Nectandra Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the conservation and restoration of cloud forest ecosystems in Costa Rica. Working in partnership with community-based organizations, we have helped save and restore approximately 375 hectares of highland tropical forests in and around Costa Rica’s Balsa River watershed. We have achieved this primarily through our Eco-Loan Fund, from which we provide interest-free loans to local water management associations and similar groups to help them buy land and restore the forest on it. Our forest conservation work is complemented by our education and outreach efforts, which are focused on raising the public’s awareness of and appreciation for forests’ important role in hosting biodiversity and protecting water resources.