Last year, Rainforest Biodiversity Group (RBG) reported on plans for the future management of the Costa Rican Bird Route (CRBR) project. The CRBR is a project that was implemented with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Program for South-South Cooperation. With these grants, RBG was able to support a Bird Route Coordinator position to oversee the operation of the CRBR. Now that the grant period has ended, RBG cannot financially support this position and have begun to implement a strategy for future management.
Part of this strategy has been to transfer management from RBG to the sites themselves and the executive committee of the San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor (CBSS). The CBSS is comprised of more than a dozen member organizations working in the northern region of Costa Rica on various projects that benefit the environment. RBG has long been a member of this committee, and the objective of the Costa Rican Bird Route has been to complement the committee’s conservation efforts through community-based, sustainable nature tourism.
Last month, the CBSS formed a Costa Rican Bird Route commission to oversee its management. The commission is comprised of the Sarapiqui Conservation Learning Center, Costa Rican Tourism Institute, Reserva Ecológica Bijagual, Hacienda Pozo Azul, Madroños Rainforest Lodge, and the Costa Rican Bird Route sites of: Chilamate Jungle, Asociación de Productores de Santa Elena, Tirimbina, Selva Verde Lodge, and La Selva Biological Station.
To continue in the development of this commission, RBG President Holly Robertson attended the monthly CBSS meeting on June 2 at Madroños Rainforest Lodge in Costa Rica. Holly gave a presentation on the history and advancements of the CRBR to date, and discussed what steps should be taken for future management by the Commission. RBG has also passed along the Operation Plan it completed for the CRBR to be used as a guide by the Commission.
In addition, a representative of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has agreed to visit each of the 18 sites of the CRBR to get the landowner’s perspective on what the benefits have been from being part of the project, as well as any other feedback they may have for future improvement.
Furthermore, Olivier Chassot of the Tropical Science Center and the CBSS has offered to assign a student from la Universidad Fidélitas the project of establishing a marketing plan for the CRBR. Plus, the University of Tourism has an interest in supporting the CRBR by assigning Tourism Management students specific assignments for the sites, according to their needs.
RBG is very excited about these developments and see this type of synergy between key partners in Costa Rica as being crucial for the future growth and success of this important eco-tourism initiative.
