Nienke’s story: ‘The necessity of this initiative’
Nature lover and birdwatcher Nienke recently visited the breathtaking rainforests of Costa Rica. In the coming period, she will recount her experiences in vivid detail in a series of stories. Enjoy reading this second blog!
There is something magical about discovering a foreign country, a feeling that you are on the verge of something bigger than yourself. Patrick and I travel not only to see, but above all to feel. To find those moments as human beings when we can encounter nature. Often harmonious, sometimes painfully contrasting.
While I am aware of the global environmental crisis, I am still driven by my passion for nature and birds. That passion takes us to places like Costa Rica. Because we are aware of the impact of such a long journey, I want to give something back. That is why I support local projects that contribute to nature restoration and protection. This time, I donated to Adopt Rainforest, through which we symbolically adopted our own piece of rainforest. What I couldn’t have imagined beforehand was that during this trip I would be so directly confronted with the necessity of this initiative, especially in a country known as one of the most biodiverse in the world.
Plantations, plantations, plantations
We traveled by car. Anyone who knows Patrick knows that he has a soft spot for alternative routes. Zooming in on the map until a thin line appears, often challenging routes to navigate without a scratch. Unfortunately, more than once, such a route led us past plantations: a stark contrast between biodiversity and monoculture. Pineapples, bananas, and palm trees as far as the eye could see. The lush jungle we had been in just a short while before had given way to a green desert. Neat rows without the singing of birds. Anyone who didn’t know any better would be amazed by the sight, as banana plants and palm trees conjure up images of the tropics. We missed the kind of nature that makes us feel humble and reminds us that we are only a small part of a greater whole.
Other initiatives
Fortunately, we always find places of hope, love, and connection. During our trip, we visited The Nest Nature Center, a private nature reserve dedicated to the conservation and restoration of ecosystems through nature education, ecotourism, and scientific research. The owner, Juan, bought the land from his father when it was still a coffee plantation. Through experimentation, trial and error, he has restored the ecosystem bit by bit. As a result, animals (now 225 bird species registered on eBird!) are returning and the land is able to sustain itself naturally. His goal is to inspire the region and show that restoration is possible, and he hopes to connect different nature reserves through collaboration so that animal migration can take place, as in the Adopt Rainforest reserve.
During our visit, we had the opportunity to observe birds up close from carefully placed observation huts and platforms. I could talk endlessly about encountering two striped owls, mother and child. Or about the white-collared manakin, which I heard before I saw it, with the recognizable flapping of its wings as part of its dance. But the real magic lay hidden in the story of this powerful, individual initiative: a small paradise on a former plantation where life is finding its way back. At the same time, it also became clear how fragile recovery is. At the neighbors’, we saw a hectare replanted with European subsidies, but with only one fast-growing tree species. Juan explains: chosen for its timber yield, but this does not help nature here.
Small change for a big difference
What this experience showed me is that change often starts small. With one person deciding to do something. That is what Adopt a Rainforest stands for: giving nature back its space. Every protected piece of rainforest ensures that life can return. This trip has shown me that every contribution counts, and that it is mainly about simply starting somewhere.
What is sustainability and why is it important? Sustainability is a much-used word, for example, sustainability can have a meaning in relation to the environment and climate, but it can also have a social and economic meaning. Because it is such a broad concept, it can be quite difficult to properly understand what sustainability actually […]
This beautiful blue butterfly, measuring up to 15-20 cm, seems to appear and disappear with every flick of its wings. In fact, its underside is a clever trick of Mother Nature. On the underside, it is inconspicuous reddish-brown, with eyes to deter attackers. The bright iridescent blue, in turn, is to deter competition and attract females.
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.
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 […]
Discover our special partnership with the Bromelia Specialist, where passion for the Bromelia plant and the conservation of Costa Rican rainforest come together. For three years, the Bromelia Specialist has supported the work of Adopteer Regenwoud in protecting the origins of the Bromelia plant, while providing Europe with the most beautiful Bromelia products. Behind the […]
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. (more…)
Supporting a good cause. How do you do that? There are so many charities that it is difficult to choose. To which charity do you donate money? Which charity is reliable? And where do you actually start supporting a charity? The choice is vast in the jungle of charities. If you want to support a charity, it is important that the charity suits you. Choose an organization that does things you find important. This will make donating to charity a lot easier for you. With the tips below, you can be sure that you will soon be supporting a charity in a conscious manner. (more…)
A family adventure at Adopt Rainforest by Zoë Schreurs World Family Day, also known as International Family Day, is celebrated worldwide on May 15 to recognize the value of family bonds and family relationships. This day emphasizes support, love and cooperation within families. While we at “Adopt Rainforest” are of course all a little bit […]
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.
For my Wildlife business management degree, I have done several internships, mostly revolving around animal care but this time I chose to visit a different type of organization. In August 2023, I landed in Costa Rica to spend 8 weeks with the research project of Adopt Rainforest.
Nature lover and birdwatcher Nienke recently visited the breathtaking rainforests of Costa Rica. In the coming period, she will recount her experiences in vivid detail in a series of stories. Enjoy reading this first blog!
“When I close my eyes, I’m back there again…“ (more…)
We all know how important trees and plants are for producing oxygen and absorbing CO2. Especially lately there has been a lot of news about the climate crisis, global warming, sea level rise, CO2 offsetting and the importance of preserving trees, plants and forests. In this blog you can read some background information on how trees store our CO2 emissions.
In recent years we have already seen many rare and unusual animals in our reserve such as the Northern Nacked-tailed Armadillo, Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle and several felines. However, what we recently encountered is many times more interesting to scientists. In 1989, Epigomphus houghtoni, the Limon Knobtail, a dragonfly species was described by Stephen Brooks based on […]
In 2022, we wrote an article about the international census of the Great Green Macaw (Buffon’s Macaw). Three years later, we spoke with Maarten van der Beek, founder of the foundation and research biologist at the reserve in Costa Rica. He talks about the efforts to provide a home for this beautiful bird, and with success… (more…)
In Costa Rica, you can’t ignore them: the Oophaga pumilio. Pumilio means dwarf, and although they are barely 3 cm tall, it is hard to miss the poisonous strawberry frogs. In English, they are called Strawberry Poison Dart frogs because indigenous peoples used to use their poison to makepoison darts. They are also affectionately called the “blue jeans frog,” because they often look like red frogs in jeans. Although they are by no means all the same colors. There are some that are completely red or blue, rather yellow, green or orange, or with black stripes or dots. In total, there are some 15 to 30 color variations.
This year we once again celebrated the three days of Dia del Arbol with the enthusiastic school children of our village! Check out this impression of the event, in which we highlighted this year’s theme: water. From building dams and filtering water to exploring frog pools and an exciting water obstacle course – it was […]
With green plants that originated in the tropical rainforest. By: Annemarie Silkens Costa Rica is known for its amazing flora and fauna, especially in the rainforests and cloud forests. Costa Rica‘s plant world is very extensive and varied. Over 12,000 different plant species (of which more than 1200 species of orchids!) are found. Climate, soil […]
Stichting Adopteer Regenwoud’s research project is entering an exciting new phase thanks to a long-term collaboration with Utrecht University. The foundation was ready for a new step to professionalize the research project and Utrecht University was looking for a stable and reliable partner in Central America to conduct solid research in the rainforest. So for both parties this is a wonderful collaboration! Because of this we will make a big step in professionalizing our current research on biodiversity in our reserve. Together with the visiting students we will focus on scientific research in which the diversity and development of nature in our reserve, with an emphasis on flora, is central.
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…)
Let’s start right away with a fun fact: Costa Rica covers only 0.3% of the Earth’s surface, but you will find almost 5% of the world’s flora and fauna species! Per area, Costa Rica has the highest biodiversity in the world!
In the spring of 2023, there was suddenly an opportunity to go to Costa Rica for Adopt Rainforest. I was also in Costa Rica a year earlier and there someone tipped me off about an organization of two Dutch guys who were working to protect and restore the rainforest. When I got home I decided […]
Plantations, plantations, plantations
Plantations, plantations, plantations
on with Utrecht University. The foundation was ready for a new step to professionalize the research project and Utrecht University was looking for a stable and reliable partner in Central America to conduct solid research in the rainforest. So for both parties this is a wonderful collaboration! Because of this we will make a big step in professionalizing our current research on biodiversity in our reserve. Together with the visiting students we will focus on scientific research in which the diversity and development of nature in our reserve, with an emphasis on flora, is central.