deforestation to a paradise for eco tourism

Costa Rica is known for its beautiful nature, a country with an exceptionally high diversity of plants and animals (one of the highest percentages of biodiversity in the world). A country for the true ecotourist. Over the past twenty years, ecotourism has become increasingly important to Costa Rica. In 2019, there were nearly 3 million tourists in Costa Rica of which 80% are considered ecotourists. (more…)

Bedreigde Groene Ara’s laten zich weer zien!

Costa Rica is één van de landen waar de met uitsterven bedreigde Groene Ara (Ara ambiguus) voorkomt. Tientallen jaren geleden was de soort hier bijna uitgestorven door vernietiging van haar leefgebied maar vooral ook omdat de favoriete boom (Dipteryx panamensis) van deze spectaculaire vogel voor het waardevolle hout werd gekapt. (more…)

The rainy season part 1: Glass frogs

In the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica most rain falls in May to August. The fact that it rains is good for all life of course, but can be quite difficult for our biologists in the Work with Nature reserve; the paths become muddy, the laundry doesn’t dry and the project is sometimes briefly inaccessible because rivers are filling up. (more…)

Adopt Rainforest exceeds target amount crowdfunding campaign!

The crowdfunding campaign for the local workers of Work with Nature in Costa Rica has been more than successful! We still have 3 days to go and have already reached the target amount! Great to be able to support the local population in this way and to keep the research project going.
(more…)

Meer nieuws
  • Irma Verhoeven’s Avatar Irma Verhoeven ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    Net als vele anderen, wil ik zo weinig mogelijk bijdragen aan 'more stuff' in de wereld. Via Adopteer Regenwoud … More geef ik een aantal m2 regenwoud cadeau aan familie en vrienden, die dan een persoonlijk certificaat krijgen. Succes verzekerd! En er is weer een mooi stukje regenwoud beschermd.
  • Victoria vAvW’s Avatar Victoria vAvW ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    Voor mijn verjaardag wilde ik mijn collega's op iets leukers trakteren dan een stuk taart en ben ik op zoek gegaan naar … More een duurzaam cadeau. Helemaal leuk dat ik via Adopteer Regenwoud elke collega op een vierkante meter regenwoud met een persoonlijk certificaat kon trakteren! Ik geloof dat ik mensen niet eerder zó van een traktatie heb zien genieten. En dat hiermee ook weer de nodige meters regenwoud beschermd worden, is een prachtig cadeau voor ons allemaal!
  • Zoë Schreurs’s Avatar Zoë Schreurs ★★★★★ 2 years ago
    Ik wilde graag vrijwilligerswerk doen in Costa Rica, maar veel van die vrijwilligerservaringen waren voor mij onbetaalbaar. … More Uiteindelijk kwam ik uit bij Adopteer Regenwoud. Niet alleen betaalbaar, maar toevallig ook nog een Nederlandse stichting die exact deed wat ik zocht: het regenwoud bestuderen en beschermen. Na enkele mailtjes heen en weer liet Matthijs me weten dat ik meer dan welkom was om enkele weken op de farm te leven en mee te werken.
    Eens in Costa Rica werd ik opgehaald en omarmd door Hanneke, Maarten en hun gezin. In de drie weken dat ik ben gebleven ben ik verschillende keren mee tellingen gaan doen in het regenwoud, heb ik helpen kikkerpoelen graven om een bedreigde kikkersoort extra kansen te geven en heb ik in de permatuin meegeholpen. Een andere vrijwilliger die daar was, had meegeholpen bij het herbebossen van een stuk weiland, samen met de inheemse mensen die voor dat project waren aangenomen. Een ervaring om nooit meer te vergeten, ondanks de biertjes in de lokale kroeg. Eens ik weer thuis was, en had gezien wat een prachtig werk ze leveren daar in Costa Rica, besloot ik dan ook om donateur te worden. Superleuk om op Instagram te kunnen volgen wat er met mijn centjes gebeurt, en hoe telkens weer andere coole dieren door hun bescherming een plekje vinden in het reservaat.
  • Ten Brinke Interieurbeplanting BV’s Avatar Ten Brinke Interieurbeplanting BV ★★★★★ 4 years ago
    Al jaren een hele prettige samenwerking. Dank voor jullie fantastische inzet voor de natuur. Wij hopen samen nog vele hectare … More regenwoud te beschermen.
    ❤️🌿
  • Luuk H.’s Avatar Luuk H. ★★★★★ 7 years ago