Conservation Programs at Tiskita

In addition to numerous community projects, Tiskita has several conservation programs which have been ongoing for several years. The Tiskita Foundation has played a major role in fundraising and administering these programs.

The Certifucate for Sustainable Tourism is an initiative by the Costa Rican tourism institute which has a third party evaluate hotels on their environmental and social sustainability. The results are given on a sustainability scale, which goes from one to five green leaves. We have applied for the CST and are awaiting their results. We strive to achieve environmental sustainability and provide meaningful contributions to our community.

Reintroduction of the Scarlet Macaw

A hundred years ago, Scarlet Macaws were abundant in the lowland tropical forests of Costa Rica. Poaching for the pet trade has eliminated this species from the area around Tiskita. The re-introduction of the Scarlet Macaw began in 1999 in conjunction with Amigos de las Aves. A free-flying flock of over thirty birds has successfully been established. The birds are currently in the process of dating as they are finding their life-long partner.

Some have even been spotted making nests. We are all very excited to see if any offspring are soon to follow.

Learn more about the Macaw Project.

Sea Turtle Conservation Program

The Sea Turtle Nest Protection and Community Education Program began in 1996 in association with PRETOMA (Sea Turtle Restoration Program of Costa Rica). The conservation program employs local residents to identify species, tally nests, and relocate collected turtle eggs to enclosures protecting them from destruction by poachers or predatory animals. Local school children are invited to partake in the release of the newly hatched baby sea turtles, and so far over 50,000 hatchling turtles have been released on our beaches.

Learn more about the turtle conservation program.

Native Tree Reforestation Project

Much of Costa Rica has been deforested in the last half century resulting in a dramatic loss of wildlife, habitat and soil erosion. In the late 1970's, Tiskita owner Peter Aspinall decided to plant native tree species and evaluate their success to determine whether they could be used in reforestation projects. Since then, Peter's objective has broadened to include key tree species valued for the support of wildlife populations. He is now establishing a nursery of selected native trees and bushes to plant along roadways, in parks and along riverbeds to establish more forests and corridors for wildlife between forested areas.

View a list of the trees at Tiskita.

Volunteer Opportunities at Tiskita

With a variety of environmental conservation programs in progress at Tiskita, we are often looking for volunteers to assist us. Positions are periodically or seasonally available for volunteers to monitor sea turtle nests, work on our scarlet macaw project (gathering local seeds to feed our caged birds and observing the progress of our released flock). In addition, volunteers may be needed for new projects or we may be willing to work with university students researching wildlife or environmental subjects in the future. For updates or more information contact us at Tiskita Jungle Lodge.

Tiskita Foundation

The Tiskita Foundation is a charitable organization started by Peter Aspinall. It raises funds to purchase land for reforestation and conservation in the Punta Banco region, while also working on educational and health projects serving the local communities.

Learn more about the Tiskita Foundation.