Communities of the Nicoya Peninsula Prepare to Implement Pollinator-Friendly Practices

Following an initial planning period, the project “Regional Action to Improve the Protection of Pollinating Insects and Pollination Services in Latin America” selected more than 20 productive farms on the Nicoya Peninsula where management plans will be developed to implement pollinator-friendly practices beginning next year.

The program's main objective is to develop a catalog of pollinator-friendly practices, establish agreements with the region’s productive sector, and design management plans for implementation across the landscape. The aim is to support greater biodiversity and ecological connectivity, while raising awareness in local communities regarding the importance of pollinating insects for ecosystems and human productive activities.

In addition to implementing pollinator-friendly practices, three farms were also selected – among them, both monoculture and polyculture operations growing products such as coffee, mango, avocado, and melon – where scientific monitoring will take place. This monitoring will analyze insect diversity, study the relationship between these species and the crops, and assess the impact of pollinator-friendly practices on their populations.

Collaborative work with the productive sector, on the implementation of these practices, will begin during the first half of next year.  

Alongside cooperation with local producers, and following agreements with representatives from the public sector, industry, academia, and civil society, the project is working closely with the National Commission for Biodiversity Management (CONAGEBIO, from its acronym in Spanish) to integrate the protection of pollinators and their ecosystem services into the goals of the National Biodiversity Strategy, as part of its current update.

Additionally, work has been carried out with the Tempisque Conservation Area (ACT) network of biological corridors to include actions for the protection of pollinating insects in their strategic and management plans, thus ensuring impact at the landscape level and within public policy frameworks.

“Regional Action to Improve the Protection of Pollinating Insects and Pollination Services in Latin America” is an initiative focused on conservation and sustainable territorial management, developed by the German Development Cooperation Agency and the Costa Rica por Siempre Association, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The initiative is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUKN, from its acronym in German) and the International Climate Initiative (IKI, from its acronym in German).