A hundred volunteers will work over the weekend to create an eight-kilometer protective perimeter that will help defend the Barra Honda National Park, in Guanacaste, from forest fires.
The team, made up of 50% certified forestry brigade members, will create a firebreak round to keep sensitive sectors of the protected area safe. The intervention consists of cleaning the ground until the land is exposed and free of vegetation, in order to reduce to the minimum possible the material that would serve as fuel for the flames. In the event of a fire, when there is no flora to consume, the fire slows its progress and is extinguished.
On this occasion, the brigade members will clear a strip four meters wide and three meters high. The intervention will be carried out in the Barra Honda National Park because it is the territory with the highest risk of forest fires during this dry season, in the Tempisque Conservation Area.
ReservaConchal, the hospitality division of FIFCO, organized the volunteer day as part of the Climate Action corporate strategy. Of the 100 participating volunteers, 44 are company collaborators. Of them, 14 make up the Conchal Reserve Emergency Brigade and have certification from the Fire Management program of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC).
Community participation
The other certified volunteers are residents of surrounding communities, both independent and members of the Guanacaste Conservation Area Brigade (ACG), the Tamarindo Coastal Brigade (BRICA) and the Las Delicias Brigade (BRIDENA).
Non-brigade volunteers will participate in maintenance work in the visitor sector of the National Park, including cleaning the surroundings, varnishing the façade and painting the facilities.
Climate resilience
The volunteer day will be carried out in alliance with the administration of the Barra Honda National Park, part of SINAC; the Santa Cruz Environmental Commission and the community brigades.
With their Climate Action Strategy, ReservaConchal and FIFCO seek to develop greater resilience in the face of climate change, which forces the company and communities to adapt, reduce their environmental footprint and manage their impacts in order to move forward.
As part of this commitment, FIFCO’s ElegíAyudar volunteer program and the Conchal Reserve Emergency Brigade have been developing specific actions since 2022 to prevent fire emergencies in Guanacaste.Previous interventions have been carried out in the Barra Honda, Santa Rosa, Palo Verde and Pocosol Sector national parks.
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