Rainforest of the Austrians facts for kids
The Rainforest of the Austrians is a special project that helps protect nature. It was started by an Austrian musician named Michael Schnitzler. His goal was to raise money to buy parts of the Esquinas Rainforest in Costa Rica. This rainforest is very big, about 146.7 square kilometers. The land they buy becomes part of the Piedras Blancas National Park.
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Protecting the Esquinas Rainforest
The Esquinas Rainforest is in the southern part of Costa Rica. Local farmers used to own parts of this forest. In 1991, the government of Costa Rica made this area a National Park. This was to protect the forest from being cut down. However, the government did not have enough money to buy all the land. They needed help from other countries to protect the environment.
How the Project Started
The "Rainforest of the Austrians" project was founded by Michael Schnitzler. He is an Austrian violinist. He is also the grandson of the famous poet Arthur Schnitzler. Michael Schnitzler started this project as a non-profit organization. This means it is a group that works for a good cause, not to make money. Their main goal is to raise money to buy land in the Esquinas Rainforest.
Growing the Protected Area
By the end of 2005, the project had bought 33.7 square kilometers of land. This area was given the special name 'Rainforest of the Austrians'. In German, this is 'Regenwald der Österreicher'. Thanks to more efforts to protect the forest, 90.3 square kilometers are now part of the National Park. This is about 65% of the Esquinas Rainforest. There are still 55.8 square kilometers that are privately owned. The plan is for these areas to also become part of the National Park.
Awards and Recognition
The "Rainforest of the Austrians" organization has received important awards. In the year 2000, they won the 'Binding Environmental Prize'. This award is very respected and was given in Liechtenstein. The Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) in Austria even had a special exhibit about the project. Also, the ORF, an Austrian TV channel, showed a documentary about it. This documentary was part of their popular TV program called 'Universum'.
See also
In Spanish: Bosque de los Austríacos para niños
