An aerial photo of the town of Quebradas, Costa Rica, a town nearby to FUDEBIOL whose residents directly benefit from the non-profit's work
It's no question that FUDEBIOL is doing amazing work. But the extreme necessity of their work, and how exactly is it benefiting the Pérez Zeledón region directly, goes unknown by many, even those residing in the nearby towns.
Water Access
FUDEBIOL protects mountainous land home to the Quebradas River. As water travels down the mountain, it is cleaned for safe drinking and usage through an irrigation system. Because of this, their organization is able to help provide drinking water for nearly the entire town of Quebradas. FUDEBIOL provides the primary source of clean water to the entire Pérez Zeledón region, ensuring that over 100,000 Costa Ricans in the city of San Isdrio and the town of Quebradas have access to drinking, bathing, and cooking water.
Cleaner Air
By planting and protecting 75 hectares of trees, FUDEBIOL helps to foster cleaner, healthier air for the surrounding towns and region. As these trees release oxygen into the air and atmosphere, they help to ensure local people are breathing in clean, unpolluted air. Protecting such a high volume of trees allows for a high volume of oxygen in the region's air, allowing those with preexisting health conditions, such as asthma, to live without fear of the air they breathe worsening their condition.
Protecting Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Costa Rica is home to many biodiverse ecosystems, and, because of the work FUDEBIOL is doing to protect so much of the country's forests, countless species of plants and animals will be able to continue to call the Pérez Zeledón region home. Animals and plants are in need of large, continuous habitats if they are to survive, and that is exactly what FUDEBIOL aims to provide them with by continuing to expand the number of hectares they protect. It is important that all animal and plant species are given the space they need to thrive in order to prevent their extinction. If too many species become extinct too quickly, the biodiversity of the ecosystem they are a part of will be threatened. Biodiversity, high variance of species in a habitat, is crucial for the stability of ecosystems. This is because if one species becomes extinct in a biodiverse ecosystem of thirty species, the ecosystem will be able to adapt, and the other twenty-nine species will survive. However, if one species becomes extinct in an ecosystem of three species, which lacks biodiversity, the other two species will likely go extinct as well, as they were both so heavily dependent on the third, now extinct species. Ensuring that there is ample space and natural resources for natural wildlife to properly survive without the threat of extinction allows for the continued existence and preservation of all ecosystems, and the species involved in them.
Preventing Destructive Agricultural Practices
FUDEBIOL is purchasing hectares of land from the government in order to protect it from destructive, irresponsible agricultural practices that were harming it. Not only did these practices cut down trees and destroy the habitats they formed and ecosystems they housed, they also hurt the livelihoods of many Costa Ricans. FUDEBIOL's protection of this land ensures that the region's people will continue to have access to water and other important natural resources, as well as put a halt to the destructive deforestation.
Environmental Education
In addition to all of their conservation efforts, FUDEBIOL has a schoolhouse devoted to environmental education on their property. In this schoolhouse, they host groups of school children who come to learn about environmental preservation and protection, the countless plant and animal species that live on FUDEBIOL's grounds, climate change, and the proper way to interact with and respect the environment. FUDEBIOL also promotes sustainable development activities, such as conservation agriculture, and is a fantastic location for older students to conduct scientific research.
ASOFEQUE
ASOFEQUE, the Associated Women of Quebradas, is a women's group that works out of FUDEBIOL's lands to help develop and support the Quebradas community. In 1995, FUDEBIOL built shelters and kitchens, and ASOFEQUE developed on their grounds. The organization provides food and lodging services to support low-income families.
Roughly five years ago, ASOFEQUE members began providing food and catering services to public and private facilities that needed it. Some of the locations the provide their services to include schools, the ICE Water Forum, the Ministry of Public Education meetings, churches, hospitals, Boy Scouts, and FUDEBIOL itself. ASOFEQUE has served as food service ambassadors to multiple countries and groups, including the Peace Corps, South Korea, the United States, ARO INTERNACIONAL, and the Pérez Zeledón region.
"Each one of us can make a difference. Together we can make a change" ~ Barabra Mikulski
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