Practicing permaculture to create a Big Milpa, a holistic forest garden that enhances and perpetuates natural biodiversity, bioproductivity, ecosystems health and the cultures of peoples. Check it out below.
Big Milpa, The Costa Cetacea Headquarters, is as green as we can get it.
Green number= 99% of land green. We protect a spring, two creeks, and waterfalls and gallery rainforest. We absorb carbon and produce oxygen. Excellent permaculture wastewater treatment. Septic system sufficient for 10 times current occupancy. Only biodegradable soaps. Electric is over 80% hydro and wind as we are on the national grid. Our forest offsets the fuel carbon we burn every boat trip on the water. We grow over fifty species of useful plants as well as maintain a Native Orchid and Epiphyte Rescue Center.
Big Milpa is connected by unbroken rainforest directly to Corcovado National Park along the Agujas River.
We are family owned and operated and have been working the land for seven years now.
With one hectare of old pasture mixed with gallery forest along the Agujas River, we are striving for a synthesis between Bill Mollison's Permaculture and Charles C. Mann īs 1491 Indian milpa concepts. Some may call it Agroforestry.
The forest is the garden. The forest is the farm.
Some crops live to be hundreds of years old and tower high overhead.
This is no untouched wilderness. Wilderness should be touched. Humans are always part of the the system, we either make it better or worse.
The landscape is always changing. The local diversity and guilds teach what millions of years of evolution studied in each place. These lessons are invaluable.
The fruit of the tree is connected to the dolphin in the sea.
Soon to come a Frog Farm and a Fresh Water Aquarium.
Costa Cetacea was founded exclusively by Shawn and Vanessa Larkin in 1998. As always, it continues to be run by the husband and wife team today in 2010.
Costa Cetacea and Big Milpa are dedicated to the memory of Myra and Richard Larkin.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2010 Shawn Larkin Costa Cetacea.
Vanessa and Shawn Larkin contemplate forest products in the offshore blue water pelagic of Osa, Costa Rica. Yes, the forest´s trees connect to the dolphin´s seas. Photo by Star Larkin 2010.
