RESUMEN
Maderas Rainforest Conservancy (MRC) is a conservation non-profit organization that protects forests, offers primate field schools, and leads community outreach initiatives at sites in Central America, including La Suerte Biological Research Station (LSBRS) in Costa Rica. In 2018, MRC started Aula Verde, a conservation education initiative for elementary school students aged 5-12 at LSBRS. Groups of children from elementary schools and communities located within 50 km have visited LSBRS from 2018-2023 to participate in the 1.5-2 hour Aula Verde workshop, which consists of (1) an interactive lecture on conservation, (2) a guided forest walk, and (3) a snack, gift bag, and tree seedling for each participant. Workshops are funded by international donations to MRC and cost US $8-16 per student. Aula Verde has been successful, with multiple schools and communities making repeat visits, students' families beginning to recycle their garbage and joining a WhatsApp group about conservation education that MRC staff initiated and lead, and teachers reporting improved learning outcomes for students who participate in the workshops. The success of Aula Verde is largely due to the ecological expertise and strong community ties of LSBRS staff. While the COVID-19 pandemic decreased Aula Verde offerings from 2020-2023, we expect workshops to resume at full capacity in 2024. In the future, MRC hopes to expand Aula Verde's outreach to all children aged 5-12 living within 50 km of LSBRS.
RESUMEN
Maderas Rainforest Conservancy (MRC) was incorporated as a conservation nonprofit organization in 2008, and manages two sites where biological field courses have been offered since the 1990s: La Suerte Biological Research Station in Costa Rica, and Ometepe Biological Research Station in Nicaragua. MRC employs a One Health approach to conservation education, and can serve as a model for other biological field sites. The Nicaraguan Molina family, who owns the sites, partnered with primatologist Paul Garber in 1994 to develop a primate field course aimed at introducing university students to field research. Through using their land to further conservation education and research, the Molina family has preserved the forest and engaged the local communities near their sites. Eight graduate theses and 46 refereed publications have been completed since 2010 based on research undertaken at MRC sites. While primate field courses have been offered at least once annually since 1994 and remain popular, a range of other ecological courses are now additionally offered. MRC operates from a One Health perspective, engaging in forest restoration and ecological monitoring projects, and has gradually expanded community outreach initiatives. MRC now conducts regular medical and veterinary missions in the communities surrounding the research stations which provide health care to local people and limit the population growth of domestic animals, thereby increasing the survival of wild animals. MRC is also active in ESL-teaching and conservation education, and funds Proyecto Jade, which empowers local women to make and sell organic jewelry. Through these programs, MRC works to help the local communities live more sustainably with the environment around them. MRC's support of research, commitment to education, medical and veterinary missions, and outreach initiatives to the local community all work together for the well-being of both the people and the environment, thus exemplifying the One Health perspective.