FAQ’s

Fact Sheet (FAQ):Q – What is Women of the Osa (WOO)?

A – WOO is a group of committed volunteers founded purposely through Alvaro Ugalde’s efforts towards the Osa Campaign. These women who live in the Osa Peninsula and surrounding areas, located in southern zone of Costa Rica, on the Pacific Ocean are striving for conservation, education and ecological awareness to preserve one of the most intense reservoirs of biodiversity on Earth. This organization works to design, implement and aid projects with public-private partnerships to protect the Osa. A unique and distinguishing factor of WOO is the perspective that these women bring to conservation.

Q – What are the current projects you are supporting?

A – A waste management and recycling project in the rural areas.

Q – How is this organization funded?

A – WOO is a non-profit organization currently funded primarily through traveler’s philanthropic gifts, dues and fund raising events.

Q- What are WOO’s major goals?

A –1. Conservation: Preserve one of the most biologically intense places of the world, the Osa Peninsula and its surrounding areas.2. Education: Educate the communities around these areas to get their continuous support in preserving the flora and fauna.3. Ecological Awareness: WOO hopes to create and increase ecological awareness amongst the community, private and public investors, tourists and Costa Ricans in general about the need to preserve pristine places such as the Osa. Through these means we hope each person who comes to visit the Osa will leave understanding the importance and vitality of the rainforest.

Q – Tell me about your waste management programs

A – WOO is working together with RANA, a group of volunteer teenagers from the Puerto Jimenez High School, in implementing a much needed waste management and recycling project for Puerto Jimenez, Matapalo and Carate. In this project, we will also be educating the local communities about recycling and their benefits. As problems are resolved and knowledge gained, expansion will be possible and the program will be available to other communities.

Q – Why chose Costa Rica for environmental efforts?

A – As the realization grows that the world’s tropical rainforests are endangered and money is increasingly available to try to preserve some of the forests, decisions need to be made about where to begin. Logically the international community chooses to start in a place where they can operate in safety and security.Costa Rica is a stable, democratic country with good infrastructure and educated people. It also holds vital ecological treasures such as a great variety of habitat and 25% of the country’s territory is protected land and reserves. Thus, Costa Rica serves as a model for conservation efforts in that it combines a variety of ecological resources and habitats with a stable environment in which to implement the programs. Les Beletsky: “Costa Rica, The Eco-Travelers’ Wilderness Guide�.

Q – Why is it so important to preserve the Osa?

A –The Osa Peninsula is one of the largest most intact and most diverse marine buffered lowland rainforest ecosystems in Central America, and it is in danger. The Osa by itself is home to 2.5% of the whole world’s biodiversity. “Biodiversity is simply life in all its forms. Biodiversity includes the various things you eat. It is the rich array of spices that enliven those foods. Biodiversity is the plants that provide fibre for textiles and paper. It is the bees, bats, butterflies and hummingbirds that pollinate their flowers. It is the forests and other habitats that sustain wildlife in those habitats. The biodiversity of this planet sustains our existence by providing both the necessities of existence, and the incredible beauty and interest inherent in the variety and complexity of life�. Adrian ForsythIt is critical to preserve this biodiversity not only for the people who live in the Osa, but for the good of the world. The oxygen provided by the rainforest helps balance the global warming effect. Rainforest plants are a vital source for major medicinal breakthroughs. As well, our emotional well-being depends on places which give us a sense of peace and harmony. By depleting different wild life species, the chain of survival is broken which leads to disequilibrium in nature. By allowing deforestation our climates will continue to change dramatically. It is the global importance of this unique region, which faces ever-increasing threats that needs our help. We need to conserve this amazing and resourceful place for each one of us and for future generations.Aside from moral arguments – the acknowledgement that we share the world with millions of other species and have some obligation not to be the continuing agent of their decline and extinction – increasingly we understand that conservation is in our best interest. Les Beletsky: “Costa Rica, The Eco-Travelers’ Wilderness Guide�.

Q – How can I help?

A –1. Donate much needed funds for our conservation projects or send a check for a tax deductible donation to:Friends of the Osac/o Conservation International1919 M St NWSuite 600Washington DC 200362. Help others with conservation programs or sustainability3. Get involved at the local level in your community4. Try to live your life in a more sustainable way