The Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG) together with the Municipality of Liberia, held a discussion on the role of women in the conservation and restoration of the ecosystems of the wild areas that the ACG protects, in addition to biocultural restoration through biological education (over 35 years) and other awareness-raising processes.
The activity was carried out in order to reflect the role that women play in conservation processes, such as ecological and biocultural restoration in the country and in each of its communities.
Biocultural restoration
From the beginning, ACG has recognized that together with the consolidation, restoration and conservation of ecosystems, strategies must be developed to implement the “biocultural restoration” of society, especially of the new generations, future decision-makers in their communities and in the country, for this reason, it uses the reunion with nature that it does through bio-literacy from boys and girls, in order for them to learn to read and understand ecological processes, under the mission of the Biological Education Program (PEB ).
Doña Flor Lara, representative of AsoJunquillal and the network of family inns of Cuajiniquil, shared her experience in these projects that are carried out in the protected wild areas of the ACG, such is the case of the Beach Market in the Bahía Junquillal National Wildlife Refuge, where local artisans bring their products to sell in high tourist seasons.
On the other hand, Doña Lucrecia Pastrana, shared her experience of 35 years with the forest brigade of the ACG, explained the problem of forest fires in the region and her community, now she is convinced that education in the population is extremely important for create citizen awareness.
Multiple agenda
The talk was divided into two blocks, both with special guests from the communities, women who have played an invaluable role in these avant-garde ACG processes. In the first of them, an initiative related to the ecological restoration of the Bahía Tomás mangrove (formerly a salt mine) was shared, and where Mrs. María Marta Chavarría from the ACG Research Program and in charge of the Bahía Tomás restoration project, was part of the special guests.
On this occasion, Chavarría explained to the audience the concept of ecological restoration and referred to the project that he leads, to base and share the experience; while Mrs. Estela Alemán, representative of the Cuajiniquil community, explained her role and that of other women in the community in the field work that has been carried out in the mangrove swamp and the importance of collaborative work.
On the other hand, Milena Gutiérrez from the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) also participated, with the subject of landscape restoration and projects developed in agro-landscape communities of the ACG and Mrs. Ana Bonilla, in charge of the forest nursery of the community of Santa Cecilia de la Cruz-Guanacaste, who led the process with other members of ASADA. The second block dealt with the issue of biocultural restoration and their respective actions.
