Unaproa

The Unión de Amigos para la Protección del Ambiente ( UNAPROA ) (German Friendship Association for the Environment) is an environmental organization in Costa Rica, based in San Isidro del General in the province of San José. The organization was founded in 1995 by the representatives of six village communities of Brunca region after at Finca SONADOR a conference on the subject was held environmental protection. The objectives of the organization are to promote the protection of water catchment areas, organic farming and ecotourism in the region. The members are mostly farmers who cultivate small areas on the slopes of the Talamanca Mountains. Meanwhile UNAPROA comprises representatives of smallholder associations from thirty villages, including an indigenous community. The UNAPROA cooperating with the Austrian Greens education workshop for several years.

Measures to protect threatened by illegal fire clearing brawls and environment are involved in this project. Mostly behind these crimes that lead to erosion and drying up of rivers, large forestry companies or landowners. Thus they destroy the entire ecosystem and the base of smallholder subsistence farming. Often large agricultural corporations are massively used chemicals on the nearby monocultures (pineapple and coffee plantations), which endanger the health of farm workers, the soil and groundwater.

The UNAPROA is a work site of the Austrian Service Abroad.