Climate Justice on the Most Biodiverse Place on Earth
—Volunteering in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.
After 8 sweaty hours on a bus with no AC, I arrived in Puerto Jimenez, the gateway to the most biodiverse place on earth, the Osa Peninsula. The Osa Peninsula is home to roughly 2.5% of the planet’s biodiversity, despite covering less than one thousandth of a percent of the earth’s surface (source: Osa Conservation). Greeted by the sounds of crickets and other critters, the blanket of night made mystery of the morning. After a short walk through this tiny town with my trusty backpack in tow I arrived at Los Higuerones where I was greeted by fellow volunteers who showed me around the accommodation briefly before I surrendered to the inevitable travel exhaustion and slipped off to bed, curious to see what the next day, or weeks, would bring.
If you read my last article, you’ll know I was seeking to get involved in impactful projects, engaging in regenerative - rather than simply sustainable - tourism while travelling through Costa Rica. My research led me to this place through Workaway, a site that connects potential volunteers with a variety of hosts and projects all over the world.* I had reached out to arrange a call with Tricia, the founder and visionary force behind Los Higuerones back in November, (it was now early January) and though I wasn’t too sure what I was getting into other than helping with communications strategy and digital marketing, I could sense from her energy and the way she approaches life that this was the right place to be. I decided to withhold any expectations and be open to receive this experience however it was going to be.
Shortly after sunrise the following morning, I took my fresh eyes for a wander around the property, now transformed by daylight. Some of the volunteers were deep in their personal morning practices in the communal space overlooking the garden where two Higueron trees stand guard, holding the space in a way no other being could. The resident pup Luna found ways to lovingly nudge her nose into crotches and armpits and found just the right spot to sit (occupied yoga mats only). Despite her mischief, her presence was always welcomed.
Before long, I stumbled across Tricia in the kitchen. We took in the impression of one another in the flesh this time, rather than through a screen. Her enthusiasm and warm nature expressed through the fine lines around her eyes, (smile lines as I like to call them), and it was evident that she held a lot of embodied wisdom that only her years on this planet could have given her.
Tricia explained that for the first few days, myself and three other volunteers would be heading to her home a few miles away, to sit with one another and have a vision session, clarifying what Los Higuerones is now, and can become in the future. On the 17 mile drive down a bumpy road with a few precarious bridges to navigate, she shared with us some of the history of the region.
“Have you heard of the green revolution?” she asked, over the sound of an old engine and the wind blowing through the pickup. “It’s not as nice as it sounds.” The green revolution is a term that has nothing to do with environmentalism, quite the opposite, it refers to the third agricultural revolution. She explained that since the 1970s, Local producers in the Osa Region have been coerced by the agriculture industry into a mono-crop system of farming that is seriously harmful to the environment; monocultures degrade soil fertility, create imbalances in the ecosystem, destroy habitats for indigenous wildlife, and necessitate the use of strong chemical pesticides where they wouldn’t otherwise be needed in healthy polyculture systems.
The damage doesn’t end there; the introduction of mono-crops have also harmful to those producers’ livelihoods. Unattainable demands from distributors for a particular quota of produce per season, coupled with the difficulty of transporting fresh goods en masse in a region with poor internal infrastructure has left many farmers unable to make an income. This is a story that sadly is not unique to the Osa Peninsula, or even to Costa Rica. The implementation of this system across the globe, particularly in the global south, has had devastating socio-economic effects.
This is just one example of the need for climate justice; the systems currently in place, such as monoculture farming, that are depleting the environment to satisfy the demand for consistent commercial products to be enjoyed by the global north, are also causing human rights issues in the global south. Climate Justice as defined by UNICEF is about “ensuring representation, inclusion, and protection of the rights of those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change” (Source: UNICEF).
After taking that first day to settle in, enjoying the stretch of almost deserted beach a few minutes walk away, and getting accustomed to the local wildlife and the accompanying new sound scape; howler monkeys, fireflies, lizards, frogs, you name it, we got to work. The following day, Tricia, Iris (a volunteer who came for a week and has stayed for almost a year), Roz (another volunteer who arrived a week or so before me) and I all gathered in a circle to begin our vision session. What came to light during that session was how deeply rooted the vision is for this place, how ambitious the scope, and how motivated these two powerhouses, Tricia and Iris, are.
Observing the socio-economic effects of the green revolution when she arrived in Costa Rica over 20 years ago, Tricia chose to make it her life’s work to do something to rebalance the system in favour of those who have been stewards of the land for generations. This was one of the key principles behind Los Higuerones: understanding that in order to heal our planet, we must first heal our relations with one another, this is climate justice in action. That requires addressing the damages inflicted on the local farming communities by setting up alternative avenues for income, with a view towards economic equality.
As Tricia and Iris explained to me in that session, and as I got to experience for myself a few days later, On Saturdays at their base in Puerto Jimenez, Los Higuerones transforms into a farmers market, Mercado Verde, that provides producers from the local area with an opportunity to sell their goods; fresh fruits and veggies, homemade sauces and preserves, baked goods and dried goods, along with a menu of prepared to order lunch items - here there’s no demands for mono-crop style quotas; producers simply bring what they have harvested or prepared, and naturally that differs a little from week to week.
That keeps things exciting for the customers who come back week after week; not only do they get to try new foods and experiment with new ingredients, but it’s also an opportunity for cross-cultural dialogue, for non-native locals (I hate the term ex-pats, but you know who I’m talking about- white folks living permanently in Costa Rica), as well as tourists and volunteers passing through, to get to know the producers of the food that they enjoy.
For me, this is where the magic happens, in the space of cultural exchange, the mutual love affair with empanadas and hot sauce. It’s Doña Olga patting the back of your hand, just like my grandma did, telling you to keep the change after you purchased her Cuadradas (a fruit in the banana/ plantain family, which she tells me is delicious fried or boiled with a little salt). The place is alive with the sound of friendly chatter, the smell of woodsmoke from the oven where Doña Eida is cooking up a storm, kids running around playing games with each other and the volunteers, weaving between stalls and tall legs.
Other than the market, Higuerones provides a space for community initiatives; while I was staying there a group of local school children came to present their research project findings to one another. Seeing bright kids engaged in social research, asking questions and visioning for the future really gives me hope for the next generation. There are also weekly yoga, dance and martial arts classes run by local teachers. A vitality resonates through this space in a way that only the people can bring, creating so much potential for grassroots social movements to advance.
There’s a strong emphasis here on supporting the needs of the local community, allowing initiatives to be driven from within rather than imposed from outside. That’s one of the principles behind Manos Cambiadas, another programme run through Los Higuerones, where volunteers can assist local farmers on a needs-based basis with various projects, from harvesting to small scale construction. This approach avoids the pitfalls of voluntourism I mentioned in my last article- volunteers are only there to provide the help that is actually needed and asked for.
By the end of my time there, I had learnt a lot, and now that I have the time, my intention is to go on supporting the work of Los Higuerones remotely. The warmth of the place still resonates in my heart, I have warm memories of the people I met and the food we shared, of Luna’s companionship all the way to the bus station on my last day at 5am. The intentions and actions of the cooperative are in alignment with their values, which I share too; putting regeneration at the centre of everything they do. Actively choosing to rebuild rather than just sustain. And since I have completed my permaculture course (more on that soon), I am now observing all the ways that Los Higuerones is embodying permaculture ethics too. Taking care of people and planet means fair redistribution of resources, with a vision in mind of future generations living in reciprocity with the earth and one another.
This really is a visionary project, and essential work to ensure the thriving of the precious and unique land that is the Osa Peninsula and all the people and animals who live there. I’d love to see the work they do go further. If you’d like to donate to the project, or are interested in volunteering yourself, head over to their website to read more.
*A note on workaway - I definitely recommend using the site, it’s worth the $40 sign up fee, however I would suggest you take your time to read reviews of previous volunteers, and get to know your host well in advance of your intended stay to make sure the project is a good fit for you and that you’ll feel comfortable there. A lot of the best opportunities are snapped up months in advance, so in this instance, (though not always!) it’s worth planning ahead. It’s also worth checking the terms of the exchange, some places offer your food and accommodation in exchange for the work you’ll do, others just accommodation, and accommodation can vary greatly from tents to houses. Have an idea also of how much and what type of work you’ll be expected to do so you can assess if the exchange feels good for you too. It should feel beneficial for both parties involved - there’s that reciprocity in action again!