On July 18, 2025, Michael Schnitzler was ceremonially honoured in Golfito by the Costa Rican environmental authority MINAE. This award recognises his decades-long commitment to protecting Costa Rica’s tropical rainforest—and it makes one thing clear: Without Michael Schnitzler, Piedras Blancas National Park probably wouldn’t exist in its current form. All directors of the protected areas in southern Costa Rica expressed their thanks to him—for his tireless support and for the many years in which he stood up for nature on the front line.
The association “Regenwald der Österreicher”, founded by Michael Schnitzler in 1991, has achieved remarkable things since then: establishing the La Gamba Tropical Research Station, founding the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, and above all providing the funding that made Piedras Blancas National Park a reality. In the first 25 years of its existence, 40 km² of rainforest was bought out and integrated into the national park—an invaluable contribution to biodiversity, climate protection, and nature conservation.
💚 Thank you, Michael, for your vision, your courage, and your unwavering commitment!
Your work lives on not only in the forests of Costa Rica, but also in everyone who is committed to their future today. PURA VIDA!
A journey into the hidden world of bird calls in La Gamba
