The Nicoya GCS project so far consists of two main activities, continued support to the Karen Mogensen private forest reserve, and a mangrove restoration in the community of Jicaral in the Gulf of Nicoya, the delta of the Tempisque River. Our coordinating project partner is FUNDECODES.
Pupils from Jicaral on World Environment Day
In 2018, the Karen Mogensen Reserve, managed by the NGO ASEPALECO, remained unaccessible for vehicles, due to strong rainfall. The GCS contribution helped clear the access road. Also, the World Environment Day, a campaign together with school kids from nearby Lepanto was organized with financial support from GCS. Also, ASEPALECO used the funds for wildfire protection, with support to the volunteer firefighters and local awareness rising. These activities were extended to the year 2019.
In Mangrove restoration, FUNDECODES reconnects previous salines and shrimp farming pools by channels to constant seawater flow, in order to allow natural revegetation. These channels tend to obstruct by sedimentation, so that they have to be maintained, deepened and widened. On some heavily salinized soils, revegetation was assisted by planting black 
mangrove seedlings, and the red mangrove species, in places where conditions are already more favorable. Workload increased in terms of receiving visitors from the project sponsors, the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation, and auditors from Naturland, an organization that certifies sustainable seafood production.
FUNDECODES has great plans for the future. It needs to raise more funds, in order to improve the livelihoods in the communities that live from molusque collection in the mangroves. 
They also intend to improve biodiversity monitoring in the restored and protected mangrove areas.
Actually, this is the last annual report from the Nicoya project, because in 2019, its extension to the complete region of Guanacaste was approved by the GCS Technical Panel. This offers the opportunity to better reconnect landscapes by biological corridors, and it offers a greater variety in sponsorship for dedicated ecosystems.
Could I get a copy of the 2018 Annual Report submitted from Nicoya Project, Costa Rica? I am very interested in this project.
Done!