Wildlife Corridors on Costa Rica Farms Offer a New Path for Conservation.
Rare, a conservation organization, has partnered with Osa Conservation to work with farmers on a wildlife corridor linking two major protected forests in southern Costa Rica.
Rare and Osa Conservation have begun a partnership to strengthen a wildlife corridor across southern Costa Rica by working directly with the farmers whose land lies along its path. Osa Conservation is building what it calls a climate-adaptive mega wildlife corridor. Rare is contributing its behavioral science and community engagement expertise so that farming communities help shape the restoration work.
The corridor is meant to connect Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula with La Amistad International Park. According to Rare, Corcovado supports endangered wildlife such as the Baird's tapir and white-lipped peccary, along with hundreds of bird species. La Amistad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spans the Talamanca Mountain range along the Costa Rica-Panama border and is home to 60% of Costa Rica's species. Between the two parks lies a patchwork of farms, ranches, Indigenous territories and rural communities.
Osa Conservation works with local farmers on a voluntary basis. Rodrigo De Sousa, the group's Tropical Forest Program Manager, said camera traps and landscape mapping have helped identify the places where reconnecting habitat would matter most. One participant, Vivian, found a cleared pasture when she returned to the farm she and her husband had acquired in Hamacas. She has since been planting native fruit trees and plants, and she reports that monkeys and birds now come to feed there.
In early 2026, Rare interviewed many farmers living along the planned corridor. It found that farmers living just miles apart often shared concerns about water, soil and their communities' future, though their reasons for taking part in conservation differed. Uriel, a young rancher in Paraíso Changüina, pointed to landslide risk in his community. "I have seen that the risk is lower in reforested zones," he said. Others worried that setting land aside could cut family income, and some cited earlier failed seedlings or uneven technical support. Nearly everyone stressed trust, and farmers said they wanted long-term partners who deliver reliable support and keep their commitments.
The project will now look for approaches that combine conservation with livelihoods, such as silvopastoral systems that integrate trees, forage crops and livestock on one managed landscape. Ana Barajas, the Rare applied social scientist managing the partnership, said, "No two farms are exactly alike." She said the goal is to build landscapes where ranching, agriculture and biodiversity can coexist over the long term. The page describes plans and early research, not completed corridors.
At a Glance
- The planned corridor would link Corcovado National Park and La Amistad International Park in southern Costa Rica.
- Rare interviewed many farmers along the planned corridor in early 2026.
- According to Rare, La Amistad is home to 60% of Costa Rica's species.
- Silvopastoral systems, which combine trees, forage crops and livestock, are one approach the project will explore.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.