Seminar at CATIE presents Conservation and Reforestation projects to the student community VertoEducation

• Announcement of planting of 1,000 trees as a plan to mitigate the carbon footprint of the education program during its stay in Costa Rica

October 28, 2022. October 28, 2022.On Tuesday, October 25, in the Ex-Directors' Room of the Henry A. Wallace Building at CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), a seminar was held to present three conservation and reforestation research projects to the student community of the VertoEducation Verto Education program program hosted on campus.

The first of the three presentations was given by Muhammad Ibrahim, Director General of CATIE, who shared with those in attendance the work being done by the research and teaching center as promoters of Inclusive Green Development. He also emphasized the issue of climate change and how this type of reforestation projects add up to conservation efforts.

"For CATIE it is very important for the students of the Verto program to interact with the institutional scientific community and to have interaction with some of the research projects we are implementing. They are young people who are starting their university studies and deciding in which branch of academia they will continue", mentioned the Director General.

Verto Education es un programa de educación en el extranjero que trabaja con universidades estadounidenses, el cual les brinda a las y los estudiantes la oportunidad de un aprendizaje multidisciplinario donde puedan obtener valiosas habilidades y herramientas para el desarrollo personal y profesional.

Reforesting the Pacuare river basin

` Rivers and Forests Alliance better known by its acronym RAFA, made his presentation about the intention they have maintained for several years to reforest the Pacuare river basin and that was born as a dream from the hand of its founder Rafael Gallo, who died last year. His son, Roberto Gallo, current president and executive project director of RAFA, announced that on November 11, the student community will travel to the farm called Terciopelo, which borders the Pacuare River basin, to plant 1,000 trees native to the area.

"We want Verto students to learn about conservation and sustainability. The planting of these native trees in the Pacuare watershed is very important because we are contributing to the production of oxygen, to fight against soil erosion and improving water quality because these lands were previously pastures" said Gallo; who noted that the Pacuare is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic rivers in the country and the world due to its cleanliness and the practice of rafting, so it is certainly one of the best points to raise awareness on the issue of caring for nature.

María Fernanda Batista Lobo, professor and organizer of the event, said that "The reforestation event is a project of the organization to mitigate the carbon footprint of the operation in the country".

Finally, it was the turn of Roberto Salom Pérez, director for Mesoamerica and Costa Rica of the non-governmental organization Phantera. This organization is dedicated to the conservation of the 40 species of wild felines that exist in the world, particularly in Latin America, working with the jaguar and investigating how their populations are doing, trying to avoid the threats that exist in their habitat.

Salom pointed out that the place where the exchange student community will carry out the reforestation is a critical area for connectivity in Costa Rica, which is the Barbilla - Destierro Paso del Jaguar Biological Corridor. "It is an area between Siquirres and Turrialba, between the two mountain ranges of Talamanca and the Central Volcanic Cordillera, where we have part of the Pacuare river basin, the Reventazón river basin and national routes 10 and 415 that connect Siquirres and Turrialba. So the context of medium and large mammal fauna in the area is very varied and is in constant contact with the inhabitants," said Salom.

For Phantera, it is very important that the participants of the seminar know the importance of the reforestation they will carry out and provide them with a context of how each tree they plant will affect the future.

Roberto Salom mentioned that CATIE is his alma mater since he obtained a joint doctorate with the University of Idaho, which is why he considers it to be the best scenario for this type of reforestation proposal since it is a reference educational institution in conservation and sustainable agriculture.

To learn about VertoEducation:

Earn Credit While Traveling Abroad | Verto Education + Academic Provider

Rivers and Forests Alliance:

Alianza Ríos y Bosques – RAFA (riversandforestsalliance.org)

Phantera:

Panthera Costa Rica