A reforestation campaign known as Environmental Heroes was recently launched in Costa Rica. As part of the campaign, individuals are asked to donate funds that will put towards the planting, maintenance, and monitoring of trees scattered throughout farms in Costa Rica.
The campaign is sponsored by public agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private companies. A local group known as Climate Change Allies is sponsoring the campaign, along with the Organization for Tropical Studies.
Ultimately, the goal of the campaign is to plant a minimum of 6,000 trees within the community of La Esperanza de Sarapiquí, which is located north of Heredia. Additionally, the campaign plans to plant another 1,500 trees within Bijagua de Upala as well as 1,800 trees in Guanacaste. As part of that plan, it is hoped that the campaign will be able to reforest the biological corridors that extend from San Juan to La Selva and Tenorio and Miravalles. These corridors are vital for the facilitation of species migration as well as for protecting aquifiers that are responsible for supplying drinking water to large populations of residents.
It costs approximately $17 to plant and maintain one tree, but individuals are encouraged to make any donation. Donors who pledge to sponsor the full cost of at least one tree will be able to view the location of the trees they sponsor on the ACC website through the use of GPS coordinates. Additionally, donors will also be provided with information and photographs regarding the species of the tree they sponsor.
The planting of the trees will be supervised. Additionally, those trees will be protected and monitored for three years. In the event that a tree dies, it will be replaced. Individuals who are interested in either donating or adopting a tree are able to do so at the ACC website or at several stores located throughout the country. While the original campaign was only scheduled to run through the month of October, plans have been made to extend the campaign.
As part of the campaign, plans have also been made to include environmental educational programs as well as a video game that is available on the campaign's website and Google Play and Apple online stores. In the event that revenues from donations exceed program goals, new tree farms will be added.
