OUR MISSION
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The Living Library houses the broadest ethnobotanical preservation project in Costa Rica. Our aims are to educate, conduct research, and promote a generalized ethic of conservation, land stewardship, and respect for traditional ecological knowledge. The growing collections at The Living Library benefit from both traditional and scientific management techniques.
Our work involves not only the preservation of native medicinal plants but also the development of natural habitats to support such culturally and ecologically significant species. Our research additionally embraces the advancement of sustainable wild harvesting practices and the cultivation of such medicinal plant species significantly affected by wild over-harvesting.
We strive to rescue, restore, and document the vast cultural knowledge contained within these medicinal plants, whose diversity is threatened by unsustainable practices and widespread environmental degradation. In this regard, it has been our great honor to collaborate with various tribal elders who have shared their wisdom with The Living Library. Additional avenues for productive cooperation exist with libraries, herbalists, laboratories, botanical gardens, and university departments. In general, we seek to engage partners who share our interest of promoting public understanding and educating a broad range of target groups, including community leaders, natural health practitioners, students, and anyone else interested in the medicinal and cultural uses of these increasingly rare ethnopharmacological treasures. It is our hope that the mission of The Living Library will ultimately inspire and empower others to help secure plant diversity for the well-being of the planet and the people who inhabit it. |
DEVOTION TO LEARNING
The Living Library is more than a Sanctuary of many species of plants. It is a sacred space for tribal elders to teach their cultural courses, linking thousands of years of the past to present. We wish to give great thanks to the many nations that support our important role in this worldwide mission.
