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San Luis de Monteverde Development Association (ADISL)



Photo by ADISL
Address:

Apartado 69-5655

Phone number:

+506/645-5006

Fax:

+506/645-5623

Email:

noevl@hotmail.com

Executive director:

Noé Vargas Leitón

Year founded:
1976
Mission statement:

Unite community efforts that improve local social, cultural, economic, and environmental conditions.  ADISL aims to strengthen development efforts and the capacity of local organizations to seek out new alternatives for sustainable and organized rural development.
Annual budget: 20 million colones

Major donors:

  1. Dirección Nacional de Desarrollo Comunal, Costa Rica

  2. Instituto de Monteverde, Costa Rica

  3. Programa de Pequeñas Donaciones (PPD), Costa Rica - Fondo para el Medio Ambiente Mundial (site)

  4. La comunidad  de San Luis, Costa Rica

Description of the area where organization works:

San Luis is a key area for the conservation of local biodiversity, harboring a wide range of flora and fauna and a significant number of migratory species.  The upper part of San Luis is surrounded by Bosque Eterno de los Niños (Children’s Eternal Forest) belonging to the Asociación Conservacionista de Monteverde (Monteverde Conservation League) and Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde (Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve), owned by the Centro Científico Tropical (Tropical Science Center) which also owns an important protected area in lower San Luis. 

 

Surrounded by mountains, San Luis’ unique environment and spectacular vistas make this an attractive area for rural ecological tourism.  

Number of members: 100

Projects:

  1. San Luis Valley Community Lodges and Pacific Slope Trail

    Summary:  Beginning in Monteverde, the Pacific Slope Trail is a network of trails that connect lodges and properties that are being conserved or sustainably used by communities between Monteverde and the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. The route traced out for the trail follows the Monteverde-Gulf of Nicoya Biological Corridor. Two lodges and a number of trails in the communities of Monteverde, San Luis, and San Antonio participate in the project. While hiking or horseback riding, the visitors are exposed to the rural culture and the natural diversity of the area that includes the flora and fauna, waterfalls, rivers, and views of the gulf.

Principal accomplishments:
  • Received authorization from the Controller General’s office to receive public funds.

  • Provided many low-income families with plots of land and resolved a serious land tenure problem with projects such as El Buen Amigo, Finca La Bella, and outside help. 

  • Built two schools, two community halls, a community health center, and a community kindergarten.

  • Developed services for tourists with the Sendero Pacífico rural tourism project. 

  • Purchased land for conservation, and constructed a community aqueduct, a library, and a study center.

Volunteers:

ADISL accepts groups of volunteers of more than four people.  Volunteers stay in mountain lodges and are expected to pay for the cost of food and lodging ($12.00 per day).  Work includes reforestation, trail construction, and maintenance of the lodge.

Related links:

  • www.pacificslopetrail.org/pagingle/ingles.htm
    Includes information on the Pacific Slope Trail rural tourism project including the goals, tourist attractions, services, trails, community culture, and reservation details.

  • www.mvinstitute.org
    Web page of the Monteverde Institute, a partner organization, presenting information on its activities and the area.

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