Forestry interns measuring a tree, part of creating an inventory of the forest reserve.

Girl on the porch of a house, Rancho Quemado

Chacuaco Lodge for travelers to Rancho Quemado

Cattle Farmers in Rancho Quemado made cheese from milk their cows gave. Without refrigeration or easy access to urban markets, they used salt to preserve the cheese.

Ranch house with truck and motorcycle. Both are needed — one to move goods, the other for transporting the farmer and sometimes one or two others.

Creating a scientific database of the Osa forest reserve requires good data about kinds, varieties and properties of the complex plant life found there.

This cooperative workshop was set up to encourage value added and sustainable forestry. When local people can keep more of the income from timber products, there’s less need to cut trees.

Teaching the next generation to value the forest for more than its timber is a critical part of BOSCOSA’s program.

Logging is one threat to the integrity of Osa’s forest reserve.

A value-added small business.

Traditional method of pounding and winnowing rice to remove the hulls, in a wooden metate

Bean field at Rancho Quemado

It’s a rugged and lengthy climb up to this gold claim at El Tigre, where an extended family mines gold. The miners stay for days, with a family member — in this case a young girl — to cook for them.

Miner at El Tigre

A meeting at BOSCOSA headquarters

Rancher crossing a river with cattle

The community of Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is populated by both English-speaking descendants of African slaves, and also indigenous BriBri who live in the hills above.

In Puerto Viejo much economic and cultural life is on the beach, in the shade of sea grape trees.The game of dominoes is a village tradition.

The Bribri of Puerto Viejo and environs traditionally constructed their homes of wood and thatch from the forest around them.

The many varied species of trees have specific uses in constructing indigenous houses.

One of many activities that happen at the beach, which functions as town square.

Childcare is mostly informal, with whatever adults may be able to keep an eye on the little ones.

A unique style of braiding hair, a possible source of income for village women.

Common tree in yards, providing fruit

As in much of the coastal area of Central America, people live and move among their animals as a normal part of life.

A simple cookstove built from clay bricks with metal top serves most households.

Most houses contain a hammock, for everything from resting to napping babies.

In a Bribri kitchen

A forest village faced with the ravages of tourism