In Costa Rica’s Monteverde region, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds pollinate orchids, coffee plants, tropical fruits and thousands of rainforest flowers that sustain one of the most biologically rich landscapes on Earth. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and habitat loss are beginning to disrupt these relationships, threatening both biodiversity and the farms that depend on healthy pollinator populations. Join researchers and local farming communities in the cloud forests, pastures and agricultural hillsides surrounding Monteverde to help document pollinator diversity and restore critical habitat. Collect bees from flowering plants, monitor pollinator visits, photograph species for identification and help plant native shrubs and trees designed to support healthier pollinator communities. Beyond the fieldwork, experience Costa Rica through family-run farms, cloud forest trails and farm-to-table meals that reveal how closely conservation, agriculture and daily life remain connected in this remarkable landscape.
Research at a Glance
Your Role in ResearchThe Research Focus
Investigate how threats to bees are affecting the pollination of tropical forests, flowering plants and food crops in Costa Rica’s Monteverde cloud forest and surrounding agricultural landscapes.
What You'll Do
Search flowering plants for bees and other pollinators, help document native bee species and restore habitat by planting trees and shrubs on local farms.
Why It Matters
More than three-quarters of global crops depend on pollinators, yet climate change and habitat loss threaten tropical species essential to healthy forests, food systems and biodiversity throughout Central America.
Search for Rare Pollinators in Costa Rica’s Cloud Forest
Walk flowering mountain trails looking for orchid bees, stingless bees and butterflies while helping document pollinator diversity in Monteverde’s tropical landscapes.
Explore Monteverde from Cloud Forest to Coffee Farm
Hike misty forest trails, visit family-run coffee farms and experience the landscapes where tropical forests, flowering plants and agriculture remain closely connected.
Help Restore Habitat Critical to Forests & Food Crops
Plant native trees and flowering shrubs on local farms and restoration sites designed to support pollinators essential to tropical forests, sustainable agriculture and global food production.
Contribute to Long-Term Pollinator Research
Help researchers document how climate, rainfall and habitat change affect pollinators while contributing to long-term studies on pollinator decline, habitat restoration and biodiversity in Costa Rica.Explore the Cloud Forest After Dark
Walk cloud forest trails at night with a local guide, searching for glass frogs, tarantulas, kinkajous and other nocturnal wildlife active beneath the forest canopy.Learn How Pollination Shapes the Food We Eat
Monitor squash and pumpkin flowers in family gardens, helping researchers understand how pollinators influence fruit growth and agricultural production.Plant Biodiversity Islands for Pollinators
Help establish experimental restoration plots testing which combinations of native trees and flowering shrubs best support healthy pollinator communities on working farms.Contribute to the Bee Barcode of Life Initiative
Add bee observations and specimens to a growing project helping researchers better understand pollinator diversity in Costa Rica and throughout Central America.Taste the Flavors of Costa Rica’s Highlands
Enjoy locally grown coffee, tropical fruits and traditional meals prepared by farming communities whose livelihoods depend on healthy pollinator ecosystems.Photograph Pollinators & Flowering Plants in the Field
Use photography and field observation to document relationships between flowering plants and the pollinators that sustain tropical forests and agricultural landscapes.Travel With an Intentionally Small Group
Because we deliberately limit group size to a small cohort of participant researchers, each guest enjoys meaningful time in the field, close interaction with the research team and an active role in daily research activities.Discover with a Dedicated, Expert Field Guide
Your Field Guide ensures each day runs smoothly, coordinating logistics, supporting field activities and helping guests better understand the landscapes and communities visited throughout the trip.Explore With Purpose
Take part in fieldwork that supports ongoing conservation research, directly contributing to the protection of pollinators and the habitats they sustain.