Blog by: Rodrigo de Sousa, Ridge to Reef Restoration Network Implementation Manager As most of us are aware of, fragmentation of tropical forests is one of the biggest threats to the amazing biodiversity that exists in the tropics, and unfortunately, despite its good environmental policies and strategies, Costa Rica does not escape from this global trend. [caption id="attachment_18687" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Past and Predicted Land Use Trends in Southwest Costa Rica. Map by: NASA DEVELOP[/caption] Land use changes, especially those aimed at either stablishing pasture for beef production or stablishing monocrop plantations...

Blog by Javier Rodríguez-González, Mangrove Restoration Project Coordinator Globally, mangrove ecosystems are being destroyed 3-5 times faster than terrestrial forests. The main threat is a change in land use caused by aquaculture, agriculture and over exploitation of resources; another threat is climate change, which results in rising sea levels and an increased impact from storms. [caption id="attachment_18644" align="aligncenter" width="348"] Aerial image of the HNTS showing fragmented areas of the ecosystem due to the fern (Acrostichium aureum). Photo by: Batsú Estudio.[/caption] The South Pacific of Costa Rica is home to the largest...

Blog by María José Álvarez, student at the Tropical Ecology & Conservation Leadership Course When I started the Tropical Ecology and Conservation Leadership course, I was excited to learn and share knowledge with conservation experts. Thanks to the teachers, I learned about strategies to investigate how the distribution of species changes according to their ecosystem through on-site techniques such as the use of trap cameras and remotely as with the use of aerial drones. In addition, I learned invaluable lessons on how to disseminate science to many different groups...

Blog by Eblim Pereyra  I am going to tell you how my adventure for Osa began. When I saw an announcement that there was a course that would give me the opportunity to spend 8 weeks in the Osa Peninsula, I didn't hesitate and send the request, because let's face it, who wouldn't want to spend 8 weeks in Osa? A notification that I had been accepted in the course and now if the dream was real, I were going to spend 8 weeks in Osa. The biggest adventure I...

Reflections by field course students. Compiled by Hilary Brumberg, field course manager. We recently kicked off our second annual Tropical Ecology & Conservation Leadership Field Course at Osa Conservation. During this 8 week intensive field course, we provide hands-on experience and training for the next generation of conservation leaders. The course brings together an impressive international group of young scientist from Costa Rica and abroad to experience our living laboratory, the Osa Verde BioStation, and to learn real-life skills for successful careers in conservation and research in a hands-on...

Blog by: María José Mata Quirós, Restoration and Rewilding Field Staff Ecological restoration is a relatively recent issue, which came to change the way we think about returning ecosystems altered by humans to the way we know as original or natural. It consists of taking a step beyond reforestation; it is about making a true evaluation of the characteristics to be established, and carry out finely planned projects. It is important to make sure that native species’ forests are generated, and to manage the efforts so that the pre-existing...

Blogpost by Marco Hidalgo-Chaverri, Coordinator of the Ecosystem Resilience and Community Outreach Program Citizen science is the participation of the general public in scientific research activities. Citizens contribute actively, either through active monitoring or with local knowledge of their environment. This different way of doing science contributes to scientific knowledge through the participation of volunteer and trained citizens who are not usually specialists in the subject to be investigated and who contribute to help solve questions raised in scientific studies. Community Biological Monitoring Group of Rancho Quemado, training with the...