Field protection
Protection
Working with local communities, sharing biodiversity knowledge, and strengthening awareness around protecting wildlife and habitat.
About OneK · Southern Costa Rica
A private reserve where conservation, research, and immersive experiences come together in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
What we do
Conservation · Restoration · Rescue · Education
ONE K is dedicated to environmental conservation, ecological restoration, wildlife rescue, and nature education. We provide a reliable platform for researchers from around the world, a sanctuary for wildlife and nature enthusiasts, and a gateway for children to discover the living world.
By encouraging curiosity and direct experience, we help young people build a deeper connection with nature and foster a lasting sense of environmental responsibility.
At ONE K, caring for animals, forests, and the living world becomes more than learning—it becomes the beginning of a lifelong love for nature.
Our mission
Field protection
Working with local communities, sharing biodiversity knowledge, and strengthening awareness around protecting wildlife and habitat.
Ecological study
Combining baseline surveys with targeted field studies to better understand the reserve’s ecological dynamics and species richness.
Long-term record
Using camera traps, light traps, and direct observation to build a stronger record of rainforest life over time.
Why this place matters
Location & biodiversity
Located in Costa Rica’s southern Pacific region near the border with Panama, ONE K lies within the Neotropical realm—where the flora and fauna of North and South America meet.
Although Costa Rica covers only about 0.03% of Earth’s land area, it is home to nearly 4% of the world’s species, making it one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet.
ONE K is situated in the country’s most species-rich southern region, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. Its lowland rainforest, streams, and surrounding habitats provide refuge for extraordinary wildlife and create an exceptional setting for long-term research, restoration, and nature education.
Our Achievements
The finest form of protection is to return nature to what it was meant to be.
Since its founding in 2018, OneK Nature Reserve has remained committed to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, environmental protection, wildlife rescue, and nature education in southern Costa Rica.
Working closely with SINAC, the reserve supports patrols, monitoring, and conservation enforcement to combat illegal logging, plant extraction, and poaching.
At the same time, OneK has systematically removed large areas of invasive fern growth, helping restore the structure and ecological function of the native rainforest while building lasting partnerships with schools and conservation organizations.
Through years of baseline surveys and field monitoring, the reserve has accumulated a large body of detailed firsthand data.
Research focused on large felids has provided important clues about regional food webs and ecosystem stability, while long-term studies of insect diversity continue to reveal the small yet essential components of the rainforest ecosystem.
OneK approaches restoration at the ecosystem level, carrying out long-term work in both watershed protection and forest recovery.
As stream habitats improved, freshwater crayfish populations—once nearly absent—returned to levels comparable to those of around 35 years ago.
Sensitive species such as the sunbittern have also returned, once again nesting and breeding along these waterways.
Our story
At the end of August 2017, a family of four from Beijing, China—passionate nature enthusiasts—made a bold decision on their flight home after an exploratory trip to Costa Rica: they would one day return and create the nature reserve they had long imagined.
Earlier that year, after their third in-depth exploration of the Amazon rainforest, the family spent two weeks in Costa Rica before returning to China. During this brief journey, they were captivated by the country’s remarkable biodiversity and abundance of wildlife, experiencing an instant connection to this extraordinary place.
When the family returned to Costa Rica in January 2018, they transformed their dream into reality by founding OneK Nature Reserve. Years of experience in nature education helped shape the reserve into a living sanctuary, which has gradually grown into the thriving place it is today.