About the association
A long-standing success story
The Esquinas Rainforest in Costa Rica is a 159 km² lowland rainforest on the Pacific coast of Central America and is one of the most species-rich forests on Earth. With up to 150 tree species per square kilometre and a wide range of endangered animal species such as wild cats, monkeys, macaws and tapirs, this forest faced the threat of destruction even after it was declared Piedras Blancas National Park in 1991.
The Regenwald der Österreicher association, founded in 1991 by Prof. Michael Schnitzler, bought back more than 4,000 hectares of this area in its first 25 years with the help of donations and gifted it to Costa Rica’s national park authority. Today, most of the area is protected and the forest is considered saved. To ensure long-term protection, rangers were hired, threatened species were reintroduced, a research station was built, a sustainable eco-lodge was opened, and regional development aid was integrated.
But it doesn’t stop there!
Since 2012, the association has also supported the La Gamba Tropical Research Station with land purchases and reforestation in the COBIGA Biological Corridor, which is intended to connect the lowland rainforest of Piedras Blancas National Park with the mountain rainforests of the nearby Fila Cruces range. This ensures that the rainforest’s animals, plants and other living organisms have the opportunity to migrate.
