Reforestation almost complete

CREA has been busy in August reforesting several areas surrounding Cocobolo Nature Reserve. Over 2000 trees were planted along fence lines and within pasture land in order to ensure a comprehensive vegetative border around the reserve. The trees were all local species that were chosen for their speed of growth and utility for selective harvesting at a later date. The trees were given free to Cocobolo's neighbours and CREA also supplied the technical know how for planting. The farmers provided the labour. We hope to repeat this process next August and increase the area, now under pasture with trees.

Chloe visits Mamoni to meet the Farmers: Recently CREA's director of programs visited the village of Las Zahinas to meet all the farmers who are engaged in CREAs organic agriculture project and visit their organic plots. This visit has been key to helping Chloe design CREAs conservation strategy for the reserve and surrounding buffer zone. The strategy should be ready in the next few weeks and CREA intends to use it to help guide farmers in the management of their plots which includes encouraging them to make their land more biodiversity rich through increased agroforestry etc.

Anarelys, a student from Las Zahinas and sponsored by CREA to attend high school is gearing up to travel to the USA this August to attend Marvelwood School in CT. She will study with Ms. Laurie Doss and learn English and about the biology of the birds in that part of the world.

June 2009:

Cocobolo gets a greenhouse: Iglesias, Joel and Jose Luis, who work up at Cocobolo Nature Reserve have been busy building a bamboo framed greenhouse using 200µ grade plastic. We will now be able to experiment with new plants and crops at our demonstration farm which covers approximately 7 acres and includes an area of reforestation with native trees.

New Executive Director in the US – Elizabeth (Beth) Fairbanks joins our awareness and fundraising efforts in the US. Beth will be working at the CREA USA headquaters in Marin, CA, to take CREA USA to the next level of operation.

Campesino a Cliente – Inhabitants of Panama City are becoming increasingly aware of the risk of insecticides and herbicides. However, not only is Panama in short supply of such produce, but where it can be found it is very expensive. CREA is currently linking those farmers that it has been training in sustainable and organic methods with savvy customers, directly. The farmers get above average prices without having to spend time getting to market while customers get organic vegetables at the same cost as conventional vegetables in the supermarket. Now there's a win win solution!

New Director of Programs in Panama – We welcome Chloe Hill from England who has a PhD in protected area management and a Master's in Conservation Biology. She was recently working at the UN Development Programme.