Costa Rica rural community support fund

Dear friends, donors, and partners,

As we come to the close of 2025, we would like to sincerely thank you for walking alongside Corcovado Foundation. Thanks to your support, this year we strengthened biodiversity conservation, environmental education, and sustainable livelihoods in Costa Rica’s South Pacific, always working hand in hand with local communities.

The year 2025 was marked by consistent fieldwork, strong partnerships, and shared learning. Below is a summary of the key achievements we accomplished together.

Environmental Education and Community Empowerment

• 126 environmental education activities with community groups, benefiting more than 250 children.
• Implementation of the Forging Wildlife Guardians program in 11 schools, reaching approximately 200 students.
• 3 learning field trips with participating children, fostering direct contact with nature and the development of early environmental awareness.
• Creation and care of 2 school gardens, integrating environmental education, healthy food practices, and teamwork.
• Awareness-raising on illegal wildlife possession, the Wildlife Conservation Law, responsible human–wildlife interactions, and waste management.
• Presentation of the theatrical play “Nico the Parakeet”, created and performed by children as a tool for education and conservation through art.
• 4 agroecological markets and 10 exchanges among producers, strengthening the local economy, collaborative work, and women’s leadership.

Conservation and Restoration

• Protection of sea turtles in Punta Mala and Palo Seco.
• 16 beach cleanups, removing 2,583 kg of waste, including 1,600 kg of plastic.
• Night monitoring, nest relocation, and hatchling releases.
• 500 trees planted (343 native and 157 fruit trees) with 27 families in five communities in the Drake area, contributing to ecosystem restoration and climate resilience.

Sustainable Production and Livelihoods

• Implementation of the Regenerative Livestock Program with 9 small-scale producers in the Osa Peninsula.
• Development and updating of holistic grazing plans, stocking rate analysis, and individualized technical support.
• Functional Nutrition and Genetics Workshop, promoting livestock adapted to tropical conditions and the use of local inputs.
• Donation of materials, equipment, and supplies for the direct implementation of regenerative designs on farms.
• Progress in reducing agrochemical use and strengthening productive autonomy.

Each of these achievements reflects the power of collective action among communities, partners, and individuals committed to conservation.

Thank you for making this possible. We move forward with the conviction that protecting nature also means building a more just and sustainable future.

With gratitude,

Francisco Delgado

Executive Director

Corcovado Foundation

Over the past months, the Community Support Fund has continued to empower and connect the communities of Bahía Drake through initiatives focused on identity, well-being, entrepreneurship, and environmental care.

The group “Founders of Drake”, which brings together participants from Los Ángeles, Ganadito, and Progreso, has carried out three activities where older adults share stories, paint, create crafts, and celebrate their cultural heritage. Four of the participants are among the original founders of Drake, giving the group a special historical significance. They also received a talk from the regional director of CONAPAM (National Council for Older Adults) on the prevention of mistreatment. The sessions, attended by around fifteen people each, were supported by three coordinators and donations from local businesses that provided refreshments and small prizes.

In the initiative “Weaving Dreams”, UNED held two community meetings to introduce the Emprendex program, which is currently training twenty-five local entrepreneurs in areas such as accounting, marketing, and sustainability. The eight-month course is taught weekly at the Progreso School, with Fundación Corcovado supporting by providing lodging for the instructor. In addition, coordination has begun for the restoration of the five stone spheres located in Progreso. A virtual meeting with a conservator from the Department of Cultural Heritage set the groundwork for the National Museum’s upcoming visit in February to clean the spheres and install protective roofing and drainage where needed.

The program also supported a spay-and-neuter campaign in Los Planes, where thirty-one pets were sterilized over two days, contributing to animal welfare and responsible population management. In collaboration with the ADI of Drake, progress was made on community signage: twenty signs were installed in Agujitas, while additional signs provided by CNE are being distributed among local communities. In total, seventy-two signs will soon be in place along the coastal area as part of the Tsunami Ready program.

Finally, a beach cleanup at Playa Ganado brought together twenty local volunteers who collected around forty-five bags of waste, helping protect a key natural area and strengthening community engagement in environmental stewardship.

The Community Support Fund continues to demonstrate how collective action, cultural pride, and local leadership can create lasting, positive change for the people of Bahía Drake.