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After the sadness of saying goodbye, we all had something to look forward to, heading to a new community on the edge of the largest national park in Costa Rica, Parque Nacional La Amistad (which means National Friendship Park). Nestled high in the mountains with cooler weather, our new home was surrounded by flowers, orange and sugarcane trees, and a river out in the back. The small town of Altamira is so lush and green and is the last community on the outskirts of the great rainforest.
The Altamira project was born as an idea of the Organic Producers Friendship Association, as a local initiative to increase participation and awareness regarding the benefits of conservation, agro tourism and organic production. This project hopes to minimize agricultural impact in what is considered the buffer zone of La Amistad International Park, and area of great biological importance. With this initiative, the association is working towards the creation and completion of a lodge and the construction of outdoor trails with hopes of environmental education and the creation of employment for the community at large.
This town is traditionally a coffee production zone that has suffered due to the plunge in prices of coffee on the world market. The organic producers' friendship association has identified this project to help create not only new sources of income but also to promote the protection of the biodiversity of the area. This project will be with the association that has more than eighty members involved with organic agriculture. Our work was part of an incredible eco-tourism project and we are constructing trails through the rainforest that will attract many tourists from other countries who wish to see the amazing biodiversity of this great rainforest. These trails will serve as "outdoor classrooms" promoting awareness of the benefits of organic agriculture and conservation. We also constructed a mosaic bus stop made from recycled glass in the shape of a giant oyster at the entrance of the association. With funding from UNDP and volunteers like myself, this amazing community hopes to prosper.
My time in Costa Rica was a mere three months, but I have learned valuable skills, and made friends that will last a lifetime. I encourage anyone who visits this beautiful country to visit the communities of Jabillo and Altamira as they will welcome any traveler with open arms.
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Chiran
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