NGO · Costa Rica · Conservation

Kéköldi Rainforest Project

Community-led rainforest and wildlife monitoring in the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve of Caribbean Costa Rica.

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Photos (1)
WhereCosta Rica
FocusConservation
Established2005
Next placement7 Sep 2026

About Kéköldi Rainforest Project

Operating since 2005

Community-led rainforest and wildlife monitoring in the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve of Caribbean Costa Rica.

The Kéköldi Rainforest Project runs a long-term biodiversity monitoring programme in the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve, generating scientific data to support the conservation of one of Costa Rica's most biodiverse Caribbean lowland rainforests. Work is based at a research station reached by a 45-minute uphill forest trail, with the team surveying the reserve almost daily across several taxonomic groups.

Methods include line transects, point counts, audio and visual encounter surveys, camera traps and citizen-science apps. Data feeds species checklists and studies of distribution and co-occurrence that inform conservation decisions, and the work is carried out in close partnership with the Bribrí Indigenous community whose land it is based on.

Its objectives are to increase knowledge of the Kéköldi forest, provide data to conservation partners, build local capacity for long-term conservation and sustainable development, minimise its own environmental impact, and raise public awareness of Costa Rica's forest and coastal environments.

  • Kéköldi is one of the top three sites in the world for monitoring migratory birds and hosts the third-largest raptor migration on the planet.
  • The reserve covers over 8,500 acres (~3,500 ha) of Caribbean lowland rainforest, home to thousands of species.
  • Four wild cat species live in the reserve — puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and margay — with camera traps also watching for the jaguar, absent for around two decades.
  • Around one hundred species of frogs and reptiles inhabit the reserve, including the eyelash palm pitviper, fer-de-lance and red-eyed tree frog.
  • Monitored endangered species include the critically endangered great green macaw, hawksbill turtle, striped pygmy snake and Central American spider monkey.
  • The project built a purpose-built 'Kéköldi Surveys' mobile app for field data collection and produced a documentary about the reserve, 'Sibo's Gift'.

Project work

Raptor migration & biodiversity monitoring

The Kéköldi Rainforest Project runs long-term biodiversity monitoring across the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve, one of the top three sites in the world for migratory birds of prey. Daily surveys track raptor migration, wild cats, herpetofauna and mammals to build scientific data that supports protection of this Caribbean lowland rainforest.

Community-led & ethical

The project operates on Bribrí Indigenous land with the community's permission, sharing accommodation with a Bribrí family who have lived in the reserve since 1977. It supports community-led initiatives including the Kéköldi Hawkwatch raptor-monitoring work, and respect for local knowledge, culture and safeguarding is built into its code of conduct.

Impact

The Kéköldi Rainforest Project runs long-term biodiversity monitoring and conservation across the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve and the Cahuita coast in Costa Rica.

834.5kg plastic waste collected from clean-ups (2024)
2,926camera trap days completed (2025)
2,427species monitored (excluding endangered species) (2025)
945endangered species surveys (2024)

2026 (to date)

5SDG awareness workshops delivered
43individuals attending SDG workshops
135environmental workshops delivered
107individuals attending workshops
342biodiversity surveys
118individuals involved in biodiversity surveys
41,040minutes spent surveying
130endangered species surveys
118endangered species surveyed
2,300kWh of solar energy generated

2025

9site clean-ups
258individuals involved in site clean-ups
630kg waste collected from clean-ups
273environmental workshops delivered
246individuals attending workshops
5SDG awareness workshops delivered
68individuals attending SDG workshops
944biodiversity surveys
265individuals involved in biodiversity surveys
2,427species monitored (excluding endangered species)
113,280minutes spent surveying
944endangered species surveys
506endangered species surveyed
252endangered species monitored
5,520kWh of solar energy generated
18new species newly recorded in the reserve (10 reptiles, 2 mammals, 1 amphibian, plus birds)
18trail cameras deployed at 16 locations
2,926camera trap days completed
5individual ocelots fully identified (both flanks)
21detections of the most-recorded ocelot, Artemis
126standardised biodiversity surveys completed on the Cahuita coast
268vertebrate species recorded on the Cahuita coast
184bird species recorded on the Cahuita coast
24mammal species recorded on the Cahuita coast
37reptile species recorded on the Cahuita coast
23amphibian species recorded on the Cahuita coast
166species recorded per month on average on the Cahuita coast
6research trails established on the Cahuita coast
33sea turtle nests recorded at the Cahuita coastal programme
29leatherback turtle nests
2green turtle nests
2hawksbill turtle nests
~850turtle hatchlings released
54%average hatch success rate
12 kmof beach marked to standardise nest monitoring
100+native trees planted in degraded coastal areas
4tree-planting events on the Cahuita coast

2024

26site clean-ups
49individuals involved in site clean-ups
834.5kg plastic waste collected from clean-ups
235environmental workshops delivered
214individuals attending workshops
945endangered species surveys
266individuals involved in surveys
882biodiversity surveys
24SDG awareness workshops delivered
203individuals involved in SDG workshops
201.6kW of solar energy used

2023

3site clean-ups
15individuals involved in site clean-ups
82kg plastic waste collected from clean-ups
5endangered species monitored
642biodiversity surveys
177individuals involved in biodiversity surveys
249species monitored (excluding endangered species)
22SDG awareness workshops delivered
78individuals involved in workshops

Approach

This organisation runs a long-term biodiversity monitoring programme in an Indigenous rainforest reserve, generating scientific data that supports the protection of one of Costa Rica's most biodiverse Caribbean lowland forests. It works in close partnership with the Bribrí community whose land it is based on, aiming to build local capacity for conservation and sustainable community development, provide data to conservation partners, and raise public awareness of endangered species.

Work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 13, 14, 15 and 17 and supports existing community-led initiatives. The research station is run on solar power with rainwater harvesting, composting, tree planting and a largely plant-based diet, and the project measures and minimises its own environmental footprint on the forest.

Milestones

The organisation's conservation work in Costa Rica dates to 2005, when it began in partnership with Tortuguero National Park, spending around 12 years monitoring biodiversity and sea turtles in the Tortuguero area (including green and leatherback turtle work, jaguar camera-trapping, and bird and biodiversity surveys, with results presented at regional and international symposia). In July 2022 the work relocated south to Cahuita to expand conservation and community efforts, and in September 2022 the team began collaborating with the Kéköldi community to support its migratory-raptor monitoring. In December 2022 the base moved into the Kéköldi Indigenous territory to develop longer-term monitoring, and in January 2023 it began operating from the Kéköldi Scientific Centre in partnership with the Asociación Ambiental Kéköldi Hawkwatch. The first participants were welcomed in 2023. Milestones since include a full 2023 turtle season with a Cahuita turtle-rescue partner (40 nests protected, 1,500 hatchlings released), the 2023 Hawkwatch season (862 fieldwork hours, nearly 6 million migratory birds counted), a 2023 field season of 81 participants, 556 surveys and 366 species recorded, and a 2024 field season of 93 participants and 909 surveys with new species sighted for the reserve and an expansion of the team, activities and facilities. Ongoing work includes big-cat research, general biodiversity monitoring and building new local partnerships. Note: the canopy observation tower is currently closed pending a full rebuild, with fundraising underway.

Highlights

  • Kéköldi is one of the top three sites in the world for monitoring migratory birds and hosts the third-largest raptor migration on the planet.
  • The reserve covers over 8,500 acres (~3,500 ha) of Caribbean lowland rainforest and is home to thousands of species, including many of Costa Rica's flagship animals.
  • Nearly 6 million migratory birds were counted in the 2023 Hawkwatch season, and 335,784 migratory raptors in the 2024 spring season.
  • The reserve is home to four wild cat species — puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and margay — with camera traps also watching for the jaguar, absent for around two decades.
  • Around one hundred species of frogs and reptiles inhabit the reserve, including the eyelash palm pitviper, fer-de-lance and red-eyed tree frog.
  • The project works on Bribrí Indigenous land with the community's permission and shares accommodation with a Bribrí family who have lived in the reserve since its creation in 1977.
  • The research station runs on solar power and applies sustainability practices including rainwater harvesting, composting, tree planting and a largely vegetarian/vegan diet.
  • The project developed a purpose-built 'Kéköldi Surveys' mobile app for field data collection and produced a documentary about the reserve, 'Sibo's Gift'.
  • Ten notable endangered species monitored here include the critically endangered great green macaw (Ara ambiguus), hawksbill turtle, striped pygmy snake and Central American spider monkey.
  • Key local conservation partners are the Asociación Ambiental Kéköldi Hawkwatch (which protects a ~6,000-ha forest and cocoa-plantation sanctuary and over 330 bird species) and the Kéköldi Indigenous Bribrí family.

About Kéköldi

Kéköldi (pronounced KEH-KOL-DEE) is a Bribrí Indigenous territory in the Limón province of Costa Rica, near the town of Hone Creek and the Caribbean coast around Puerto Viejo and Cahuita. The reserve encompasses over 8,500 acres (roughly 3,500 hectares) of Caribbean lowland rainforest, home to thousands of species including many of Costa Rica's flagship animals, and is recognised as one of the top three sites in the world for monitoring migratory birds of prey.

The territory sits within the traditional lands of the Bribrí, the largest of Costa Rica's eight Indigenous groups, who maintain their own language alongside Spanish and whose main economic activities include cocoa and plantain farming, with ecotourism a growing source of income. Surrounded by rapidly developing tourist destinations, Kéköldi has remained outside that wave of development because it is an Indigenous territory, and long-term biodiversity data helps make the case for its continued protection.

Volunteering in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries on earth, and its Caribbean side is markedly different from the better-known Pacific coast — wetter, more forested, and home to Indigenous territories that manage their own land. Kéköldi is one of those territories.

NGO, nonprofit or charity — which is it?

People search for all of these and mean roughly the same thing. NGO — non-governmental organisation — is the term used most widely outside the UK and is what Kéköldi Rainforest Project would call itself. Nonprofit and not-for-profit describe how it is funded: no owner takes a profit. Charity is a specific legal status in the UK, and conservation organisations registered in Costa Rica are governed by Costa Rican law rather than by the Charity Commission, so the word does not map across exactly. On this site, "local NGO" means an organisation that is registered, staffed and directed in the country it works in.

Publications & reports

  • Kéköldi Annual Report 2025Annual report on forest and Cahuita coastal programme results
  • Kéköldi Annual Report 2024Annual report on programme results and species richness
  • 2025Reptile CompendiumReference compendium of reserve reptiles
  • 2025Amphibian CompendiumReference compendium of reserve amphibians
  • 2025Relative abundance, community composition and habitat preference of the herpetofauna of KéköldiHerpetofauna study
  • 2025Variation in herpetofauna community composition, species richness and diversity across habitats and seasonalityScientific journal article in preparation
  • 2025Interconnectivity of geodiversity and biodiversity of KéköldiGeodiversity research project
  • 2025Glass Frogs of Kéköldi (poster)Poster on the reserve's glass frogs
  • Annual Wild Cat Report 2024–2025Report on ocelots and other wild cats
  • 2025Ocelot StudyCamera-trap ocelot identification study
  • 2025Bird Population StudyStudy of bird abundance
  • 2025Coast vs ForestComparison of coastal and forest biodiversity
  • 2025Bird Point Survey — Birds of Interest (poster)Poster from bird point count surveys
  • 2024Kéköldi species listReserve species inventory
  • 2024Sibo's Gift (documentary)Documentary on the Kéköldi project
  • 2024Maps of KéköldiMapping of the reserve
  • 2024Cahuita presentationsCoastal programme presentations
  • 2024Habitat selection for ocelots in KéköldiOcelot habitat study
  • 2024Investigating the ecological importance, activity and distribution of reptiles in KéköldiReptile study
  • 2023Kéköldi Surveys AppMobile app for recording field survey data (Android and iOS)

Volunteer placement FAQs

What is the Kéköldi Rainforest Project?
It is a long-term conservation and biodiversity monitoring programme based in the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, with a coastal programme at nearby Cahuita. Volunteers, interns and staff carry out systematic wildlife surveys to build an ecological baseline that supports evidence-based conservation of the rainforest and its rare and endangered species.
What does a typical day look like?
Days start early. If you are on a morning survey you grab a sunrise coffee around 5:00 AM, then head into the forest at 5:30 or 8:00 AM for a survey lasting roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. You will take part in at least two conservation surveys per day, with breaks at meal times and downtime in the evenings. The rest of the day mixes training, data collection and species identification.
What kinds of survey work will I do?
Depending on what is running at the time, you may take part in biodiversity surveys, bird point counts, mammal and camera-trap data walks, and herpetofauna (amphibian and reptile) surveys. On the wild-cat programme you monitor puma, ocelot, jaguarundi and margay using camera traps, and on the Cahuita coastal programme you can join sea turtle night and morning surveys, hatchling releases and nest excavations.
What is included in the programme?
Meals, basic shared accommodation, airport pick-up (unless otherwise stated), all project equipment and organised experiences are included. You also get a dedicated support coordinator, an essential info pack, a pre-departure webinar and WhatsApp group, and 24-hour in-country support.
What is not included?
Flights, international and domestic airport taxes, medical and travel insurance, visa costs, any police or background check fees, personal items and toiletries, additional drinks, gratuities and free-time activities are not included. Participants typically budget around USD 50 per week for extras such as snacks, phone credit and nearby weekend activities.
What is the accommodation like?
Accommodation is in shared, mixed-gender dorms with shared bathrooms, on a base shared with an indigenous Bribri family who have lived in the reserve since it was established in 1977. Facilities are basic: there is running water for washing, cooking and drinking, though supply is limited and may be restricted at times. Wi-Fi is available at the hub but jungle connectivity can be unpredictable. Meals are simple and mostly vegetarian, prepared by a cook, and dietary requirements can be catered for.
Who can volunteer, and what are the requirements?
A high level of fitness is needed, as you will walk long distances and hike uneven, sometimes waterlogged terrain in heat and humidity. Fluency in English is required, and some basic Spanish is helpful. All participants must complete a background check and hold compulsory travel insurance covering medical and evacuation costs, including helicopter evacuation.
Do I need previous experience?
No prior experience is required for the volunteer programme. On arrival you receive an orientation and training in species identification, survey techniques and data collection, so you can contribute to fieldwork regardless of your background. Internships and apprenticeships build further skills for those pursuing a conservation career.
How long can I join for?
Durations depend on the programme. The rainforest volunteer expedition runs from 2 to 12 weeks; the wild cat conservation internship runs from 4 to 24 weeks; and the conservation professional apprenticeship is a fixed 24 weeks, combining a 12-week internship with a 12-week placement. Longer stays mean more fieldwork hours and a greater contribution.
How often do programmes start?
The volunteer and wild cat internship programmes start every second week on a Saturday, while the professional apprenticeship starts quarterly. Programmes pause over the end-of-year closure, from 19 December 2026 to 2 January 2027.
What is the difference between volunteering, an internship and an apprenticeship?
Volunteering focuses on hands-on survey work with training provided. An internship adds leadership development, mentorship and an individual project for a real partner organisation. The professional apprenticeship goes further, adding a guaranteed three-month work placement, additional training and recognised qualifications for those pursuing a conservation career.
How do I get to the project and what is the arrival process?
Most participants fly into Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José, arriving the day before the programme starts, between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM, when an airport transfer is provided to pre-programme accommodation. From there the group travels to the reserve. Note there is a 45-minute walk on a trail to the hub, so a rucksack rather than a suitcase is essential.
What conservation results has the project achieved?
Monitoring has been continuous since 2023 and has built a consolidated multi-year dataset. In 2025 alone the team recorded 18 species newly documented for the reserve, identified five individual ocelots through 2,926 camera-trap days, and, through the new Cahuita coastal programme, recorded 268 vertebrate species and protected 33 sea turtle nests, releasing around 850 hatchlings.
What is the project's approach to the environment and local community?
The project combines biodiversity research with community engagement and environmental stewardship, working alongside the Bribri family who host the base and partnering with local organisations such as Turtle Rescue Cahuita. Activities include beach clean-ups, native tree planting, and educational tours for schools and community groups, alongside a low-footprint base powered largely by solar energy.
What is the approach to working with the wildlife and community?
All wildlife is observed at a distance and non-invasively, with no feeding or handling of animals, including during moth and butterfly surveys. Because the station sits on Bribrí Indigenous land and shares accommodation with a local family, respect for local culture, knowledge and customs is central. A code of conduct covers wildlife protection, community respect, child protection and safeguarding, and diversity and inclusion.
Can I volunteer in Costa Rica?

Yes. The Impact Network Foundation works with one partner organisation in Costa Rica: Kéköldi Rainforest Project, based in the Kéköldi Indigenous Reserve, on the Caribbean coast. You apply to it directly through this site.

What NGOs are there in Costa Rica?

The NGO in the Impact Network in Costa Rica is Kéköldi Rainforest Project, an independent conservation organisation working in the Talamanca region of Limón Province, on the Caribbean coast. It is one of eight NGOs in the network, and the network is deliberately small — every organisation in it is locally run rather than a field office of an international charity.

Are there NGOs in Kéköldi?

Yes — Kéköldi Rainforest Project works in the Talamanca region of Limón Province, on the Caribbean coast. Its work is rainforest and wildlife monitoring.

What volunteer work can I do in Costa Rica?

Rainforest and wildlife monitoring. Rainforest and wildlife monitoring, run by and with the Indigenous community whose reserve it is. Volunteers support the survey work that records what lives in the forest and how those populations change over time.

How long can I volunteer in Costa Rica for?

Placements run to fixed start dates set by the project, so the dates are published in advance rather than chosen by you.

Is this a local NGO or a volunteer agency?

Kéköldi Rainforest Project is an independent, locally run organisation. The Impact Network Foundation does not operate it, staff it or direct its work — the Foundation exists to connect volunteers to organisations like it and to publish what they achieve.

How do I apply to volunteer in Costa Rica?

Apply on the Kéköldi Rainforest Project page on this site. Every applicant then has a short one-to-one call before a place is confirmed, so you can ask anything and the organisation can check the placement is a good fit.

Volunteer with Kéköldi Rainforest Project

  • Free to apply
  • Supported by a local team
  • Your contribution supports the project directly

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At a glance

LocationCosta Rica
FocusConservation
Next placement7 Sep 2026
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