Costa Rica Sustainable Community

Building healthy and vibrant communities has been at the heart of our vision from the very beginning. Our work began over twenty years ago with the creation of a pioneering community outreach program called Creciendo Juntos. It translates to growing together, and since 2002 this program has been dedicated to improving access to quality healthcare, education, and employment opportunities in the nineteen towns surrounding Peninsula Papagayo. The journey toward greater sustainability continues today. Thoughtful choices inspired by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are helping protect local biodiversity and reduce the community’s environmental footprint. We invite you to join us on your next visit and take the time to make a difference.

2022 Impact Report

Healthy Communities

Read the Report

lea el reporte

BIO-DEVELOPMENT

A New Style of Conservation

One of the most effective ways to protect and restore local biodiversity is by integrating man and nature outside of traditional eco-tourism uses. It’s a relatively new approach to conservation known as bio-development, endorsed by Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) and The Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund (GDFCF), which seeks to increase engagement and advocacy through higher levels of bioliteracy and cultural education. Peninsula Papagayo is committed to fully knowing its biodiversity and continues building capacity as a conservation-minded community, monitoring and measuring species diversity and abundance, and returning degraded habitat to a healthy, functioning condition that supports priority wildlife species.

The real work of planet-saving will be small, humble, and humbling, and (insofar as it involves love) pleasing and rewarding. Its jobs will be too many to count, too many to report, too many to be publicly noticed or rewarded, too small to make anyone rich or famous.

Wendell Berry

Coral Restoration

Saving Papagayo’s Reefs

Coral reef ecosystems have suffered an unprecedented loss of habitat-forming hard corals in recent decades. With inaction no longer an option, Peninsula Papagayo, in collaboration with Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and a team of leading experts, has begun the process of restoring the coral reefs within its maritime boundary. Though growing coral remains a long-term proposition, local scientists have already seen a remarkable acceleration in growth, which is giving our dedicated coral heroes reason for hope.

Help Restore Local Biodiversity

Become a Coral Hero

Social

Growing Together

Over the past twenty years, Creciendo Juntos has become a pioneer in public-private partnerships in Costa Rica, collaborating with local community leaders, businesses, and national institutions to improve access to quality healthcare and education.

Working in partnership with Amigos of Costa Rica, a qualified IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization, Creciendo Juntos is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable gifts. This extraordinary nonprofit is an invaluable conduit for members and guests to help broaden the horizon of job opportunities, self-employment, and entrepreneurship for residents in the nineteen communities surrounding Peninsula Papagayo.

Learn More

Community Outreach

Make a Difference in the Lives of Local Families

Volunteer with Creciendo Juntos

Environmental

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

Peninsula Papagayo is using all tools at its disposal to reduce the negative impacts of building construction and operations. Earlier this year, the master developer brought together major stakeholders from across the peninsula to begin the process of measuring all emissions — a first but important step to understanding the full scope of the community’s environmental footprint. Each partner will then identify priority areas where emissions can be reduced, and set meaningful targets for reductions in the years ahead. Where approaches and technologies don’t yet exist at a scale that can fully eliminate emissions, Costa Rica’s offset market can provide a viable path to net-zero, with tangible nature-based co-benefits aligned with the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Carbon Offset

Curbing Our Emissions

Travel-related activities account for up to 14 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Environmental Program. The solution is not necessarily to stop traveling, but to travel differently — with purpose. Peninsula Papagayo is partnering with FONAFIFO, ClimateTrade, and other environmental leaders to create meaningful opportunities for members and guests to offset CO2 emissions from travel in ways that can positively impact local families. FONAFIFO carbon credits do that by increasing forest cover in Costa Rica, protecting and restoring nature, and preserving a sense of place for future generations.

Learn More

Travel with Purpose

Help Increase Forest Cover in Costa Rica’s Protected Wildlands

Offset your CO2 emissions

Global Sustainability Tourism Council

Peninsula Papagayo is a proud member of GSTC. Andaz Resort Peninsula Papagayo has been CST certified (a GSTC recognized standard) and the remainder of the Peninsula Papagayo Resort Community is in the process of aligning with the industry criteria. Read more about the industry criteria here.

Stewardship

Papagayo Legacy