Avellanas is a beautiful beach with important, yet fragile ecosystems. The mangrove forest stretches along a large portion of the coastline and is a habitat to many species. Unfortunately, much of the adjacent coastal forest that serves as a buffer zone and natural corridor was lost a long time ago. 

To recover this ecosystem, 3.53 Ha of land in the public area of the beach (Zona Pública de la Zona Marítimo Terrestre) need to be reforested and restored. There are 2 sites or parcels that are currently colonized by exotic species which won’t let trees grow. We have to remove the exotic species, strategically plant native trees, and give continuous maintenance to the planting site. 

Costas Verdes is leading this effort through a community-based project. We are teaming up with the Municipalidad de Santa Cruz, the Asociación de Desarrollo Específico (ADE) de Avellanas, the Clean Wave and other nonprofits, local businesses, residents and visitors. 

The initiative has already started! In 2025 we planted 600 trees across two locations with 145 volunteers, and created a program for tree monitoring and maintenance. The community even accomplished to install a fully automated drip irrigation system. The results are promising!