Savegre Forever!

Two big things in particular to report. First of all, ASANA has a new Executive Director who is now engaged in leading the charge on the Savegre Forever! project. Andrea Herrera comes to us from another Costa Rican NGO - CEDARENA - which pioneered the use of conservation easements in Central America and is a leader in conservation on private lands. Andrea was in charge of CEDARENA's Payment for Environmental Services Program and her experience will help us greatly, particularly in the Savegre.  She is a dynamic, smart, and savvy leader. If you wish to contact her, you can email her at andrea@asanacr.org

The next big piece of news is that we have reactivated our push to get the Savegre watershed declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. After a year of managing a very participatory process involving the communities and local governments we fell short by one crucial signature at the end of last year. Now with renewed interest in making the Savegre Costa Rica's first truly carbon-neutral zone, it appears that we have the support we need to make the biosphere reserve concept a reality. 

Thanks to your generous support via GlobalGiving, we have engaged in a community outreach program that aims to clarify the benefits to local communities of the biosphere reserve concept. We are also in the process of incorporating local leadership in the Savegre into the Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor "local council" that will, ultimately, be completely responsible for managing he corridor and watershed.

Thank you all for your continued support!