The Monteverde Conservation League (MCL), founded in 1986 in Monteverde, Costa Rica, initially focused on buying land for conservation. Donors from more than 40 countries and territories contributed to the purchase of almost 23,000 hectares by 2016.

This protected area, known as the Children’s Eternal Rainforest (or “BEN” after the Spanish “Bosque Eterno de losNiños”) has become the largest private reserve in Costa Rica. MCL has emphasized long-termconservation through forest protection (via guards and legal action), environmental education, reforestation and restoration of degraded land, sustainable development and eco-tourism, andscientific research. Its mission is “to conserve, preserve, and rehabilitate tropical ecosystems and
their biodiversity.”