By Roberta Ward Smiley | CEO and founder
Last Thursday, October 3, 2013, we performed the latest quarterly inspection of the Rio Sol Biological Corridor project of which “38 Hectares of Valuable Resources for the Maleku” is a part. In case you don’t remember LRFF planted about 17,000 trees of over 110 species on 14 hectares (35 acres) of this property owned by Marvin Castro in Viento Fresco at the Maleku Reserve in Guatuso, Costa Rica.
Here is a link to the video that I made while up at the property last Thursday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDLg6b9JZ8Q&feature=em-upload_owner. I was so inspired by the progress of the reforested area that I documented it almost entirely on video. We show the different types of Cacao we planted here and the sheer lushness of the new forest, filled with life.
As we climbed up the hill where we planted in December 2011 my friend and LRFF’s field director, Jimmy Acosta, mentioned taking a photo from the same exact place during the planting. He searched through his little phone and found it. By looking at it we could situate ourselves almost perfectly in the same exact spot to capture an awesomely, inspirational set of before and after photos. They are included here.
Now we need to help the Maleku purchase back the reforested farm from Marvin Castro who isn’t a Maleku tribe member. This is the plight of the Maleku. The Tribal Council is working to recuperate their legal territory but the Costa Rican government doesn’t help them even though all the reserve lands (3000 hectares or 9000 acres)have been decreed theirs. The only way to move most of the non-indigenous landowners out is to buy back the land. Hopefully this report and the amazing photos showing just how quickly the carbon sequestering forests can be restored will urge you to act today. Share this project with friends and family, give us a leg up, if you can’t personally contribute. The well-being of indigenous people is our future and responsibility.
LET’S GET PLANTING!!
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