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…)
In July we told about the expansion of Adopt Rainforest’s reserve through the purchase of 48.5 acres of land. This parcel is very important because it forms a land bridge between the foundation’s current reserve and Barbilla National Park. Much of the new plot is existing forest, but there are also several acres of pasture […]
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 […]
A word from the chairman If I may describe 2023 it in two words, I would choose ‘energizing’ and ‘demanding’. Partly because ‘positive’ and ‘growth’ actually dominate every year and this was certainly the case again in 2023. In terms of donations, 2023 was another record year. For that, of course, great thanks to everyone […]
My youngest daughter Iris is studying Applied Biology in Den Bosch. I visited her at her internship site in Costa Rica, where she stayed for 5 months. I am writing a piece about this because in addition to visiting my daughter, I had the opportunity to provide first aid training for the foundation’s staff and […]
And then there you are, atop a hilltop, having a good cry. Or frantically trying not to let your fellow volunteer see how touched you are. My name is Zoë, I live near Hasselt in Belgium. I am an adult education teacher, and enthusiastic but very novice when it comes to nature. I would like to tell you about my wonderful experiences as a volunteer in the reserve of Adopt Rainforest.
Adopt Rainforest is celebrating its 12th anniversary. A good reason to reflect on all the milestones during the summer party we celebrated with dedicated volunteers and stakeholders on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. The gathering took place in the beautiful ambiance of Landhuis in de Stad in Utrecht, where we took the opportunity to look back at our milestones, share recent achievements and present our newest collaboration. “What a wonderful evening, the room is full of positive energy!”, said one of the attendees. An impression of a grand evening.
From dreaming to doing!
December is also for Adopt Rainforest a great time to look back and forward. I would like to start with expressing my great gratitude to all volunteers and donors for their commitment and contribution last year! All that support is what drives the foundation. We look back on a year with fantastic developments. Several dreams of the past have become reality. I would like to share with you the biggest milestones and plans for the future. (more…)
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!
Together with Barbilla National Park and the Bajo Chirripó Indigenous Reserve, the Work with Nature reserve forms a “three-country point”. This place is known as Punta de Lanza or Lanspunt. The community consists partly of the indigenous population of Costa Rica and partly of “white people” (modern ticos). Recently, an association has been founded to achieve more together.
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.
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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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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!
The Work with Nature reserve has more than doubled to a total of 70 hectares of rainforest! That’s 696,514 square meters to be precise!
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!
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.
