With the theme of this year’s Earth Day being ‘Restore Our Earth’, we wanted to celebrate the positive impact our participants have on the environment in Costa Rica!
With nearly 30% the country protected as a national park, wildlife refuge, or private reserve and numerous conservation policies and programs, Costa Rica is at the forefront of environmental sustainability. Most recently, the country became one of the 10 leaders in a global initiative launched by the United Nations to combat marine litter and clean the oceans.
Costa Rica has an abundance of opportunities for OBCR participants to give back to nature. Our students spend over 2,918 hours volunteering through service projects each year. While creating positive change on a local level, these service projects also help participants evaluate their impact on the environment and gain a greater respect for the natural world.
Each one of our programs feed into the Sustainable Development Goals that the United Nations and the world are working towards, including:
Goal 14: Life Below Water – “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources.”
On average, we run 12 scuba diving programs a year and a large part of this is about learning about tropical coral reefs, marine life, the role they play in maintaining the oceans, and protecting these habitats. Each of our participants learns a lot about life below water.
OBCR has also been working with sea turtle conservation and education projects for over ten years. Volunteers take part in night patrols to protect sea turtles as they lay their eggs, record important data, take part in beach clean-ups to clear the way for sea turtles, and, if we’re lucky, help release baby sea turtles too!
Goal 15: Life On Land – “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.”
OBCR is located within 12 acres of a 1600-acre rainforest reserve where volunteers learn about river and water system ecology, the importance of preserving rivers and streams, and reducing single-use plastic. Our participants give back to the natural environment and the local community by maintaining many of the trails and reforesting the reserve with native tree species.
We also partner with two local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centers. Volunteers learn about the animals, look after them and support the center as needed. The main objective is to provide needed care for the sick or injured animals so they can be released into the wild.
As Earth Day celebrations take place around the world on April 22nd, we encourage readers to take part in events near you or online. If you are interested in participating in one of our service projects in Costa Rica, take a look at our programs for 2021!