Save the Amazon: Protect Jaguars and Wildlife

Dear Supporters, 

For the past three months the GVI trust has focused on both preserving the Costa Rican rainforest and on raising community awareness of the issues and challenges facing this ecosytem. A staggering total of over one tonne of rubbish was cleaned from the beach and a large outreach event was run in the nearby town of Tortuguero.

GVI Jalova has been working tirelessly to ensure the continued success of the flora and fauna of Tortuguero National Park. The focus in the past three months has been on two separate events; a beach clean and a community outreach fun-run in Tortuguero town.

On the day of the beach clean over 1,000 kilograms of trash was collected by staff and volunteers. Although the day was long, and the Costa Rican sun hot, morale and enthusiasm remained high as we cleared the beach of trash and debris. Considering the number of endangered sea turtles that use the beach as a nesting site, the benefits of this clean are apparent, making this already worthwhile activity even more fulfilling.

Our outreach event took place in the nearby town of Tortuguero, and was designed to raise awareness of the importance of migratory birds to the area, and the ecosystem as a whole. Community members were encouraged to run with staff and volunteers, with a collective distance of 500km achieved, a total designed to demonstrate the huge distances covered by migratory birds on their mammoth annual journeys.

Fundraisers were in place for both events. For the first event the funds were used to pay for a large boat to take the trash collected to the nearest recycling plant, and we are still waiting to receive funds for the second, with the goal being a donation to a tree farm within the park created by the local community.

The work done by the GVI Jalova base is done in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and this is the case with the work done these past three months, specifically in these cases working on Goal 14 (Life below Water), Goal 15 (Life on Land), and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

There are plans in place to continue to improve the sustainability of the base we live in here in the park, with new solar panels being purchased to enable us to have a more reliable source of electricity and a more comfortable living environment for both staff and volunteers.

The big focus for the next quarter, however, and the remainder of the year, is the new environmental education program being run at a nearby high school. It is an unescapable fact that any conservation project is guaranteed to fail without the support and backing of the local community, and this program is designed to both educate and excite the next generation about the benefits and importance of protecting the unique ecosystem here in Costa Rica.

The goal now is ensuring this program is itself sustainable, and has the support and funding to guarantee long-term success. The proposed plan is to create an opportunity for rewarding those students who create the most successful presentation on the importance of environmental education. Specifically, we intend to offer a chance to come with GVI staff on a conservation expedition to learn more about the species within the park, literally on their own doorstep.

Raising funds for this, and providing the school with the equipment and supplies needed to carry out this project, is an exciting challenge for us, and one we are going to tackle creatively and with the same enthusiasm we have shown in the past. We firmly believe the only way to ensure continued and total support for the work being done to protect Tortuguero National Park depends on the enthusiasm and involvement of the local community who call this beautiful place home. Our hope is that the environmental education program is going to help garner this support.

It has been a busy but fulfilling three months for us here in Jalova base, Tortuguero National Park with two big events under our belt. The goal now is to focus on environmental education, creating a long-term plan to deal with the challenges facing Tortuguero National Park. Thank you to all our donors and those who continue to support our efforts here.

With Gratitude,

Mac and the Jalova team.