Education
Reserva Pacuare leads an Environmental Education Program that promotes the literacy of all its visitors within the scope of the Sustainable Development Goals included in the 2030 Agenda, in which Costa Rica has assumed an important role as part of the call to action for sustainability. This program includes four components to contribute to the sustainable use of coastal marine resources and to increase awareness of the inhabitants of the communities surrounding the Pacuare Reserve.
Module 1. Sustainability Leaders Program
The objective is to encourage children in 5th and 6th grade of primary school and adolescents in 9th and 10th grade of secondary school in public educational institutions of Matina and Bataán; to become community leaders in the processes of conservation of coastal marine resources, through the application of systemic thinking, collective problem solving and leadership skills; within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our proposal:
It is an experience where children and adolescents will improve their teamwork skills, their commitment to protecting the environment and their creativity in the use of resources to solve challenges and riddles.
At this moment we are looking for organizations, companies and individuals who want to take joint action to develop this program, which will involve the youth of the surrounding communities and raise awareness of the importance of the conservation of the biodiversity of coastal marine ecosystems.
More information on how to support here
The objectives of the Leaders of Sustainability program are:
● Create educational experiences for children and young people through activities designed based on the following objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (ODS)
● Encourage children and young people apply team work, commitment to protecting the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources.
● Encourage children and young people apply team work, commitment to protecting the environment and the sustainable use of natural resources.
● Involve the surrounding communities in the efforts to conserve the biodiversity of the coastal marine ecosystems that are around them.
● To empower community leaders in conservation processes.
● Strengthen the local identity of children and young people from the communities of Matina and Bataan.
About the program:
The theme to develop in this educational experience will be: ecosystem services, sustainable living, ecology (sea turtles, felines, monkeys, reptiles, arthropods, flora), leadership in conservation.
For schools
For high schools
Day 1
Day 1
2 hours visit to the school (day before the field visit)
2 hours visit to the school (day before the field visit)
Day 2
Day 2
8:00am - Admission to the Reserve / Activities Development
2:00pm - Departure from the Reserve
Follow-up - Development and presentation of projects in environmental fair
8:00am - Admission to the Reserve / Development of activities and participation in nocturnal census of sea turtles
2:00pm - Departure from the Reserve
Follow-up - Development and presentation of projects in environmental fair
Why join your company to this initiative?
• Managed by EPI, the only organization that has almost two decades of teaching science and conservation through experiential experiences in the field.
• To support children and young people who live immersed in the communities in which their company operates.
• Generate a positive social footprint in favor of education and conservation efforts.
• To create educational and recreational experiences for children and young people in communities where socioeconomic development has been affected by environmental and human factors.
• Build a more equitable, participatory and environmentally sustainable society.
If your company wants to support the Leaders of Sustainability program, you can email us at melissas@ecologyproject.org
Module 2. Local Naturalist Guide Program
The objective is to fully train young people from the Matina and Bataan communities to offer services as local guides in Pacuare Reserve and provide then a greater experience in the activity of ecotourism and rural community tourism.
Why young people from Matina and Bataan?
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Provide opportunities for training and professional development.
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To promote the rescue of local identity
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Educate visitors about the value of the natural and cultural heritage of Matina and Bataan
About the program:
The theme to develop in this educational experience will be: ecosystem services, sustainable living, ecology (sea turtles, felines, monkeys, reptiles, arthropods, flora), leadership in conservation.
Modality
It will be developed with supervised practices and monthly training
Participants
Young people between
18-25 years living in Matina or Bataan
Place
Reserva Pacuare / salons in the community
Duration
2 years
Themes
In the Local Naturalist Guide Program, young people from the Matina and Bataan communities will participate in training sessions on:
1. Organizational structure of EPI and Pacuare Reserve
2. Research, conservation and education programs of Pacuare Reserve
3. General tourism
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Positive and negative impacts of tourism activity
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Elements of the customer service system in tourism
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Introduction to ecotourism and community rural tourism
4. Natural history
5. Attention and visitors guiding
6. Interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage
7. Basic English for tourism I / Basic English for tourism II
8. Practice and Evaluation
Module 3. Capacity development program
The objective is to promote the professional development of Pacuare Reserve employees, through training in topics related to sustainability, customer service, languages, among others.
Module 4. Sustainable Community Program
The objective is to sensitize visitors about the importance of a sustainable lifestyle, for which they are involved in sustainable practices day by day as a sign of harmony with all species; by appreciating and conscientiously using the coastal marine resources found at Pacuare Reserve.
Photo: María José Guzmán
How can you help the Pacuare Reserve Community to be sustainable?
Pacuare Reserve receives every season researchers, ecotourists, students and volunteers; with a passion to learn, conserve and protect the different species that inhabit the sea and the forest. These visitors who stay at the facilities and make use of natural resources for educational or research purposes, are integrated into a community that aims to reduce the negative impact on the environment and enhance its positive impact on it.
Participate in the Solid Waste Management Program:
Excess waste and its poor management is one of the main pollutants in the environment. As PR, we seek to reduce the amount of waste, and transform it into resources that can be used for the benefit of the community and the environment.
To achieve this goal, different strategies will be implemented to reduce and transform waste into valuable material in the new RESOURCE CENTER. Under this new philosophy we will have a positive impact on the reserve, in our life and in our future. We invite you to be part of this change and to adopt it in your day to day.
Resource Center
It is a sustainability innovative program that separates and collects waste considered "trash" and creatively converts it into materials that can be reused, in educational and artistic resources. We want to be pioneers in the recovery of resources and solve environmental problems in a practical way, cultivating habits and values for the re-connection with nature.
Ecobrick
Ecobricking is a deep solution for your plastic. First, plastic is a material with incredible properties and it is a pity that it is wasted. Second, when the plastic becomes "trash" it pollutes the ecosystems that sustain life on the planet. Third, the Ecobricks embody regenerative principles that point us all in a healthy direction.
BENEFITS
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They prevent the plastic from contaminating the sea and rivers.
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It is a practical and educational way to create awareness ecological
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By giving them a practical use they stop being garbage.
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Inspire people and communities to have a free life of waste.
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Prevent that due to heat release CO2 to the environment.
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They are an efficient solution and do not need energy or technology.
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We can all do them!
How does Pacuare Reserve assess its progress towards sustainability?
Pacuare Reserve has obtained the Ecological Blue Flag Award in Beaches Category, granted annually by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and the Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA). This certification evaluates the organization's efforts to develop specific actions in the field of solid and liquid waste management, water quality and environmental education.
Thanks to the work of volunteers, researchers, ecotourists and students from all over the world, we have made progress in the process of environmental, economic and social sustainability.