The year will be coming to a close soon, and Cloudbridge has been wrapping up another great year in style! Though much of Costa Rica and Central America received a large amount of rain over the course of the month due to the effects of … we are grateful that our region was largely spared of ill effects. In fact, we were still able to participate in the CONUBI program end of year camp, which for the first time this year was not held at Cloudbridge, but rather at Villa Mills, on the Cerro de la Muerte,. As always, the activity was a complete success, with very motivated children and parents : )
The elevation of Villa Mills is near 3000 meters above sea level, which makes it one of the highest elevation villages in Costa Rica. The installations that were provided by the National Conservation System (SINAC), were quite comfortable, though it was cold outside!
Another activity that we took part in this month was a trash pick-up and environmental education campaign that was organized by the environmental commission of the local chamber of tourism. These images are from a school visit that was made to the school in Guadalupe de Rivas, which is of course within the area of influence of Chirripó National Park, but does not have that proximity to the park as such a strong part of the community identity.
Program participants
Hey I’m Louis, 22 years old and studying tropical forestry management. For my study I am following an internship abroad. With the aid of my professor I’ve found a spot at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve. As a research subject I have chosen to research butterflies, this is due to the importance of butterflies for the whole ecosystem. They are important pollinators, indicator species, prey for predators and they are very very pretty!
I have been staying at Cloudbridge for over 3 months now and so far it is a great experience. I’ve met a lot of different and interesting people while staying here. Furthermore did I learn a lot more about conducting a research project.
I am staying here for 2 more months and I am very curious and excited what will happen in that time!
Hi! My name is Jana, and I’m from Slovakia. I joined the Cloudbridge volunteer program for five weeks to support research at the reserve. With a background in life sciences research, I wanted to combine my research experience with my passion for the outdoors to contribute to conservation and reforestation efforts. I’m excited to gain hands-on experience in environmental fieldwork and to explore the science, wildlife, and trails of the Cloudbridge Reserve.
Pics from around the reserve
Suggested reading
- The amount of information that is currently available about virtually any topic can be overwhelming, and a topic as complex as the climate crisis is no exception. This article presents many of the trends of the previous years in the form of graphs and other visual tools.
- It is important to remember that the climate crisis is inextricably entwined with the biodiversity crisis, which is why designating November 30th as the day of the remembrance of lost species holds a special meaning and can help people understand the scale of this loss.
- The conservation area that we are part of, ACLA-P (Area de Conservación La Amistad-Pacífico), has recently announced the results of a comprehensive process through which a climate adaptation and mitigation plan has been proposed for the Protected Wildlife Areas of the region. We hope that this might help fortify the resilience of the unique ecosystems that are protected in the Talamanca mountains.