ACE in Costa Rica 2023

ACE’s first ever program located in Costa Rica, the student-athlete team worked on conservation-focused projects with local community members in the Costa Rican village of Gandoca to promote wildlife and ecosystem conservation and sustainable resource use.

In Costa Rica, our hosts were taking care of the beaches, forests, and wildlife while utilizing the natural resources that they needed. These conversations made me realize how important it is to talk to the people being affected by these issues. I have come to see how academia and the news can have one perspective on a solution, which might not be wrong, but its actual implementation and effects on the community can have several, much more human-centered point of views, that might offer different perspectives.

– Caelan Koch, Stanford Softball

Projects including assisting in the maintenance of organic cocoa farms, conserving the local sea turtle population through beach clean ups and night patrols to monitor turtle nesting, supporting a mangrove reforestation project by planting over 200 saplings along the coastline, and maintaining infrastructure at the community school.

The small daily conservation efforts from the locals in Gandoca add up over time to make a tremendous difference. By applying the same effort at Duke, we can make a positive impact in the local community.

– Cameron Kerr, Duke Men’s Soccer

Cultural enrichment activities included the opportunity to travel to Sepcue, an indigenous community in the Talamancan mountain range where students immersed themselves in the BriBri language, volunteered at a local elementary school’s organic garden, and engaged in a friendly soccer game with community members. In addition, students took Spanish language lessons, learned about the chocolate making process, visited Cahuita National Park, and hiked through Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge.