Environmental Education, Science and Research, Volunteers and Visitors / 01.10.2020

Blog by: Mark Laidre, Dartmouth College professor and principal investigator of the Laidre Lab It’s fun to discover new things about nature. That’s why scientists like doing science. And when it comes to the science of animal behavior, I like to think of Osa as a sort of ‘magic well’. My students and I have conducted animal behavior research around the world, with much of our research focusing in Osa, where we’ve spent many years studying ‘social hermit crabs’. At the Animal Behavior Society’s conference in Chicago in 2019...

Science and Research / 02.07.2020

Blog by: Arriana Basto, Wildlife Conservation Technician, Osa Conservation.  Arriving in Costa Rica to work on the largest camera trap monitoring effort in Central America was a new, much bigger challenge than I am used to. I was excited for the experience ahead. I have worked as a tropical wildlife biologist in my home country Peru for a couple of years now, and my camera trapping experience only existed on small-scale projects at a single study location. Here in Costa Rica, over 200 camera traps were planned to be deployed...

Science and Research / 02.05.2020

Blog by: Ing. Leonardo Álvarez, Associated botanist researcher, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica Since I was a young boy, I have felt a great fascination toward natural life. I was eager to learn about everything that composes and occurs in its systems. Every time I had the chance, I asked my parents to go out to a National Park, and I would rather celebrate my birthday – or any important date – outside instead of at a party or in the city. Also, for me it was more fun...

Aquatic Health, Marine Conservation / 05.03.2020

Blog by: Jorge De la O, student at Leadership Field Course  The tropical rainforest of the Osa Peninsula exhales mists of steam as the sun rises and this time was no exception. The condensation of water vapor could be observed on the plants early in the morning when we were heading to Golfo Dulce, a hilarious and spectacular place. The sea seems pure crystal and allows us to observe the secrets of the seabed formed by coral structures that have been built by nature over the centuries. Being able...

Land Conservation and Forest Restoration, Science and Research / 15.01.2020

Blog by: Tara Jeffery, Botanic Program Research Field Assistant.  My main area of work is focusing on the production of trees for the arboretum and rewilding and restoration projects, which requires my team to venture into the forests to collect seeds from a range of tree species. To create a diverse collection of plants, it is important to use plants from different areas to fight against possible pest and disease problems. For this we have been across the Osa peninsula collecting ripe species. It can be difficult to predict...

Science and Research / 05.12.2019

Blog By Marvin Lopez, Botanicss Asisstant.   Little more than 10 years ago Conservation Osa started and I have been part of the changes that have happened since then. During all this time the organization has been growing little by little gaining experience as the different projects progressed. Today, we are taking new directions with new projects and one of these is the creation of an Arboretum. For this, new staff have arrived with great enthusiasm for the plants putting great effort and dedication to achieve this goal. Recently we received...

Science and Research / 20.11.2019

Blog By Eleanor Flatt, Wildlife Monitoring Program Coordinator, Osa Conservation   Tropical forests worldwide are in catastrophic danger due to a magnitude of threats. The Osa has seen a 10.4% increase in secondary forest cover since 1987 but some challenges remain, such as illegal selective logging of rare hardwood-timber species and hunting of forest mammals. Selective interior logging is difficult to detect and monitor using imagery from aerial satellites, by the time the information has been relayed back to the rangers the wood has been loaded on to the...

Science and Research / 23.10.2019

Blogpost by Reyna Schedler, Intern for the Healthy Rivers Program, Wesleyan University It’s always hard to leave a home and leaving Osa Conservation was no exception. Though I lived there for only two months (a relatively short time in the grand scheme of things), I built a family among Osa’s team and became deeply attached to the dense jungle and expansive beaches that make up the peninsula. [caption id="attachment_18314" align="aligncenter" width="532"] The little cabin Reyna lived on the farm at Piro. Photo: Reyna Schedler.[/caption] At Osa I learned that love looks...

Science and Research, Sustainable agriculture / 15.10.2019

Blogpost By Ali Ruxin Research Field Assistant.  Agriculture and conservation are often at odds; at Osa Conservation we’re trying to change that. Through agroecology, we consider the entire ecosystem of our surroundings to produce food in ways that are sustainable for the environment, consumer, and producer. In practice, this means techniques like harvesting corn and then cutting and shredding the stalks to use as mulch on a bed of cherry tomatoes. It means creating bio-insecticides from chilies, papaya leaves, ginger, lemongrass, and gavilana found around the farm to control...

Science and Research / 10.10.2019

Blog by Marina Garrido, herpetology program coordinator Two years and half ago I was just starting my adventures at Osa Conservation. I started like almost everyone does, as a Research Field Assistant on the Sea Turtle Program. 5 months working alongside Manuel Sánchez, were enough to fall in love with the Osa and discover part of its secrets thanks to him. The Golfo Dulce Poison Frog was one of them. After that, I joined the Restoration Program. I began monitoring tree growth and amphibian populations on restoration areas. Every morning...