Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary works to foster conservation efforts in Costa Rica to protect the natural environment for generations to come. They do this through 24/7 operation and the provision of high-quality emergency treatment to wildlife in need through rescue, rehabilitation, and release. They seek to release all animals back into the wild upon recovery, but in the cases where that is not possible, they are able to provide shelter for animals for the rest of their lives through donations and volunteer work. They also serve to educate the public on wildlife rehabilitation and species protection by offering daily tours of the facilities and on-site educational sessions with schools, universities, and corporations.
**Communities, Conservation, Education, Youth
Association Community Carbon Trees (ACCT)
Association Community Carbon Trees (ACCT) is a non-profit association that believes regenerative reforestation with fair pay is key to supporting all life systems. They support this by working to reforest old cattle farms owned by Costa Rican citizens that border fragmented pieces of rainforest; this allows for the farmers to reap the maximum amount of environmental and agricultural benefits. The economic challenges faced by the farmers are addressed by paying them for seed collecting and production of saplings which ACCT buys, paying them for planting and required maintenance of the trees 4 times a year for 4 years. The families are then advised on sustainably managing their growing forest. ACCT allows them to keep proceeds and fruits from trees which need to be thinned as part of the forest management. Communities learnt the value of leaving the last rare tree standing as it gives them seeds to produce baby trees which generate better long term income year after year rather than illegally cutting down the last tree.
**Agriculture, Communities, Conservation
Caminos de Osa
The Caminos de Osa organization was established in 2015 to manage the Camino de Osa region in Costa Rica, one of the crown jewels of the entire country. Their mission is to establish and promote a value chain of local entrepreneurs with a collective vision of sustainable development through sustainable tourism. Caminos de Osa partners with local micro-businesses that are able to share their cultural heritage and offer a variety of tourist services. Caminos de Osa is based on a fundamental premise that conservation is not viable if local people can’t make a living without compromising the land and species in need of conservation.
**Conservation, Tourism, Rural Business, Individuals and Communities
COECOCEIBA - Friends of the Earth, Costa Rica
COECOCEIBA (Friends of the Earth Costa Rica) is an non-profit, non-governmental organization focused on environmental justice and was founded in 1999 in Costa Rica through the collaboration of local students and community leaders. Their goal was and is to further environmental management and protection via intersectional efforts in education, campaigning, etc. They seek to aid in relevant social justice movements and collectively transform the existing national system to pursue active change in environmental areas such as climate change, protection of biodiversity, and more. Through their work, they stress the need to engage in critical analysis of proposed environmental solutions on local, national, and international scales.
**Individuals, Climate Change, Communities, Conservation, Public Participation
Fundación Corcovado
Fundación Corcovado was founded in 1992 to help efforts related to the protection of Corcovado National Park and other areas needing attention in Costa Rica. It is now composed of local activists who strive in their work in conservation for the foundation to protect Costa Rica’s natural gifts for generations to come. Their primary efforts involve using education to bring others to the conservation movement and promote sustainable development through community empowerment, regenerative agriculture, and tourism. Additionally, they have championed sea turtle conservation and nest protection with the help of local biologists and volunteers, and they have recently begun working on ecosystem restoration and reforestation.
**Communities, Conservation, Food Security
Kids Saving The Rainforest
Kids Saving the Rainforest is a non-profit organization that began in 1999 by two nine-year old girls who wished to educate the public on the importance of the preservation and conservation of the rainforests. They wish to spread awareness on the critical importance of the rainforest and the resources that they provide. In addition, they set up programs in order to protect the precious wildlife that resides within the rainforests; including a rescue & release center, a sanctuary for unreleasable animals with educational tours, volunteer program, reforestation projects and wildlife bridges. Mission Statement: The Mission of Kids Saving the Rainforest is to protect the diverse wildlife of Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast by rehabilitating wildlife, conducting original scientific research, training volunteers, and promoting conservation and reforestation.
**Individuals, Communities, Tourism, Conservation
La Ruta del Clima
La Ruta del Clima is a Costa Rican organization that seeks to empower the public to participate in the governance of climate change and sustainable development. At local and regional levels, they empower the public to participate in advocacy awareness campaigns and capacity building, At international levels, they advocate, report, provide input, and observe the international climate negotiations from a Latin American perspective.
**Climate Change, Human Rights, Governance, Public Participation
Wildlife Conservation Association (WCA)
The Wildlife Conservation Association (WCA) started in 2006 as the former organization TortuGuiones, which focused solely on sea turtle conservation. In 2018, TortuGuiones grew into WCA, which now stands to protect all species of wildlife in Costa Rica. Their main goal is to encourage sustainable development and living, even on a personal scale, through research, community engagement, and environmental education. They have developed their own sustainability model to demonstrate to the public how to lead the movement by example. They seek to create the Ostional Nosara Sustainability Campus in the near future, in collaboration with the Nosara Civic Association and the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. This campus will allow for the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge and the surrounding populated area to grow together and thrive in harmony, both economically and environmentally.
**Conservation, Individuals, Governance, Public Participation
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