Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge offsets carbon footprint with reforestation

When you stay at eco-friendly Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica, you can reduce the ecological impact on the planet generated by your trip by offseting your carbon emissions. There are two ways for planet-conscious travelers to do this. One is to calculate your carbon credits using the Costa Rica National Forest Financing Fund (FONAFIFO) carbon credits calculator, and then purchase carbon credits that will be used to reforest land in Costa Rica. Nicuesa Lodge supports FONAFIFO’s work to reduce people’s carbon footprint by protecting and reforesting Costa Rica’s rainforests. The second way is to take part in Nicuesa Lodge’s reforestation program by planting a tree when you are there.

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, in the southern Costa Rica rainforest on the Golfo Dulce, protects 95 percent of their 165-acre rainforest property in an undeveloped and natural state. The Costa Rica eco-lodge began its reforestation program in 2010. The main goal is to slowly remove the cacao trees â€" from the former cacao plantation where the lodge is built â€" that were infected by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri, or “frosty pod rot”, and reforest with trees native to Costa Rica and the local area. Planting native trees helps re-establish the biological corridor for animals between the Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfito Wildlife Refuge that border either side of Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge.

>So far, approximately 150 trees have been planted by hotel guests and staff: species like Cortez Amarillo (Tabebuia ochracea, Gold Trumpet tree), Roble de Sabana (Tabebuia rosea, Pink Trumpet tree), Cenizaro (Samanea saman, Rain Tree), Espavel (Anacardium excelsum, Wild Cashew tree), and Gallinazo (Schizolobium parahyba, Brazilian Fire tree), among others. Trees are obtained by donations and seeds harvested naturally from the forest. “Last year, we accepted a donation of 50 Cenizaro starter trees from the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). We also collect seeds from the forest on our property, germinate them and grow seedlings, which we then plant in an area we set aside for reforestation,” explained Natalia Solis, Sustainability Coordinator at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge. “This project invites and involves our guests to be part of a change that helps our environment and also helps offset the carbon emissions generated during their journey and visit to the lodge."

 Guests who plant a tree during their stay at the lodge receive a thank you certificate for participating in the reforestation program that includes a photo of the person planting the tree, their name, and the description of the tree planted with the scientific and common names.

Stay at a real Costa Rica eco-lodge
Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge opened in April 2003 as one of the first true eco-lodges in Costa Rica. Operating now 12 years, Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge holds the highest rating in the Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST) by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT). Playa Nicuesa recently received the important Ecological Blue Flag Award for the fifth time for having one of Costa Rica’s cleanest beaches. Additionally, Nicuesa Lodge is working to be certified a Carbon Neutral Business, and the lodge supports the Osa Campaign and the Nature Conservancy that protects the Golfo Dulce and Osa Peninsula region. Contact Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge to visit the unique nature and adventure travel destination. Article by Shannon Farley