Rivers and Forests Alliance News

The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) team is thrilled to announce our first charity auction fundraiser – RAFAuction – from March 21 to April 1, 2022. RAFAuction specifically supports three conservation, sport, and peace projects created by RAFA’s namesake founder Rafael (Rafa) Gallo. During the 35 years he operated his award-winning Rios Tropicales adventure company […]

On a beautiful, sunny day at Finca San Martin in Tres Equis, 88 volunteers enthusiastically planted 1,000 trees to help reforest the Pacuare river basin. The Feb. 5 tree planting was sponsored by U.S. company Echo Breeze Entertainment LLC to help offset their carbon emissions from filming an adventure reality show in Costa Rica in […]

The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) is proud to sponsor the Costa Rica Youth Rafting Team, carrying forward Rafael Gallo’s legacy of rafting for conservation. “We chose to sponsor the Costa Rica Youth Rafting Team because they are a pivotal part of the community in the Pacuare region. They are the next generation of rafting […]

In November, RAFA Co-director and board President Roberto Gallo, Vice President Alejandra Jiménez, and several more RAFA board members, traveled to Colombia for the Second Festival of Rafting for Peace in honor of Rafael Gallo. The event was held from November 5 to 7 in Miravalle, a village in San Vicente del Caguán, Caquetá, in […]

We’ve received our first formal request at the Rivers and Forests Alliance to do a carbon offset reforestation campaign! A U.S. company filming an adventure show recently in Costa Rica contacted RAFA to help them offset the carbon emissions of their activities. RAFA will plant 1,000 trees on Feb. 5, 2022, with native species trees […]

Comprehensive water quality monitoring, a detailed atlas, and a community environmental education program are scientific studies in the Pacuare watershed proposed to the Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) for 2022. Earlier this year, RAFA partnered with the Costa Rica National Alliance for Rivers and Watersheds (ANRCCR) to create the Scientific-Technical Commission for Scientific Research and […]

Reforestation project adds close to 1,000 trees to expand Pacuare River conservation A forest of nearly 1,000 trees has been planted in Rafael “Rafa” Gallo’s name to commemorate his conservation work for over 35 years to restore the rainforest in Costa Rica’s Pacuare River Valley. Seventy-five volunteers gathered on October 9, 2021, at the Gallo-Jimenez […]

Whitewater partnership effort will support river sustainability projects and worldwide digital archive   The Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) is thrilled with the success of the fundraising campaign conducted with the World River Centre, International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHoF) and the International Rafting Federation (IRF) to further the conservation work of Rafael “Rafa” Gallo, RAFA […]

The 2021 winner of the Rafael Gallo Palomo Award “Safeguarding the Future of Our Rivers,” given by the Costa Rica National Alliance of Rivers and Watersheds, is the Los Santos Rural Electrification Cooperative (Coopesantos) for their program to protect water resources. Honorable Mentions for the award include the National Strategy for the Recovery of Urban […]

The World River Centre and International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHOF), the International Rafting Federation and Rivers and Forests Alliance (RAFA) have announced a campaign to further the work and passion of Rafael “Rafa” Gallo, IRF Honorary President, conservationist and adventure tourism innovator, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer earlier this year. Our effort to […]