San José

San Jose is a former plantation of over 33 hectares, largely located in the protected RAMSAR area against the mangroves of Lac Bai. Stichting La Montanita aims to restore and replant the original flora and fauna, so that not only more local trees and shrubs, but also birds, bats and insects will return. Grazing by non-native animals such as goats and donkeys has created a poor and sometimes even bare landscape in recent decades. For this reason, San Jose was first completely fenced in 2019, and the goats and donkeys were removed from the area.

In the rainy season of 2019 approximately 1000 native trees were planted. Two years later (2021), it turned out that, partly due to the use of a good dripping system, a large percentage of these had taken hold. However, some species are having a hard time, partly due to the wind and the salty soil. At the beginning of 2022, dams were built to protect the mangrove area and to better retain rainwater, along which several local trees were then planted.

To learn more about the organisation, you can use this link to visit their website.