Though it´s the height of the rainy season, this month has also been busy for us. We have a great team of program participants, and we hosted two educational activities: a GIS specialty course and a community bat night to celebrate Bat Appreciation Month. In addition, we concluded implementing all 8 modules of the CONUBI environmental education program in two schools, Herradura and Linda Vista.
Given the importance of climate change in understanding the environment, this was a topic that would be alluded to in each educational module of the CONUBI program. After two years of implementation, it became apparent that we needed to dedicate an entire module to this important topic, and this month our environmental educator Marylin Rodríguez applied the module in two local schools, concluding a full program in these schools. In the coming month, a few lucky participants from the CONUBI program will have the opportunity to participate in a closing event at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve.
Another fun educational excursion which took place this month was a visit to the agroecological farm of Cloudbridge´s director, where our program participants were able to see the piglets and pick coffee, in addition to corroborating for themselves the ecological and social benefits of these sorts of farms.
Program Participants
Hola, my name is Paula and I am a nature conservation and land-use planning student from Germany. I am a research intern at Cloudbridge for four months. My research is concerned with the herpetofauna in the reserve and various factors such as how abundance changes with elevation and weather conditions. In view of climate change, these factors are becoming increasingly relevant and can therefore also benefit the reserve to prepare for upcoming changes. I love being at Cloudbridge with all the lovely people and amazing nature. I am very grateful to see the natural beauty of Costa Rica every day here in the cloud forests. I also enjoy the activities here such as night hikes, bird watching, field trips and communal cooking evenings during the week.
Hello, my name is Ella. I am a Volunteer from Germany and I am staying from the beginning of October until the end of November in the Cloudbridge Reserve. During the day I join the researchers during their hikes, for example to check the camera-traps or to look for birds and reptiles. In the afternoon I have much time to follow my own interests and doing sport or cooking a meal. At the night hikes the Rainforest shows itself from another perspective and it is a great opportunity to see different animals than in the day-time.
Pics from around the reserve
Suggested Reading
- At Cloudbridge we have long advocated for a form of conservation that prioritizes the complex ecosystemic functions of a biodiverse forest. This article points out the detriments of the prioritization of carbon capture over all else in the fight against climate change.
- Vandana Shiva has long been a proponent of «Earth democracy», and it is always a pleasure to hear her speak. In this podcast, she speaks with Mirian Vilela of the Earth Charter about Ecological Civilizations and how we can respect life in all its forms.
- Though change is an integral part of existence on this planet, and even such sedentary beings as trees have migrated over time, the current rate of change is overwhelming many trees ability to keep pace. This lovely media piece explores the changes that are already happening and the impacts both on nature and humans.