Mountain restoration from the perspective of Indigenous community leader

Lourdes Frasser tells us about the process of ecological restoration in the mountains of the indigenous territory of Boruca in Costa Rica, Project Bosque para Nacer Agua of the Diwo Ambiental organization, part of the Restoration Stewards Program.

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4 August 2021
Marlon Webb

Mrs. Lourdes Frasser is an Indigenous woman and inspiring leader who jointly leads – with people such as Mrs. Marciana Mora and Mr. Adilio Morales – the Association of Eco-Cultural Indigenous Women Sóˇ Cagrú de Boruca, promoting the empowerment of Indigenous women and youth from their community. She is an engaging woman who has been concerned about her culture and supported everyone who needs her help. Part of that interest in seeking the best for her community has led Mrs. Lourdes Frasser to spearhead initiatives that preserve her culture, conserve the forests, recover land for use by Indigenous people, and help children to obtain their school supplies, among many other goals. She is an artist who portrays her culture by carving and painting traditional Bruncas masks.

She was one of the first people who believed in the project, helping us strengthen it and contextualize it to meet the community’s needs. Due to her leadership, Lourdes helped us join Sóˇ Cagrú and benefit from the involvement of its members. Since 2018, she has been one of the main promoters of the project in the community. That is why we wish to present the project from her perspective.

Mountain restoration from the perspective of Indigenous community leader

As a team, we will always be very grateful to everyone, especially to Mrs. Lourdes Frasser. Thanks to her trust and efforts, the project is what it is today. Thank you to Mrs. Chana for sharing her wisdom and ancestral knowledge in weaving, and for always opening the doors of her home to us. We also extend our gratitude to Mr. Adilio for sharing his knowledge and music, accompanying us in each stage of our work. Thank you to Mrs. Marta, who has helped with the coordination of the project. Thank you also to Mrs. Xinia who always prepares the best meals for us. Thank you to Maricela for her leadership and support of the project, to Don Ulises for sharing his knowledge and ancestral stories, and to Harol – who is like our brother – for coordinating the project in the community.


At Diwo, the gratitude we feel cannot be described in words. To all the people we have met who are part of Sóˇ Cagrú and the Boruca community, thank you. We hope to continue growing together and to achieve everything we set out to do with the project.

Mrs. Lourdes painting a traditional Boruca mask.

Marlon Webb

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Supporting partners 2023

Supporting partners

The Restoration Stewards program provides funding, mentorship and training to deepen the impact of youth-led restoration projects. The year-long program is run by the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) under the banner of Generation Restoration to support and highlight the work of eight young restoration practitioners and their teams in 2023.

During the program, the Restoration Stewards and their teams are  supported to further develop their project and serve as ambassadors at both global and local levels. Globally, the Restoration Stewards share their journeys in a series of vlogs and blogs documenting their stories of inspiration and challenges and participate in different international events to showcase their work. Locally, they are sparking a restoration movement, mobilizing local communities and creating pathways to connect, share, learn, and act for livelihoods and landscapes.