Costa Rica Reforestation Initiative Takes Root in Tamarindo

The Clean Wave Foundation, the Association of Education and Commitment to Integral Social Development (ECODESI), and the Association for Integral Development of Villarreal are developing an environmental initiative to promote reforestation in key areas such as the environment of Las Baulas National Marine Park.

Specifically, the reforestation plan is taking place in Villarreal de Santa Cruz, at Playa Tamarindo. The plant nursery, named Vivero Bosque Azul, hosts species such as guapinol, leucaena, cocobolo, mamón criollo, espabel, oak, aceituno, cenízaro, mahogany, guanacaste, cedar, chestnut, and malinche.

According to Andres Bermudez, President of The Clean Wave Foundation, the nursery currently has 1,500 trees that will be planted in areas such as Las Baulas National Marine Park in the coming months.

“This is a project that has been established for some time, but the property was completely abandoned. Last year, the Foundation resumed its operations, even installing solar energy panels to illuminate the trails,” pointed out Bermudez.

According to the report on the results of the Foundation’s work during the past year, three reforestation days were conducted in Playa Langosta and in an alameda in downtown Tamarindo.

“This initiative also involves an educational component. We have all the necessary facilities for it, such as tables and other didactic resources. There is even a river that flows 365 days a year. Currently, we have about 2,000 seeds germinating to transplant the trees when they reach a suitable size,” added Bermudez.

The initiative has received visits from students from abroad, as well as from national institutions such as the Asociación Cultura, Educación y Psicología para la Infancia y la Adolescencia (CEPIA) and the Ocean Light Learning Institute (OLLI), an educational center located in the community of Huacas.

“It is very important to begin educating the new generations about these types of issues because in the future, we will have citizens who are more aware of the importance of trees for the environment,” added the President of The Clean Wave.

In addition to the nursery, last year, this organization, in collaboration with the local government of Santa Cruz, carried out a plan that resulted in the removal of 2.2 tons of waste such as plastic caps, cigarette butts, bottles, and other types of pollutants from Tamarindo.