If you’ve been following our sustainability journey, you’ll know that in 2021 Enter Gallery pledged £100,000 to help Connecting the Roots – a Brighton-based conservation charity who focus on education, empowerment and inclusivity.

These funds are going towards establishing the Pilot Programme of a rewilding project in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica - an area that is vitally important in the fight against climate change.

So far, Enter Gallery’s funding has gone towards building a nursery, purchasing plants, establishing a sustainable water system, enriching the soil and preparing the land for planting. You can read all about these steps here.

After many months spent cultivating seeds in the nursery, the time has come to plant more than 400 trees on the two-hectare plot of land that makes up the Pilot Programme.

In today’s update, we’re providing a recap of the main objectives of the Pilot Programme, and chatting to Hen Azenkot – the man in charge over in Costa Rica - about what’s being planted, and where.

 

 Hen transporting new trees around site

Pilot Programme objectives: A quick recap

The main aim of the Pilot Programme is to try out rewilding techniques on a two-hectare plot of land, with the view to gradually return the land to how it would have been before humans arrived and used the area for cattle farming.

As the methods are tried and tested, the model will be wheeled out to the wider area, with the ongoing plan being to gradually rewild a 10,000 hectare plot of important biological corridor that connects the Pacific Ocean to Diria National Park.

If this project speaks to you, or you and your business would like to get involved, you can drop us an email at hello@entergallery.com. 

One of the areas of the Pilot Programme site

Trees, glorious trees!

The sun may be shining in the UK, but over in Costa Rica – the Connecting the Roots Pilot Programme team have spent the last few weeks waiting for the rains to ease. Over the last few days, Hen and his team have planted more than 400 trees around the Pilot Programme site.

 A new tree finding a home in the Pilot Programme

 

Species planted include guava, mango, cherry, avocado, papaya, noni – a fruit-bearing tree in coffee family, and Guanacaste – a local species of flowering tree.

All of the trees planted have been cultivated from seeds found on site, and have been raised in the on-site nursery and terraces while the team wait for them to be big and strong enough to plant on the land.

Trees being transported to the banks of the river for planting 

 

You’ll notice that almost everything being planted is food-based. We asked Hen about this and he revealed:
 

“Most of the trees we plant this year are food because we are focusing on bringing the crops that once grew naturally back to the mountain. As well as providing us with food to eat, restoring the plants that once grew here will help to restore the natural food chain. Animals will be enticed to the area by the plants, and then after they’ve eaten them, they will distribute the seeds of the plants around the surrounding area, helping even more native plants to grow, eventually restoring the healthy functioning ecosystem of the area.”

We were curious as to what areas of the site have been selected for these young trees to be planted. Hen tells us:

 

“We’re planting in the lower part of the hills where the land is a little more unstable, to help retain the earth. Once the trees grow big enough, they will also help to eliminate the invasive grass that we’ve been clearing from the land.”

 

You can follow the Pilot Programme rewilding journey over at the Connecting the Roots Instagram, or on their website.

We have a lot of exciting plans to raise money for Connecting the Roots taking place later in the year at Enter Gallery. Keep an eye out for news of a charity auction, where you’ll be able to bid for exclusive artworks from leading contemporary artists, created especially to raise money for the Pilot Programme.

 

Connecting the Roots (Reg. No. 13978484) is incorporated in England and Wales. Registered office: 13 Bond Street, Brighton, BN1 1RD. Connecting the Roots is a registered charity in England and Wales, charity number 1200863