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With support from the Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica project, a regional initiative for climate, biodiversity and people funded by the European Union, community organizations and local partners promoted forest restoration actions, community nurseries, monitoring patrols and the strengthening of productive systems such as cacao and the management of native seeds in La Amistad.
A forest that still stands
The La Amistad forest is part of one of the most extensive and diverse natural systems in Mesoamerica. At the center of this landscape lies La Amistad International Park (PILA), a binational protected area covering around 400,000 hectares between Costa Rica and Panama.
In the territories surrounding the park live rural and Indigenous communities that maintain a direct relationship with the forest. Among them are Boruca and Térraba in the south of the country, as well as Salitre, Cabagra and Ujarrás, in addition to the Bribri territory of Talamanca and Bribri and Cabécar territories linked to the Indigenous Network (RIBCA).
The regional Human Footprint analysis coordinated by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) confirms that La Amistad remains one of the best-preserved forest systems in the region. At the beginning of the 2000s, areas with low human influence covered around 22,000 km², and by 2020 they were estimated at just over 20,000 km², a reduction of about 9% over two decades. Although this change is smaller than in other large forests in Mesoamerica, the analysis shows that the landscape is now organized into two main large blocks, reflecting the gradual advance of human influence along its edges.
Even so, the study indicates that pressure continues to grow in forest frontier areas. In regional land-use change analyses, transformations are mainly driven by cattle ranching and agricultural expansion, processes that often involve road opening, the use of fire and the conversion of forest into pasturelands.
Forest restoration from Boruca and Térraba
In the Indigenous territories of Boruca and Térraba, initiatives promoted together with Díwö Ambiental focused on restoration and community strengthening. In these communities, three forest nurseries were established, producing more than 24,000 native trees. Between 2024 and 2025, around 70,000 seedlings were planted, including native forest species and cacao plants.
The areas prioritized for restoration covered more than 900 hectares mapped, of which about 400 hectares have participatory management plans. Part of these actions also seeks to restore springs and upper watershed areas that supply water to communities, an approach that connects restoration with local water security. Seed capital was also provided for community nurseries and local enterprises.
According to Marlon Webb, environmental management engineer at Díwö Ambiental:
“One of the main achievements was strengthening restoration processes with Indigenous communities in Boruca and providing specific support to the REDD+ project. Thanks to the support of WCS and the European Union, exchange spaces were created among community leaders who continue to promote these processes today.”
Restoration in productive landscapes
Restoration also included farms and productive landscapes. The organization Osa Conservation worked directly with 49 small producers across more than 250 hectares of agricultural landscape, promoting productive practices compatible with conservation.
In these areas, more than 29,000 native trees were planted, helping restore connectivity and improve soil conditions in degraded areas.
As part of these experiences, nucleation restoration methods were tested, a technique that consists of establishing small clusters of trees within open areas to accelerate natural regeneration. These clusters generate shade, improve soil conditions and facilitate the establishment of other species.
In four experimental plots of 2,500 m², more than 600 trees per plot were planted, using species such as Inga ruiziana, Inga spectabilis, Inga multijuga, Inga martiana and Zygia longifolia. Many belong to the genus Inga, a group of native trees widely used for their rapid growth and their capacity to improve soil fertility.
Together, these pilot plots cover two hectares within the agricultural landscape, where researchers evaluate how these tree nuclei can accelerate forest recovery and facilitate the return of natural vegetation.
Restoration in farms and productive landscapes. Photos by Osa Conservation.
Community patrols and territorial monitoring
Community surveillance was another key component. Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation (CRWF) worked in San Jerónimo, Salitre, Cabagra and Ujarrás to strengthen community environmental monitoring brigades, which carried out more than 200 hours of patrols and traveled over 300 kilometers.
To support these patrols, technological tools such as SMART and the EarthRanger platform were incorporated, allowing teams to record threats, document biodiversity and facilitate coordination with environmental authorities.
A wildlife rescue brigade was also created in San Jerónimo, in addition to the delivery of specialized monitoring and fieldwork equipment to community groups. As part of this process, the Kabek sustainable tourism group, located in Cerro de la Muerte, was strengthened through a participatory diagnosis, management tools and training spaces.
According to Jimmy Barrantes, biologist at Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation:
“The work had two main approaches. On one hand, strengthening community patrols with tools such as SMART that allow reporting threats and monitoring wildlife. On the other hand, supporting sustainable tourism initiatives that generate income for communities.”
These activities were carried out in coordination with the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC).
Ancestral production and women’s leadership
Among these initiatives are also processes led by Indigenous women, focused on traditional production, seed recovery and cacao-based agroforestry systems.
The Association of Indigenous Bribri Women of Talamanca (ACOMUITA) worked with 30 women leaders from the Bribri territory, improving production processes in 15 organized communities, with indirect impacts on 32 more.
Ten farms managed by women were rehabilitated, five seed reproduction areas were established under the Teitô system, and five producers were strengthened through the Witö system.
Infrastructure for cacao processing was also supported through the acquisition of a mill, a refiner and specialized equipment, expanding cacao transformation capacity.
As Tatiana Martínez Torres, member of ACOMUITA, explains:
“Communities are already doing many things for the environment and conservation. Returning to ancestral knowledge is very important because it is a sustainable and profitable way for forests to continue existing.”
Territorial networks and governance
In the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, collaboration among Indigenous organizations was promoted through ADI Nairi Awari, the Kábata Konana Women’s Association and the Bribri and Cabécar Indigenous Network (RIBCA), strengthening forms of territorial governance based on traditional knowledge and practices of the Bribri and Cabécar peoples.
Activities were developed in five Indigenous territories of the Caribbean, where five community ranger groupslinked to Barbilla National Park were supported, a protected area that is key for ecological connectivity in the landscape.
During this process, six patrol exchanges were carried out between territories, allowing rangers from different communities to share experiences in monitoring and territorial protection.
In addition, more than 100 families participated in traditional seed recovery and ancestral agriculture processes, mainly led by women’s groups. These initiatives aim to recover varieties used in Indigenous agroforestry systems of the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, where crops such as cacao coexist with fruit trees, food plants and medicinal species.
According to Paola Palacios, member of the Indigenous Network:
“As Indigenous peoples, conserving the forest is part of our customs and worldview. Maintaining that connection with nature strengthens our identity and also contributes to territorial conservation.”
Science, monitoring and cooperation in the landscape
The National Parks Foundation developed proposals to improve participatory monitoring of biodiversity and cultural sites in the Talamanca landscape, integrating local knowledge with tools used in protected area management.
These initiatives also help strengthen cooperation between Costa Rica and Panama in protecting border areas.
Meanwhile, the Corcovado Foundation promoted restoration and community training processes in the Indigenous territories of Salitre and Cabagra, supporting community nurseries, local reforestation and technical training, as well as the use of technological tools for monitoring and territorial management.
The future of La Amistad
In La Amistad, community nurseries, productive plots, monitoring brigades and territorial networks show how territorial management is key to maintaining the ecological connectivity of this landscape shared between Costa Rica and Panama.