In 2022, ENCA provided funding ($2,000 – USD) for the operation of a programme entitled ‘Aula Verde’ (Green Classroom) run by the community of Longo Maï in Costa Rica, the Network of Nicaraguan Private Wildlife Reserves (Red de Reservas Silvestres Privadas de Nicaragua) and the Nicaraguan Ecological Conservation Chamber (Cámara de Conservación Ecológica de Nicaragua).
The Green Classroom Programme is an educational initiative created by the Greenfields Wildlife Reserve, who in turn took it to the Network of Wildlife Reserves of Nicaragua for its promotion and implementation at a country wide level.
The aim and essence of the Aula Verde Programme is environmental education. The programme applies environmental values through the notions of ‘learning together’, games and social commitment in the training of the participants. In the case of Longo Maï, the aim was to raise awareness among the collaborators with the Longo Maï Wildlife Refuge of the care and conservation of the environment and the promotion of the best ecological practices that can influence specific elements of the conservation projects.
Greenfields is the name of the location where facilitators from Longo Mai were to be trained in Nicaragua. The teacher from Greenfields was Luis Cortes, who has been an instructor of the Aula Verde Programme in Nicaragua for years, for groups in communities and schools. In Nicaragua he works as a tour operator, naturalist guide and bird watcher.
The original intention of two people from Longo Maï travelling to Nicaragua to receive the training was changed so that Luis Cortes from Greenfields would travel to Costa Rica to give the training in Longo Maï. One advantage of this alteration was that ten people from the Longo Maï area could now be trained instead of just the original two.
It is hoped that in the future Longo Maï may be able to set up an interchange where people also come from Nicaragua to Costa Rica under the project. This was a genuine South-South interchange enabled by ENCA’s funding.
Thus in February this year, a total of 15 participants received training from Luis over the course of three days. Luis wrote a 20 page report about the event which is mostly composed of fascinating photographs from the three days. This report can be read below.
230100 Informe Aula Verde Longo Mai