MONTHLY ACHIEVEMENT REPORT October 2013 Jalova expedition

GVI staff members and volunteers work to increase conservation awareness in Tortuguero village during TortuFest

Figure 1- Stands organized by Cano Palma Biological Station, Sea Turtle Conservancy, and GVI Jalova for TortuFest.

In order to branch out our collaboration to include more community involvement, serving the needs of Tortuguero village and of our partner organization Sea Turtle Conservancy, GVI Jalova was invited to TortuFest on October 31 2013. This is a festival to celebrate the biodiversity of Tortuguero and the end of turtle season. Together with Cano Palma Biological Station, all three organizations were responsible for a day of ludical activities and biodiversity information for tourists and community members, including kids from 6 to 12 years old.
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Preparation for the festival started a week in advance, at GVI Jalova Base. Staff members and volunteers were involved on the organization of the activities and informative posters to be displayed on the festival. Volunteers and staff divided into teams, responsible for organizing information regarding the projects developed here, as well as general information about GVI organization, principles and objectives.

Figure 2 Jalova Museum Collection. Jaguar footprints, and skulls of several animals from Tortuguero were displayed, together with information on their natural history.

Figure 3 GVI Jalova staff member after a face painting session with children of Tortuguero

GVI Jalova staff and volunteers organized a series of activities and games to be presented at the day for community members and interested tourists. Objects from the Jalova Museum, such as jaguar footprints and animal skulls, were displayed in order to teach community members about the natural history of several different animals that can be found in Tortuguero National Park. Kids were interested in this activity and they observed avidly the jaguar track samples and all the biological material exposed. Video footages and pictures of jaguars taken by camera traps were particularly successful with the children from the community. They showed a large interest for jaguars, especially when viewing videos of jaguars socializing and feeding on turtles. Face painting was also an important activity, during which staff members and volunteers took turns to paint jaguars, butterflies and other animal masks on children. A puzzle with some

important target animals studied in our projects was also prepared to create a fun atmosphere, while teaching them about the biodiversity in this area.

In the afternoon, two talks were given to the children about the projects developed by GVI and partner institutions. The first one was concerning the Biodiversity Assessment Project of Tortuguero National Park, with an interactive exhibition of pictures of animals more commonly found in the area. The second one was given by Stephanny Arroyo Arce, a previous GVI employee and current Panthera representative, where she showed more videos of jaguars captured by our camera traps.

GVI staff and volunteers do an important scientific work assessing the biodiversity of Tortuguero forests and canals. We are now excited about this new opportunity to work closely with communities surrounding Tortuguero National Park. We feel that straightening relationships with the local community is an essential step towards conservation. This event, together with others that already took place in the last months (such as the plant identification course and the snake identification and handling seminar, in conjunction with the local ranger service) are only the start of further integration with the local communities surrounding Tortuguero National Park. It is expected that this participation in Tortuguero community will only increase from now on, and staff and volunteers are eager to continue future projects in the area, with another event taking place this month, the Biodiversity Week.

Figure 4 All volunteers and staff members happy after a successful day of conservation awareness in Tortuguero.

Marcelle Muniz Berreto, Field Staff