The Clean Wave prides itself on holistic relationship-based regenerative practices that connect people with each other and with the environment around us, creating the conditions for both people and the planet to thrive. Money raised in this campaign will go directly to supporting the restoration of coral ecosystems off the coast of Tamarindo, increasing biodiversity and overall ecosystem health of the entire bioregion, land and water, through this project which is local-led and integrates the entire community through the process.

Our Mission

The Clean Wave believes in the power of connection to nature and our communities. We believe it starts with simple regenerative actions that invest in the health and wellness of the individual, the community, and the environment. We’re experienced in hosting volunteer-based events that allow our community to contribute to environmentally regenerative actions, and this project expands our reach into the waters around Tamarindo. The goal is to facilitate the seeding of a healthy, thriving coral reef, that increases biodiversity in the area and presents educational opportunities for tourists and locals alike, connecting the community with the underwater world.

Background & Problem Statement

Tamarindo is one of the largest tourism centers in Costa Rica and functions as a final destination for national and international tourists. In the last 20 years increased development has resulted in the massive construction of residential, hotel and service buildings, which in turn led to the degradation of the environment and negative impacts for local communities.
The sale of land, lack of training and education in the labor needs of the development centre, coupled with a high cost of living has caused the displacement of local families to surrounding communities and with it, loss of quality of life due to the few economic activities that allow stable income. Poorly planned coastal development has contributed to the loss of key ecosystems for marine-coastal life and wealth such as mangroves, coral communities, and forest patches. This environmental deterioration can be seen reflected in coastal erosion, absence of species, and change in the landscape of Tamarindo.

Solution

Coral ecosystem restoration provides the opportunity to effectively halt and reverse degradation, improve ecosystem services, and restore biodiversity. Coral reefs are one of the most diverse and biologically complex ecosystems in the world. This project aims to regenerate natural coral reefs, through the cultivation of corals with techniques that ensure genetic diversity. This is key to increasing the number of founding coral colonies of the ecosystem and the recovery of its structural complexity, which results in greater availability of habitat and food for a great diversity of marine species.

Opportunity

This coral nursery and reef is easily accessible, presenting the opportunity for regenerative and conscious tourism through snorkeling, diving, and trips out to the reef, with increased opportunities to view unique wildlife. The creation of easily accessible coral nurseries in Tamarindo, and the establishment of a coral laboratory on the coast is an innovative and necessary platform to promote education and ownership in coastal communities about marine life and its importance. This coral laboratory will allow a diverse public to approach science and corals as founders of key ecosystems for the health of the oceans. It is a platform that will allow research science, education, and awareness through experiential experience.

How We Regenerate

We engage in holistic approaches to landscape regeneration that includes syntropic agroforestry and other reforestation techniques, experimentation with real-world regenerative economic and education models, watershed restoration, preservation of local and indigenous cultural practices, and mapping of landscape systems to create models of bioregional governance.

The funding we receive from this funding round will help us organize the learning exchanges across specific site-based ecosystem restoration work that includes the community forest of Bioparque Móncora, a healing and learning center called Totumo, a reforestation and watershed restoration project called Origen del Agua, and the future home of our Waldorf school Sueños del Bosque at a site called Casa Vieja.

Tracking Impact

This project will be completed with rigorous and practised scientific methodologies in mind both in the coral lab and offshore nursery. A monitoring and reporting system will be developed in cooperation with scientific researchers and universities that will evaluate the project's impact on marine ecosystems and validate the methodologies. Strategies will be adjusted as necessary in accordance with the data collected, coral health, ocean conditions, and biodiversity assessments.

Additionally events and community impact will be recorded. Data such as the number of local children participating in field trips, the number of tours run, and the number of jobs created will be recorded. We recognize impact stretches beyond the numbers and qualitative data expressing how local communities feel and experience the impact of this coral restoration project will also be collected. Because this project is locally led, we have the unique opportunity to regenerate the local community alongside the ecosystem, and this perspective will be considered and inform our project process.

Our Experience

The Clean Wave (TCW) has 7 years of experience working in environmental restoration and community building. It began with beach clean ups, but has grown to include 8 initiatives including Beach, Underwater, Mangrove, Forest, and Urban Restoration, Community Regeneration, Education, and Zero Waste. TCW is projected to host more than 200 volunteer-based events in 2024, including underwater clean ups, citizen science workshops, beach and urban clean ups, coral nursery maintenance diving trips, fundraisers, reforestation events, Corporate Social Responsibility events, school field trips, and community gatherings.

In 2023 we expanded around Costa Rica and into the US hosting clean ups at 28 different sites, collecting 7,914kg of non recyclable waste and 2,229KG of recyclable waste. We also rapidly expanded our Underwater initiative, events, and on-staff diving team, collecting over 4,000kg of waste at our underwater clean ups and seeding and maintaining 120 coral fragments in a nursery near Playa Hermosa. The success of these projects, as well as our bull shark and manta ray monitoring events, are made possible by our history of secure partnerships and our network of activated volunteers.

Our Partnerships with BA Divers and others, and our experienced dive team has given us the opportunity to learn about running underwater projects. We recently gained the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Development Agency) as a main supporting partner in this project. They funded a trip for our team to visit Punta Cana and Bayahibe in the Dominican Republic for an intensive educational trip to the coral nurseries and restoration projects there. Our team then ran a workshop, presenting what they learned and introducing our coral restoration project to key stakeholders and the local community. These experiences have given us the connections, community support, resources, confidence, preparation and knowledge we need to launch our own coral lab and nursery project in Tamarindo.

Please see our 2023 Impact Report for more information.