Volunteer Placement Profile Park and Reserve Assistant Volunteer

ASVO Barra Honda Park, Costa Rica

www.volunteerbasecamp.com ASVO

Placement ID: 135 Country: Costa Rica Location: Barra Honda Park Placement Category: Wildlife and the Environment Placement Type: Conservation Organization Type: Conservation Minimum Duration: 2 weeks Language Skill: Basic Placement Fee: 50 USD Accommodation: Host Family Only Months Not Available: Apr,Dec

www.volunteerbasecamp.com Quick Facts: Placement ID: IND-135 Location: Barra Honda Park, Costa Rica Sector: Wildlife and the Environment Category: Min Duration: 2 weeks Lodging: Language: Basic Placement Fee: 50 USD Job Description

Costa Rica is a country that has in its small territory, about 5% of the planet's biodiversity. This natural treasure is protected by the National System of Conservation which covers 25% of the national geography. There are 160 protected areas, of which 27 have been designated as national parks. Other areas are designated under different management categories such as wildlife refuges, biological reserves, national monuments, forest reserves, wetlands and protected areas. Costa Rica's progressive environmental policies and eco-tourism policies in their National Park System have been taken as a model for development in other countries. According to the digital magazine, Eroski Consumer, Costa Rica ranks third as one of the most ecological countries in the world. This release is based on the results of the Environmental Performance Index 2010 from the Colombia and Yale Universities in the United States. Costa Rica, was ranked third for its natural wealth, which allows it to survive, in large part, off of eco-tourism. It has also avoided deforestation, which has devastated other Latin American countries and therefore, scored well in forestry, agriculture and fishing categories. Despite the fact that Costa Rica has strong natural resources and conservation policies, in support of the protected areas; the government is sadly lacking in financial resources and can not afford to keep each place actively operating and supplied with adequate staff. Barra Honda National Park contains an amazing system of caverns, nineteen have been explored and one is open for tourists. Help is needed to protect and maintain this park's diverse dry forests, as well as to maintain and improve its infrastructure. A national park volunteer assistant is not required to have any previous experience but must have a love for the outdoors. The volunteer would be required to help maintain the park facilities, aid in the protection of natural resources, assist the park staff in the customer service division and help in the research department in the documentation regarding various flora and fauna. Equipment needed by national park volunteer assistants to bring: Lightweight and comfortable clothing Comfortable shoes or sport shoes Raincoat or poncho depending on the season. (May to October is the rainy season) Flashlight and spare batteries Alarm clock Mosquito net Basic First Aid Kit, especially for mosquito bites Water Bottle Sunscreen

Volunteer Tasks Required

Public Service

National park volunteer assistants will aim to help provide the best customer service, to meet the different needs for information about the park that tourists require: rules and regulations while visiting the park, park access, attractions, rates, services, infrastructure and information about the flora and fauna of the park. (English speaking visitors).

Monitor the Areas

www.volunteerbasecamp.com A national park volunteer assistant would help in the protection of the various flora and fauna by patrolling the trails with other volunteers and staff to ensure that the areas are clear of debris and if any injured animals are found, that they receive the necessary attention.

Maintenance of Trails and Facilities

A national park volunteer assistant may be required to help maintain buildings by painting, cleaning and occasionally helping with construction. A volunteer may also be require to help with the maintenance of the trails by cutting brush, power mowing, weed-whacking, tree felling etc.

Reforestation

During the dry season in this area, the national parks suffer with the loss of a lot of endemic tree species due to the fires caused by the weather or by human carelessness. A national park volunteer assistant may be ask to help in any reforestation programs implemented by the rangers.

Education

A national park volunteer assistant may have the opportunity to help support environmental educational activities and assist park staff in improving their English skills through a mutual exchange in language dialogue.

Research

A national park volunteer assistant may be asked to participate in the documentation of various flora and fauna in the park. Every year in Costa Rica, a new species of flora and fauna has been found. The rangers are responsible for recording these findings and reporting it to the Ministry of the Environment.

www.volunteerbasecamp.com Organization Details About the Organization

ASVO (Association of Volunteers for Service in Protected Areas)is a non-profit and non-governmental organization that is dedicated to maintaining and preserving national parks, communities and beaches throughout Costa Rica. ASVO's mission is to promote the importance of preserving the environment by operating a number of grass-root conservation projects and conducting a variety of educational workshops throughout the country. Over the years environmental issues such as deforestation, species extinction, forest fires, and climate change have been addressed by the members of ASVO as they have worked to expand their programs to different regions in the country. The organization was founded on January 27, 1989 in the response to the growing realization that although Costa Rica is renowned for their natural resources and biodiversity, there was very little awareness around environmental protection by many people who lived in Costa Rica. Originally, ASVO focused on the preservation of national parks but as the program grew they expanded to include projects such as sea turtle conservation, community education and habitat identification. For over 20 years, ASVO has been striving to call the people throughout Costa Rica to work together to stop the devastating environmental problems. In an attempt to address some of these issues, the members of ASVO have partnered with different Costa Rican schools, government agencies, community groups, local and international volunteer organizations and other environmental agencies. Through these partnerships the members of ASVO hope to raise awareness and encourage people to get involved to help solve these pressing issues. The issues that ASVO are trying to address are very important for a number of reasons. In Costa Rica the government has allocated more than 25% of the countries land as National Parks or areas where ecosystems should be protected. The challenge is that the Costa Rican Government is unable to fund all the jobs, resources and supplies required to ensure that each area is constantly maintained, monitored and that required data that is needed to be collected from each park is conducted and kept up to date. Therefore organizations like ASVO play an important part in helping to achieve environmental objectives set out by the Costa Rican Government. Although ASVO initiatives comprise of a number of different goals the three dominant ones include deforestation, illegal hunting or poaching of endangered species and promoting educational seminars to a wide range of people. Each of the above are important to address. During the 1990's Costa Rica had one of the worst deforestation rates in Latin America. According to reports issued by "State of the World's Forests" at the beginning of the century they had approximately 99 percent of rain forest coverage that diminished quickly to 88 percent and by the 1940's the rain forest coverage was down to 35 percent. Now with the help of government initiatives and organizations like ASVO the current rain forest coverage is at about 50 percent. The reason that forests where being cut down at such alarming rates were for two primary reasons: a) increased demand for cattle b) lush wood that could be exported to other countries who were wanting that commodity and it provide increased revenue for the country to improve things like infrastructure. There was a high demand from the United States for beef exported from Costa Rica which provided incentives for people to increase agricultural output and start cattle farms. Many historians believe that the increase demand for exported cattle was the the number one cause of the rapid decline in the cutting down of massive areas of rain forests. Although deforestation has stopped dramatically, the existing forests are still under threat by illegal logging in protected zones, agricultural development in protected zones, and the need for increased environmental awareness projects to stop people from continuing to impact protected land areas. www.volunteerbasecamp.com stop people from continuing to impact protected land areas. The increase of deforestation has put a huge amount of pressure on existing ecosystems in Costa Rica. As trees were cut down the natural habitats for so many species became inhabitable. This causes growing concern and challenges because of Costa Rica's vast variety of wildlife that is found throughout the country. As a result the number of flora and fauna that are on the list of possibility of becoming distinct continually grows. In recent reports from the Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment and Energy have stated that more than 500,000 species live within the country. This represents 4 % of the total number of species estimated worldwide. As a result, Costa Rica is listed in the top 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Therefore, organizations like ASVO have an important role to help preserve the natural wonders of Costa Rica. ASVO has been very successful at setting up grass-root initiatives that are designed to help increase patrolling of park grounds to ensure the park lands are kept safe; that endangered species like the leather-back turtle have a safe place to lay their eggs and a hatchery to monitor them when they are young plus creating educational seminars to various demographics. However, perhaps one of their greatest achievements is providing educational seminars to people whose livelihoods depend on illegal poaching or cutting down trees on protected land, by explaining the impacts this type of activity has on the ecosystems of Costa Rica. In many cases they have not only provided education but demonstrated alternative ways to make money so that they would not have to depend on poaching endangered animals as a way to make a sustainable income.

When the Organization was Founded

This organization was started on January 27th 1989 by a group of concerned Costa Rica citizens which included several retired civil servants. The group believed that they needed to start actively promoting the importance of preserving the bio-diversity of their country to help ensure that the increase in pollution and population did not have drastic effect on the environment. Many of the original members remain on the board in advisory positions.

How the Organization is Funded

ASVO is currently funded by donations, government grants and private donations. They are always looking for new ways to generate money to improve ranger stations, equipment and data collection materials.

Role of Religion Within This Organization

ASVO does not have any religious affiliations and does not discriminate against individuals who do affiliate themselves with a particular religious sector.

www.volunteerbasecamp.com Placement Location Information

Barra Honda National Park is located on the western coast of Costa Rica in the province of Guanacaste in the Nicoya area; it is part of the Tempisque Conservation region. This national park is very important because of the vegetation and animals that live in the area. The dry tropical forest found in this park exist only in a few places in the world and many of the animals in this area are on the endangered species list. Visitors to Barra Honda National Park, often comment on how vastly different the flora and fauna are as compared to other parks found throughout Costa Rica. Apart from the interesting vegetation and wildlife, Barra Honda is well known throughout Costa Rica for its beautiful beaches and exquisite caves. There are very few caves found in Costa Rica, however, in 2005 the official number of caves found within Barra Honda National park was forty-two. Geologists have conducted extensive research in this area to learn why so many caves have formed in this region. Their studies found that the caves of Barra Honda were formed when islets were raised above the plains of the Tempisque River. Through time, the rain deposited on rocks mixed with carbonic acid, which filtered through the limestone, thus forming waterways and caves. As a result, beautiful caves were formed and have become a major attraction in the area. These caves which were recently discovered (1960’s and 1970’s) now number at least 42. Among these underground chambers, there are amazing caves, such as: Santa Ana (240 meters deep); La Trampa (110 meters deep); Terciopelo (60 meters deep); Pozo Hediondo with numerous bats; Nicoa , where ancient Pre-Columbian burial sites have been found. In these impressive caves, visitors witness deep chambers, numerous stalagmites that grow from the floor or stalactites that hang from the ceiling. Often, these stalactites and stalagmites unite and form columns that look like molten candlesticks. Barra Honda National Park, was founded August 20, 1974, after many of the forests in this region were destroyed. During the early 1960's many of the forest in this area were cut down due to an increase in lumber exportation and the increasing demand for cattle products from the United States. A total of 2,295 hectares of land is protected in Barra Honda National Park and the further deforestation of this land has been prevented. The town is very small with an estimated of 2211 habitats. Volunteers can find "Pulperias" which is the Costa Rican word for convenience store, there is only one internet cafe in town. The accommodation will be at the ranger station which is a wooden building with three bedrooms and three beds in each. They have electricity and water.

City Description

www.volunteerbasecamp.com These caves which were recently discovered (1960’s and 1970’s) now number at least 42. Among these underground chambers, there are amazing caves, such as: Santa Ana (240 meters deep); La Trampa (110 meters deep); Terciopelo (60 meters deep); Pozo Hediondo with numerous bats; Nicoa, where ancient Pre-Columbian burial sites have been found. In these impressive caves, visitors witness deep chambers, numerous stalagmites that grow from the floor or stalactites that hang from the ceiling. Often, these stalactites and stalagmites unite and form columns that look like molten candlesticks. Barra Honda National Park, was founded August 20, 1974, after many of the forests in this region were destroyed. During the early 1960's many of the forests in this area were cut down due to an increase in lumber exportation and the increasing demand for cattle products from the United States. A total of 2,295 hectares of land is protected in Barra Honda National Park and the further deforestation of this land has been prevented.

Points of Interest

The park was founded in 1974 to protect the dry tropical forest and the cave systems. These caves are home to interesting stalagmites, stalactites, and other formations and creatures. Pre-Colombian human skeletons found in the caves also give the park historical significance. The township of Nicoya, established in 1554 as a separate administrative unit in the province of Nicaragua, was incorporated in 1787 to the newly established Inspectorate of Leon in Nicaragua. In the early nineteenth century, to elect deputies to the Spanish Cortes, Nicoya was electorally bound to Costa Rica. In 1812 the Cortes of Cadiz created the Province of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which in 1820 was divided into seven parts: Costa Rica, El Realejo, Granada, León, Nicaragua (Rivas), Nicoya and Nueva Segovia. The province was ruled by a Superior Political Chief who resided in Leon and in each of the other six was a Junior Political Leader. In 1821, at the time of independence, the political chief of the party, Subaltern Costa Rica was Juan Manuel de Cañas-Trujillo and the Nicoya Party was Peter Sobenes. The Province of Nicaragua and Costa Rica broke away from Spain October 11th, 1821. Both Granada and Costa Rica established separate governments of Leon. For a time, Nicoya was attached to Granada, but returned in 1823 to recognize the authority of Leon. At that time, the Partido de Nicoya had three populations: Nicoya an indigenous town with the seat of the government and the towns of Santa Cruz and Guanacaste (Liberia), where lived Spaniards and Mestizos. Geographically, Nicoya and Santa Cruz had strong economic ties with Costa Rica and the rising port of Puntarenas, in Guanacaste (Liberia) had strong ties to Nicaragua (Rivas) - the region west of the river Tempisque, Bagaces villages and Canas, belonged to Costa Rica from the sixteenth century and were never part of the Nicoya Party. In early July 1824, while Nicaragua was plunged into civil war whose effects never reached Nicoya, the three towns of the Partido declined an invitation by the government of Costa Rica to join that state. However, Nicoya and Santa Cruz changed their minds, and on July 25th, 1824 decided to annex to Costa Rica, as recorded in the minutes of the City of Nicoya signed on that date by the political chief Junior, Manuel Briceño and numerous neighbors. The Central American Federation approved the annexation, and thus Guanacaste became part of Costa Rica. Guanacastans take great pride in being a part of Costa Rica, and claim that in 1824, they joined Costa Rica by choice. Demonstrating their pride, Guanacastans possess the slogan, “‘De la Patria por Nuestro Voluntad”. In Spanish this phrase means ‘part of the country by our own choice.' The fact that Guanacastans emphasize that they became a part of Costa Rica by choice, shows that democracy is valued. Therefore, the Annexation of El Partido de Nicoya is celebrated because Costa Rica highly values democratic ideals. The celebrations of a culture define its beliefs and values. Although these events may appear to be only gatherings of people enjoying themselves, celebrations have a deeper purpose. Celebrations are important because they symbolize, reflect, and reinforce the important beliefs and values of a society. The celebration of the Annexation of El Partido de

www.volunteerbasecamp.com Nicoya plays a significant role in Costa Rican culture; through its typical dances and bullfights, many cultural ideals are reinforced including: courtship rites, gender roles, and the peace-loving attitude of the Costa Ricans. The celebration of Annexation of El Partido de Nicoya, begins July 21st with fiestas, folk dances, topes, cattle shows, bullfights and concerts. All these activities take place at the Fair Ground, Ciudad Blanca, in Liberia, Guanacaste, and they go on until July 31st.

Weather in the Area

The weather in the Guanacaste area is very warm all year around but the area presents the Costa Rica seasons. From December until April the weather in this region is very dry with very little rainfall and temperatures are between 28°C to 36°C. From May until November it is the rainy season with temperatures between 25°C to 28°C. The park's average annual rainfall is 1970 ml.

Transportation From BaseCamp

From BaseCamp Center in Puntarenas, volunteers will take a bus to Barranca to wait for the bus to Nicoya, it takes 3 hours to get to main downtown Nicoya. At the bus station, the volunteer will need to connect to the Santa Ana bus which will take one extra hour and from there they can walk for around 30 minutes to the entrance of the National Park.