October has been a busy month for us here at Cloudbridge, with a 4-day tree course taking place on the reserve, in addition to receiving various student groups, and continuing to host an excellent group of researchers.
On October 17-20, we hosted a Tropical Dendrology course with renowned botanist Nelson Zamora. This course was a great success, with excellent participation from people from around Costa Rica. As part of the course, participants conducted a comprehensive survey of a 20 x 50 meter plot of old-growth forest, which of course will be a valuable resource for future research.
Program participants
Hello, I’m Sereniti, a research intern at cloudbridge from the U.S, my stay here lasts from September 2024 to December. I am currently researching the affects of a EID here infecting the oaks here at cloudbridge. Originally I was going to college for criminology but I felt as if that was not the right path for me, even though I did very much enjoy the course, I decided to take a gap year to rediscover myself and my interests. I’ve always been passionate about animals and conservation so I decided to look Into educational programs that would let me be flexible in discovering my interests and assist in developing my resume. I found GVI through a family friend and decided to join the apprenticeship program which allowed me to be an intern at kekoldi indigenous reserve for 3 months and a research intern at cloudbridge for 3 months. I have learned so many new things about flora and fauna, the culture of Costa Rica, and the importance of the biodiversity that resides here. cloudbridge has been amazing so far, with absolutely beautiful views, birds, and mammals. one of my favorite things to hear and see here is the lessons Mot Mot, that visits outside my door room at least once a week.
Hey hey, it’s Coen from the Netherlands. I’ll be here in Cloudbridge for 5 months to study soil erosion on trail paths. Soil is one of the most important things because it is the bases of most lifecycles here at Cloudbridge. Using simple yet effective methods like using a stick to measure the total soil runoff, I’ll research not only the effects of soil erosion but also the effects. Cloudbridge itself has been a wonderful experience for me, not only is the location one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen, but the people here are all so nice and helpful.
Hello everyone, I’m Svennie, a 25-year-old research intern at Cloudbridge, studying carbon sequestration in different forest types. I chose this project because I believe that addressing climate change requires a strong focus on enhancing carbon sinks and promoting effective sequestration strategies. Reforestation, in particular, stands out as one of the most impactful natural climate solutions due to its significant potential for carbon storage. As a final-year bachelor’s student, I’m excited to be at Cloudbridge, a very successful reforestation reserve, where I can deepen my knowledge of ecological fieldwork and better understand the crucial role trees play in storing carbon.
My names Ben, I’m from the U.K. and I’ve been researching in Costa Rica since 2019. I’ve been visiting Cloudbridge since 2021 and I’m currently working on my project “The Wild Cat Imaging Project” using traditional and professional camera traps here at Cloudbridge.
Hi I am Jesse, I am 19 years old and I live in the Netherlands. Since I was young I was very passionate about animals and other parts of biology, so I started studying biology at the HAS green academy back in my country. Since I was a little kid it was my dream to visit Costa Rica and found a way to combine my studies back and this trip. I am currently doing research about herpetofauna and the distribution of herps between the different types of forest. I am also looking at indicators surrounding herpetofauna that indicate a healthy environment and forest.
Pics from around the reserve
Suggested Reading
- COP 16, the international summit on Biodiversity, took place this month in Cali, Colombia. Though more people are coming to understand the urgency of the biodiversity crisis, unfortunately the negotiations failed to commit funding to this key issue.
- Though the biodiversity crisis is deeply linked with the climate crisis and equally important, many times biodiversity is not considered when making land management decisions. This article describes a compelling example of how important it is to consider the complexity of ecosystems when making management decisions.
- We are happy to announce that the local chamber of tourism has now launched the digital platform www.valledelchirripo.com, to further promote businesses around Chirripo National Park.