At Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge we are committed to the protection of our home: the Golfo Dulce and the surrounding rainforests. Reforestation, recycling, saving energy and water, using solar panels, and using biodegradable products for our daily living; are some of the practices we do to help the environment.
However, it is not enough to ensure a sustainable development in Osa. That is why we have partnerships with different conservation and cultural groups, which we help through donations and collaboration.  Our efforts towards conservation are greatly expanded due to the support of our guest’s donations.  Now that this year is coming to an end, Playa Nicuesa is proud to say that we collected $3555 in contribution thanks to our guest’s kindness. These funds will be distributed to a variety of community and environmental organizations in the upcoming year to continue supporting our program that has resulted in over $18,000 in contribution to groups from donations received from our guest and Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge.
Non-governmental Organizations that fight for the preservation of the natural resources of the Costarican South Pacific have been given donations with these funds. Te NGOs include MarVIva, PRETOMA, Yaguará, Coalición Ambiental and Nature Conservacy. With our help, organizations like PRETOMA can work on successful campaigns such as No Tuna Farms in Golfo Dulce, which makes a big difference for the preservation of the Gulf. PRETOMA undergoes all kind of efforts towards the conservation of endangered species like turtles, whales, and much more in this bio-diverse Gulf.
MarViva is also conscious of the treasure of the Pacific Ocean, and that is why they are committed to its conservation. This NGO works in Costa Rica, Colombia and Panamá. In Costa Rica they take care of the Golfo de Nicoya (North Pacific), Golfo Dulce (South Pacific) and Coco’s Island. MarViva’s goal is to extent the protection areas of the ocean, because as they say “the ocean is reborn in the protected areasâ€. They also promote the sustainable use of the marine resources by supporting the control and surveillance efforts as well as educating people on sustainable practices of fishing and tourism. The MarViva team often comes to our Lodge to share with our guests and employees information about conservation, sustainable fishing, and other topics of interest.
Not all of the South Pacific richness is only beneath the ocean; it is also in our jungle. This lush forest is the home of one of the three biggest wild cat of the world: the Jaguar. Playa Nicuesa supports Yaguará organization on its efforts towards the preservation of this big feline. This NGO fights against the extinction of the Jaguar and other felines of this area. Here at Nicuesa we have many of their cameras on hand to help monitor and protect the wild cat population.
On the other hand, Nicuesa also tries to support local communities.  This past year, part of the donations were given for local associations that for the development and preservation of the cultural life in the area. One of these is the Folkloric Dance Group Yuré, from Puerto Jimenez High School that teaches youth native folkloric dances. The group is not only about learning to dance, one of the goals is to foment a respect and understanding of Costa Rican values and traditions at a time when the nation is struggling to conserve them.
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But not only we support conservation and local culture with donations, we also make in kind donations, which means that the workers of Nicuesa donate their time and effort through their participation in campaigns, meetings, events, beach cleanings and others. In September of this year, all Nicuesa employees went to Puntarenitas beach (right in front of Golfito) and after a hard day work, it was left as clean as our own beach at the lodge that was awarded the blue flag award for maintaining a clean beach. This program was conceived by the national water utility, Aqueductos y Alcantarillados, in conjunction with the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, who began evaluating, and ranking water and environmental quality in coastal communities in 1996. Those that achieved a 90 percent score were awarded a Bandera Azul Ecológica (ecological blue flag) to fly as a symbol of excellence.
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In this New Year that is among us, we hope to continue supporting all of these organizations and more, so that this pristine beautiful Gulf and jungle can maintain its magic and diversity. Again, thank you to our guests for your contribution to our efforts.