WHAT IS COTERC?

The Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation (COTERC) is a registered Canadian non-profit charitable organiaztion (#890096183 RR0001) based in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1991, COTERC operates in both Canada and Costa Rica. In Canada, our Board of Directors are biologists, accountants, educators, environmentalists, zoo professionals, media professionals -- all committed and working actively to protect tropical rainforests. In Costa Rica, we are based at the Caño Palma Biological Station.

CAÑO PALMA BIOLOGICAL STATION

Caño Palma Biological Station is situated approximately 8 kilometres (5 miles) north of the village of Tortuguero on Costa Rica’s north-eastern coast. The Tortuguero area is an ancient flood plain covered by lowland Atlantic tropical wet forest and is biologically the richest ecosystem in Costa Rica. Average daily temperature is about 26 degrees Celsius and rainfall may exceed 6,000 mm per annum.

The Biological Station is located within the Barra Colorado Wildlife Refuge adjacent to Caño Palma, a narrow, palm-filled canal which separates the Biological Station from the Caribbean Sea by a mere 200-300 metres. The globally endangered green, leatherback, hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles come ashore to nest on beaches accesible from the station. There are no roads in the area, and visitors to Caño Palma arrive by boat via a network of rivers and canals. The station has a large covered boat dock with a lookout designed for viewing wildlife. The compound consists of a lush lawn and gardens with many varieties of tropical plants and shrubs. There is a small pond near the dock which is used by the local wildlife. The station is surrounded by secondary forest in transition, with primary forest just behind.

Much of the surrounding area is protected under Costa Rica’s parks and reserves system, with Tortuguero National Park (18,900 square hectares) and the Barra Colorado Refuge (92,000 square hectares), forming a vast corridor which connects with conserved forest in Nicaragua to the north. Our goal is to extend our efforts in neo tropical conservation to extend beyond the station’s 40 square hectares.

Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation
P.O. Box 335, Pickering, Ontario, L1V 2R6, Canada
phone: (905) 831-8809 | fax: (905) 831-4203

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CCC Costa Rica Programs & Projects

It is the mission of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation to ensure the survival of sea turtles within the Wider Caribbean basin and Atlantic through research, education, training, advocacy and the protection of the natural habitats upon which they depend.

The Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC) is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization based in Florida with offices and projects in several other locations. CCC is the oldest and most accomplished sea turtle organization in the world! Since its founding in 1959, CCC’s work has greatly improved the survival outlook for several species of sea turtles. CCC is a world-renowned leader in sea turtle research and conservation; we hope you will consider supporting us in our efforts!

CCC, founded by Dr. Archie Carr and others, has as its mission the protection of sea turtles and the habitats upon which they depend. To achieve its mission, CCC uses research, habitat protection, public education, community outreach, networking and advocacy as its basic tools. These tools are applied in both international and domestic programs focusing on geographic areas that are globally important to sea turtle survival.

Why Sea Turtles:

CCC has chosen sea turtles as the focus of its conservation efforts in part because these ancient creatures are among the most important indicators of the health of the world’s marine and coastal ecosystems. CCC believes that whether sea turtles ultimately vanish from the planet or whether they remain a wild and thriving part of the natural world, will speak volumes about both the general health of the planet and the ability of humans to sustainably coexist with the diversity of life on Earth.

For over 40 years, CCC has conducted annual sea turtle nest monitoring studies on the 21 mile black sand beach of Tortuguero, Costa Rica, the nesting site of more endangered green turtles than anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere. Since being initiated by Dr. Archie Carr in the 1950s, this monitoring program has provided much information on the reproductive ecology and migratory habits of sea turtles. Researchers and volunteers, who are based at CCC’s John H. Phipps Biological Field Station, continue to monitor nesting trends, growth rates and reproductive success. Through this over four-decade-long conservation initiative, CCC has reversed the decline of green turtles in the Caribbean.

Not only does CCC carry out a variety of research initiatives in the region, it offers people around the world the opportunity to join CCC in Tortuguero as a Sea Turtle Research Participant in its leatherback or green turtle monitoring project! Each year, turtle-lovers like yourself migrate to this tropical paradise to participate in our hands-on research programs at the edge of the Costa Rican rainforest. Every year, leatherbacks, hawksbills and green turtles return to the land to complete the nesting ritual they have preformed for eons. You can be a part of CCC’s efforts to conserve these ancient nomads by participating in a one or two week field program.

Caribbean Conservation Corporation
4424 NW 13th St. Suite B-11
Gainesville, FL 32609
Phone: 352-373-6441
Fax: 352-375-2449
1-800-678-7853

QUE ES COTERC?

La Organización para la Educación sobre el Trópico y la conservación de la selva (COTERC) es una organización Canadiense registrada sin fines de lucro (# 890096183 RR0001) ubicada en Pickering, Ontario, Canadá. Fundada en 1991, COTERC opera en ambos lugares, Canadá y Costa Rica. En Canadá, nuestro comité de directores esta conformado por biólogos, contadores, educadores, ambientalistas, profesionistas de zoológicos, profesionales de comunicación – todos comprometidos y trabajando activamente para proteger el bosque tropical. En Costa Rica, estamos situados en la estación Biológica Caño Palma.

ESTACION BIOLOGICA CAÑO PALMA

La Estación Biológica Caño Palma, esta situada aproximadamente a 8 kilómetros (5 millas) al norte de Tortuguero, en la costa noreste de Costa Rica. El área de Tortuguero es una antigua planicie inundada cubierta por tierras bajas del bosque tropical del Atlántico y es biológicamente, el ecosistema más rico en Costa Rica. La temperatura diaria promedio es de 26 grados centígrados, y las lluvias exceden los 6,000 mm anuales.

La Estación Biológica esta localizada dentro del Refugio Barra Colorado adyacente a Caño Palma, un angosto, canal de palmas que separa a la Estación Biológica del mar Caribe por solo 200 o 300 metros. Las tortugas marinas, como la Verde, la Carey, y la Boba, vienen a tierra para anidar en playas accesibles a la Estación. No hay carreteras en el área, y los visitantes de Caño Palma, llegan por lancha por los ríos y canales. La Estación tiene un muelle grande cubierto, diseñado para apreciar la flora y fauna silvestres. El sitio buenta con vegetación exuberante y jardines con gran variedad de plantas y arbustos tropicales. Hay una laguna cercana la cual es usada por la fauna silvestre local. La Estación esta rodeada por selva secundaria en transición, con selva primaria en la parte de atrás.

Gran parte del área esta protegida por el Sistema de parques y reservas de Costa Rica, junto con el Parque Nacional Tortuguero (18,900 hectáreas cuadradas) y el Refugio Barra Colorado (92,000 hectáreas cuadradas), formando un vasto corredor que conecta con la selva del Norte de Nicaragua. Nuestra meta es extender nuestros esfuerzos en conservación neo tropical para extender la Estación mas allá de 40 hectáreas cuadradas.

Canadian Organization for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation
P.O. Box 335, Pickering, Ontario, L1V 2R6, Canada
phone: (905) 831-8809 | fax: (905) 831-4203

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