Formation of the Santa Lucia Cooperative

Santa Lucía was originally formed as an agricultural cooperative in the 1970s, with the objective of providing cultivable lands to a group of twenty landless local campesino families. For many years the members struggled to earn a meager living from activities such as cattle-raising and cultivation of naranjilla (a local fruit) and other crops. But gradually the realization grew that the cloud forests of Santa Lucía were more valuable for their natural assets including beautiful vistas and waterfalls, and a wide diversity of animals, birds, and plants.

In the late 1980s, Santa Lucía's lands were officially declared part of a Protected Forest, and the focus of the group began to shift from cattle-raising and crops to conservation and sustainable development. Fortunately, in part due to the relative remoteness of their lands, Santa Lucía still retained over 80% of their original, primary montane cloud forest, with all its diversity of plants and wildlife. (See Biodiversity.)

With the help of volunteers and an IUCN-funded project written by Peace Corps volunteer Russ Parsons, Santa Lucía began the first steps towards developing a conservation plan and their first sustainable development project - a community ecotourism operation.

Beginnings of the Community Ecotourism Project

From about mid-1999, the community began managing its fledgling ecotourism project, beginning with an internet-based campaign to attract paying volunteers, directed by long-time Santa Lucia collaborator & consultant, and later community Project/Marketing Director (till mid 2003), Mary Finn.

In late 1999, thanks to the British-based conservation NGO Rainforest Concern, Santa Lucía was able make key land purchases for conservation and for the location of a lodge for ecotourists. And with the help of Rainforest Concern and that of Quest Overseas, the community was able to finish the construction of the Eco-lodge in early 2000, with room for up to 20 visitors.

Santa Lucia community members Vicente Molina and Eduardo Tapia (shown right with Eduardo´s son Edison), were the primary constructors for the lodge. The principal material of construction is native wood, which was sustainably gathered from already fallen trees found in different parts of the forest. In part to replace these trees, Santa Lucia established a community tree nursery and reforesting project. Other materials and furnishings for the lodge were brought up to the site via mules (or on the backs of the workers themselves), as the site is inaccessible by motor transport.

In addition to the infrastructure construction, members of the community received extensive training in nutrition, guiding, and ecotourism administration.

Since mid-2000, the community managed its ecotourism project largely on its own, with the help of many volunteers, and the support of international conservation organizations. As a first step in the launching of their ecotourism operation, the group began receiving volunteers who helped finish the ecotourism construction as well as building trails and reforesting key areas of the cloud forest. The community continues to receive volunteers as well as ecotourists in the reserve. Santa Lucia was able to attract visitors from all over the world to its cloud forest reserve, largely through internet marketing as well as through word of mouth spread by previous visitors. In this they owe thanks to many former and current volunteers, including Jeanine Finn (website designer) and Marketing consultant Mary Finn, as well as to Rainforest Concern and organizations such as Idealist (www.idealist.org) .

Special thanks are due to Ron Mader and his award-winning Planeta.com website, whose many articles on marketing, website management, conservation, etc., are an invaluable resource for any small ecotourism startup.

Last updated June 24, 2006