Restoring Coastal Ecosystems Costas Verdes is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 to conserve and restore coastal ecosystems on public lands, including protected areas, publicly owned portions of beaches, mangroves, riverbanks and wetlands.
Costas Verdes believes that the active participation of local communities in these activities and environmental education is vital in these processes. To this end, Costa Verdes involves schoolchildren in its activities, and organizes workshops in local schools and communities. In most cases its activities are supported by local businesses, which donate funds, materials and the time of their workers. Students from the country’s universities as well as international visitors also volunteer their time.
Costas Verdes also establishes nurseries in coastal communities with the support of local families, schools and businesses, which provide the plants and trees necessary for its work. Costas Verdes receives support from public agencies such as the National System of Conservation Areas and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy.
The GCF, with resources from the Harmony and CRUSA Donor Advised Funds, has supported Costas Verde’s Barrigona beach forest restoration project in Nosara, as well as outreach to public schools in the Nosara Area. Costa Verdes is also a local partner in the Rio Nosara Biological Corridor Initiative.
- 6,500 trees have been planted since 2011 when the project started in Nosara
- 20 different species of native trees has been chosen to restore the forest near the beach
- 4 acres are being restored with native species in the Barriguiones project