Annual report on the projects in Costa Rica

2025 was a very active year in Costa Rica. New projects were successfully integrated and some existing ones were significantly expanded.

Some facts from the past year:

1. environmental education work

New tools such as the first environmental education handbook for Costa Rican teachers were published, used and distributed. The interactive game “Who will be the best rainforest conservationist” for schoolchildren of different age groups also received great feedback in the schools. In addition, we received permission for the first time to carry out continuous environmental education in the otherwise very isolated indigenous areas of the Talamanca. This is almost an accolade and shows the value of our offer! The same applies to the first agreement with the MEP (Costa Rican Ministry of Public Education), which welcomes Tropica Verde’s work in Costa Rica. Tropica Verde now employs 7 part-time teachers through partners or directly who have taught 3000 children and adults about nature conservation in 2025. We consider this to be an essential part of sustainable nature conservation! A big thank you goes to the “Cordes & Graefe” and “Rüm Hart” foundations for supporting our work.

Protecting the rainforest Rainforest show

2nd Tropica Verde team in Costa Rica

It is growing and so is the network in the country. Tropica Verde is now known throughout the country for its project and educational work. The newest member is Laura Alfaro Gonzalez from the Fundacion “Abuela Ecologica ” (Foundation of Eco-Grandma J). Tropica Verde is supporting her new reforestation project “Arboles y Plumas ” (Trees and Plumes) in northern Costa Rica, in which over 8,000 trees of endangered native species are to be cultivated in tree nurseries and then planted on deforested pastureland in cooperation with farmers and owners.

3rd Tropica Verde Workshop

Our growing team brings together many professional and passionate conservationists and teachers. The aim is to learn from each other and develop new ideas together. We do this in annual workshops and the current workshop took place near our Reserva Kinkajou in the Yatama Lodge. Our partner and owner of the lodge, Pedro Mendez Tam, gave us great support and provided all the facilities at a friendly price. A big thank you for that! It was great to see how an excellent team develops that works well together and in which everyone makes their contribution. A total of 21 participants formed teamwork at a high level! Our dedicated boss from the Frankfurt office, Ingrith Tilly, was also able to take part for the first time together with her husband Thomas and our supporter Christine from Spain. There were also two volunteers from San José: one who supports our social media work and one who is responsible for translating our texts.

4. projects

There were new activities in all projects. In “Monte Alto “, Lubi Bocantes, in collaboration with Gabriele Schaar from Römer, successfully implemented the airlift project for schoolchildren in Frankfurt am Main and the Hojancha region for the first time, in addition to the well-known environmental education work.

Around our primary forest reserve “Finca Curré”, an agreement on sustainable forest protection was signed by many landowners through our partner organization “ASOGUABO”. Over 300 hectares of the important biological corridor are now better protected as a result and this figure is soon to rise to 600 hectares.

We are also active in the north of Costa Rica and together with the Dutch organization Oasebos we are currently establishing a new protected area “Reserva Danta” which connects our existing Reserva Lapa Verde with other reserves and in future will form a forest block (long-term goal is over 600 ha) against the expanding pineapple plantations. These are just a few of the many activities surrounding the Tropica Verde projects in Costa Rica.

Your Dr. Stefan Rother

If you would like to find out more about the project work in Costa Rica with lots of photos and videos, you are welcome to register for the Zoom conference on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 7.30 pm. Our project coordinator Dr. Stefan Rother will then provide us with comprehensive and up-to-date information.