Who guarantees that our money actually reaches its destination? 
The owners receive their money directly from Rainforest of the Austrians. Accountants in Costa Rica and Austria monitor money transfers and bank transactions. Sales contracts are negotiated and drafted by our Costa Rican lawyer, who is also responsible for checking the  registry to see whether the properties are legally safe. The sales price is the same as listed on the official government evaluation (avalúo). Each purchase is proven by detailed documentation files including evaluations, maps, copies of checks and transfer papers. After being purchased, the Costa Rican National Park Foundation integrates them into Piedras Blancas National Park.

Are people expropriated?
Expropriations are only allowed under special circumstances. All land owners in the Esquinas forest have voluntarily sold their property and received the price that was designated by official government evaluations. The park border runs at an altitude of 20 meters, thus allowing most of the people living on the coast or near the Rio Esquinas to remain where they are since they live outside the park. A new management for the park and the people living in the area is being prepared by the local park authorities.

How is the Esquinas Rainforest protected?
Presently, 16 park rangers patrol the 146-square kilometer area on foot, horseback or by boat. The armed rangers work in pairs and monitor illegal logging and poaching. Two of them are paid by Rainforest of the Austrians. Due to its location on the coast and its rugged terrain, the forest is relatively well-protected. It is not a coincidence that Esquinas was chosen for the re-introduction of endangered species such as scarlet macaws. Reports from Fundacion Corcovado show that animals have been reproducing steadily since the amount of rangers was increased from 6 to 16 in 2005. Even jaguars, spider monkeys and herds of peccaries have returned to the forest that they once populated. 

How much money has been donated and how much is missing?
Rainforest of the Austrians received € 3,658.098,18  in donations from 1991 until 2009 ($ 4.9 million at the exchange rate of February 2011 ).  83% have been transferred directly to Costa Rica, only 17% were spent for overhead costs in Austria (office, PR, printing, mailing, etc.). In Costa Rica, approximately $2,400,000 (plus $425,000 that were matched by the Wilson Challenge Grant and $ 220,000 from our German partner organisation) were spent on land purchase and approx. $ 1,000,000 were used for the biological station, park rangers, animal release projects, and projects in La Gamba. It is estimated that $ 20 million would be needed to complete land purchase, but some land owners in the coastal area have offered to protect the forest in exchange for allowing their land to remain in private hands.

What kind of animals are found in Piedras Blancas National Park?
A “biological corridor” around the Golfo Dulce between Corcovado and Piedras Blancas National Parks connects key natural areas and forms a 300 square mile protected zone collectively known as "The Osa". The Osa is home to more than 375 species of birds (of which 362 have been sighted in Piedras Blancas and the Golfo Dulce), 124 species of mammals, 40 species of freshwater fish, approximately 8,000 known species of insects (and many more unknown), and 117 species of reptiles and amphibians. The species recorded in the Osa represent up to 50 percent of the species known to exist in Costa Rica. Except for tapirs, most of these animals can be found in the Esquinas rainforest. Sightings of cats are extremely rare, but it is proven that at least one  jaguar has been in the area since 2007.

Can the national park be dissolved?
Since 1948, 26% of the total area of Costa Rica has been protected as national parks, forest reserves, wildlife reserves, indigenous reserves or private reserves.  None of these have ever been dissolved. National parks are Costa Ricas pride, and the country's  income from nature has surpassed that of coffee and bananas.  The fact that the Costa Rican government itself has purchased 4450 hectares of land within Piedras Blancas is the best guarantee that the park will not be dissolved.

How can I visit the Rainforest of the Austrians?
The easiest access to Piedras Blancas National Park is from Esquinas Rainforest Lodge. The lodge is accessible by road all year and is only 5 kilometers from the Interamerican highway. Lodges on the coast of Golfo Dulce include Golfo Dulce Lodge and Playa Nicuesa Lodge.