Corcovado National Park Rescue Project!

Costa Rica’s territory covers approximately 51,000 square kilometers and more than 25% of this land is either a national park or a protected area. Costa Rica has 161 parks and refuges.  You might have heard of some of our famous protected areas, such as Corcovado and Manuel Antonio National Parks.  Although, our tourism visitors love Costa Rica’s biodiversity only a few of the protected area are the focus of their interest.  The funding received by the few visited national parks is distributed to pay for the operation of all of those which don’t receive any tourism.   Therefore, regardless of their biological importance and their beauty, Corcovado and Manuel Antonio National Parks and others in the country are in shambles, working with a 10% of the operational budget that they require and trying to face the enormous pressure of oh so many human threats.

Amid this struggle, we find our park rangers, living in isolated areas, under very poor conditions and facing very real threats. However challenging their situation, these true heroes of the forest are doing a huge effort to protect the natural heritage of Costa Rica and the world.  

Some months ago, we were contacted by Corcovado’s administrator to ask us for help.  We say we were born for Corcovado, and we live for Costa Rica. Therefore, our heart always floats back to Corcovado.  Working with very limited funding, this national park faces all the possible threats:  illegal hunting, fishing and logging, overdeveloping, goldmining and even drug trafficking, are some of their issues.  

As part of our efforts we are starting a campaign to solve some of their needs, improve their communication and power system, buy equipment and hopefully at some point hire more personnel.   This video is a first effort to create awareness about their amazing efforts.  It features the conditions and circumstances under which these everyday heroes of the forest operate.  These park rangers will touch your heart with their commitment and their motivation to protect Corcovado, the crown jewel of the national park system of Costa Rica.  I hope that you didn’t miss your Spanish class in highschool, if you did, a subtitled version will be uploaded very shortly too.  Stay tuned. 

Thank you for your support,

Links:

• Heroes of the forest