Promoting conservation from urban spaces through bird watching!

Photo © Cultura Juventud

Parque La Libertad is a social inclusion project organized by the Department of Culture and Youth of Costa Rica (Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud de Costa Rica). One of its primary goals is to foster a sense of respect for nature and environmentally sustainable urban practices. As a result, its members are dedicated to promoting individual and collective action for the conservation and improvement of urban ecosystems in Costa Rica.

Thanks to the support of the mini-grant for binoculars from Optics for the Tropics and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Parque La Libertad had the equipment to organize entertaining and educational workshops based on BirdSleuth International’s curriculum along with materials about local biodiversity. The students of the Fifth of August (Quince de Agosto) Public School were delighted to hear and learn about the different species of animals that reside locally. In addition, they learned how to use binoculars to observe the birds in their community. They were able to see them close up and appreciate their details as never before—A beautiful moment! Therefore, the binoculars allowed the youth to become more involved and interested in promoting bird observation and conversation in green areas of the city.

Additionally, Parque La Libertad is using binoculars at every opportunity with its participants and visitors. In many cases, visitors and participants work in small groups, which allows for teamwork. Parque La Libertad plans to continue incorporating the use of binoculars in environmental activities organized by the public and within the local community, all with one goal: to help generate spaces for healthy coexistence with nature in the Costa Rican community.