Southern Caribbean: The Roads That Cut Through the Ecological Corridor

A Natural Gem

The Greater Talamanca Range is Costa Rica’s highest mountain range. Numerous rivers originate there, serving as a source of life for over 10,000 indigenous people living in the mountains. Its highlands are home to national parks and the territories of the Bribri and Cabécar peoples. These rivers flow into the Caribbean Sea, passing through wetlands, lush tropical rainforests, lagoons, and mangroves, until they finally supply Costa Rica’s most important coral reefs along the coast of Baja Talamanca with nutrients. This rich region in the southern Caribbean teems with lush nature and unique cultural diversity. This strip of land, 45 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide, serves as the link connecting the biodiversity of Alta Talamanca with that of Baja Talamanca and the countries of Panama and Costa Rica. Bordered to the north by the Caribbean Sea and to the south by the Sixaola River (the border between Costa Rica and Panama), the region is home to a megabiodiverse array of flora and fauna, including dolphins, manatees, jaguars, peccaries, tapirs, sloths, three species of monkeys, and flocks of green macaws. The beaches, lined with coastal rainforests whose trees are up to 300 years old, serve as nesting sites for sea turtles, and the reefs feature a wide variety of coral species. Cahuita National Park and the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge are among the protected areas that, together with indigenous territories and private reserves, preserve one of the country’s most forested regions. In addition, the rainforests along the entire Caribbean coast are characterized by trees up to 50 meters tall, lianas, epiphytes, palms of all sizes, and magnificent heliconia flowers. Plants that bloom year-round and lush, evergreen forests define the region.

A Meeting Place for Cultures

The charming communities in the southern Caribbean are celebrated as bastions of environmentalism and progressive ideals in Costa Rica. This vibrant area is home to a diverse population. First, there are the descendants of African slaves who immigrated from Jamaica more than 150 years ago and have lived along the coast ever since, maintaining their connection to nature, the sea, and the use of medicinal plants to this day. Inland live the indigenous Bribri and Cabécar peoples, whose culture dates back thousands of years and who regard nature as sacred.

What has happened in recent years?

The past decade has brought changes to this beloved retreat. The uncontrolled expansion of Puerto Viejo, which has since become a well-known tourist destination, has created new challenges. The government has revoked the status of the nature reserve along the picturesque coastline from Cocles to Manzanillo, paving the way for construction and development projects. Beaches that were once surrounded by lush, protected coastal rainforest and coral reefs have been turned into plots of land that are now available for sale and rezoning. The Gandoca-Manzanillo National Park and Wildlife Refuge, which was once connected to the Kekoldi Indian Reserve via a biological corridor, has been fragmented by the roads in Margarita and Paraíso. These wounds have deepened, particularly in the wake of the 2020 pandemic, when people from all over Costa Rica and the world once again sought refuge in this natural paradise, often unaware that unchecked development threatens to destroy its beauty.

The Guardians Are Born

To summarize our history: Thirty years ago, the visionary founders of our collective began acquiring land for conservation purposes. This dedicated group of environmentalists proudly called themselves “Guardianes del Bosque” (Guardians of the Forest). This community of concerned neighbors responded to the large-scale deforestation that began after the collapse of the cocoa plantations due to the Monilia fungus and market instability. They sought out NGOs and international funding to help them buy land and protect the last remaining primary forests, which had become among the last treasures—and thus also the target of loggers. Tropica Verde from Germany answered this call for help and became the Guardianes’ main supporter. They acquired Finca Curré, a plot of land adjacent to Finca Ninfa, and formed an alliance with Thierry and his family from Finca Ninfa, as well as the neighboring Guardianes del Bosque. Thus began this story of protecting and caring for the forest. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Community Conservation Agreement, which to this day protects an area of more than 200 hectares. This declaration is an agreement to jointly apply environmentally friendly practices and move forward as a community, with mutual support among landowners in the southern Caribbean. New properties have already been added—and we continue to grow.

Today, we have further solidified our environmental and social efforts through the official establishment of an association called ASOGUABO in 2023. This step has strengthened our resolve to uphold the principles of the Declaration on Community Conservation and to attract new signatories. We are launching environmental education initiatives to combat biological illiteracy in the region, promoting citizen science through research and the use of technology, and advocating for sound environmental practices among landowners.

Collaborative Conservation

We offer the voluntary signatories of the declaration guidance on developing ecological restoration plans, productive agroecological and agroforestry systems to promote food security, and on developing opportunities for responsible and fair ecotourism on their properties.

Based on science, research, and data collection, we aim to demonstrate the biological significance of the region. We want to explore and share with the community how the forest can be preserved and how permaculture designs for housing, land management, and resource management can be developed to protect these sensitive ecosystems. We want the multi-ethnic community that has cared for this part of Costa Rica to build a good and prosperous life in harmony with nature, which is the most important source of all wealth. We want to be able to enjoy these natural treasures, just as our children and grandchildren will.

Support the initiatives of the Asociación Guardianes del Bosque by supporting Tropica Verde and visiting our Instagram account, Guardianes.del.Bosque.CR, to learn about our activities and get valuable information about the environment!

Report by José Pablo Fernandez Q.
, President of the Asociación Guardianes del Bosque