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 to get in touch. After all, I was far from finished in Costa Rica and I was immediately excited when I saw what Adopt Rainforest was all about. After great conversations with the founders Matthijs and Maarten in real life and via video call, I traveled to the reserve in Costa Rica in June.
The reforestation project
The foundation is engaged in a beautiful and important reforestation projectt. Planting trees on former agricultural land will reconnect the reserve and Barbilla National Park. This is essential for the animals so that they have a safe habitat which is large enough. There are also many surveys done by students, other nature projects and the daily operations of the reserve. The foundation was short-handed, so they could really use my help there. The project was a half-hour drive through the hills in a beautiful spot overlooking the surrounding area and the reserve. You could see the coast, Barbilla National Park and a volcano from the highest point. Between work I liked to come here to enjoy the beautiful surroundings for a while
San Miguel
Co-founder Maarten lives with his wife, Hanneke, and his two children, Abel and Lucas, near the reserve in a finca near the village of San Miguel. A village among hills, rainforest, pastures with cattle and vast banana fields. IstayedinacottageclosetoMaartenandhisfamily.In the first weeks, I walked with the students who were completing their research. I went to the reserve and participated in chores and activities. For example, every Wednesday we all walked through the village picking up trash and Thursday was gardening day at the finca: clearing paths, taking care of the permaculture garden and other small jobs. Meanwhile, I was inducted into the reforestation project and was pretty much the jack-of-all-trades. It was a great time and I met a lot of nice new people.
Maarten, Hanneke and the children
After a month, the students and volunteers left one by one. It was quiet at the reserve and then it suddenly became very close. We had agreed that I would ‘babysit’ the reserve for 3 weeks and keep an eye on the ongoing projects. All this so that Maarten, Hanneke and the children could ‘finally’ go on a real vacation. And how happy I was! They are such nice people doing such incredibly important work. They put their heart and soul into giving students an unforgettable experience. At the same time, they provide accommodation, food and regularly organize fun excursions to get to know the environment and local biodiversity. And oh yes, the many activities and projects around the foundation also keep half the village working. In addition, I just got along well with them. I like to think back to going out early with Maarten for birding, to the reserve with Hanneke and the fun times in one of the village pubs, which is a little store with an attached terrace.
All alone?
I dropped Maarten, Hanneke and the kids off in the nearest town to take the bus to San Jose to start their vacation. And then suddenly I was all alone. It only felt that way for a moment, because in Maarten and Hanneke’s house the foundation’s guide and handyman Gerald lived temporarily. We ate together regularly, we went to the reserve, we went shopping together in the nearest town, and the two of us picked up odd jobs when, for example, a storm knocked out the power again. We became friends. I was also immediately invited to his mother’s house and later to his sister’s house for dinner. This warmth quickly made me feel at home and not at all alone. I got to know the others from the village. All of them were nice people. And I had company from the three dogs on the finca. Meanwhile, the reforestation project continued and I got to know Hurben, the Costa Rican project leader of the reforestation project. We helped each other with the ins and outs of the reforestation project and could talk about anything. About Costa Rica, about the Netherlands and especially about nature. After all, he is also an avid birder and knows a lot about local biodiversity. Something I was already very interested in, but through Costa Rica this has grown into a passion!
Biodiversity
Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse places on earth, and I noticed that once again at the reserve. I woke up to howler monkeys, I saw a sloth a few times a week and was surrounded by the most beautiful birds: toucans, parrots, hummingbirds, motmots, kingfishers, trogons, manakins, woodpeckers and many species of birds of prey. I also saw on game cameras in the reserve many species of mammals; raccoons, rodents, ocelots, coyotes, armadillos and many more. And then there were the many species of frogs, snakes and insects. In short, a true biodiversity paradise!
Closure and beautiful memories
After 3 weeks I picked up Maarten, Hanneke and the kids from the same bus station again. We still had 3 weeks before new students arrived so we had some time to do some fun things together. With the absolute best being a boat excursion down the Pacuare River to the coast. We were on a boat with two fellow volunteers, my girlfriend (who had also been at the reserve for a few days in the meantime), the local captain and Maarten, as the best guide you can have. Even before sunrise, we sailed along a small river among monkeys, birds and reptiles. We hardly encountered anyone, lovely! After 2.5 months it was time to say goodbye to everyone. A sad moment, but fortunately I had a beautiful prospect. I was going to travel through Costa Rica with my girlfriend for another month. Now that I am back in the Netherlands I realize what a great time I had. What a beautiful country Costa Rica is and what a great thing Maarten, Hanneke and the foundation have built up there! Deep respect and admiration!
Volunteer in the Netherlands
Ivan is also active in the Netherlands for the Adopt Rainforest Foundation. Here he volunteers for the elementary school project the Children’s Rainforest.
Would you also like to become a volunteer for the Foundation Adopt Rainforest? Thengetintouchwithus!
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!
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…)
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 […]
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 […]
Despite the fact that there are no students because of the Corona crisis, the research continues (partly).
In the Netherlands, some students are busy analysing data, but also in Costa Rica inventories are still being made. Accompanied by guide Tapa, Hanneke and Maarten walk the transects in different habitats.
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.
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…)
Did you know… in the wet months the frogs in Costa Rica show themselves more often? They are less prone to drying out because of the wetness and are singing because many species lay their eggs in the rainy season. Earlier we talked about the glass frogs, but there are many more frogs to be seen in this period. (more…)
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.
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.
Did you know that 5% of all species of flora and fauna in the world live and grow in Costa Rica? Also, Costa Rica is in the global top 20 countries with the greatest biodiversity! Are you a real nature lover? Then put Costa Rica on your bucket list. But… before you pull your backpack and passport out of the closet, we want to give you a lesson about biodiversity. Maybe you have what it is, but to refresh your memory we’ll explain it to you in this blog. (more…)
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…)
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.
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.
Is it possible to restore the original rainforest in a deforested area where cows have been grazing for years? In Costa Rica at least they accept the challenge. This article tells in short how a Dutch foundation in Costa Rica is trying to transform degraded land back into a fully fledged rainforest. (more…)
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…)
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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.
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…)
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…)
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.
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 reforestation project
I dropped Maarten, Hanneke and the kids off in the nearest town to take the bus to San Jose to start their vacation. And then suddenly I was all alone. It only felt that way for a moment, because in Maarten and Hanneke’s house the foundation’s guide and handyman Gerald lived temporarily. We ate together regularly, we went to the reserve, we went shopping together in the nearest town, and the two of us picked up odd jobs when, for example, a storm knocked out the power again. We became friends. I was also immediately invited to his mother’s house and later to his sister’s house for dinner. This warmth quickly made me feel at home and not at all alone. I got to know the others from the village. All of them were nice people. And I had company from the three dogs on the finca. Meanwhile, the reforestation project continued and I got to know Hurben, the Costa Rican project leader of the reforestation project. We helped each other with the ins and outs of the reforestation project and could talk about anything. About Costa Rica, about the Netherlands and especially about nature. After all, he is also an avid birder and knows a lot about local biodiversity. Something I was already very interested in, but through Costa Rica this has grown into a passion!
Volunteer in the Netherlands
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.