Hillary Arburola Rivera
Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica
Tropical Biology – Summer 2024
During the 2024 Tropical Biology Summer Course, we visited the town of San Vito in Coto Brus, located in the southern part of the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We learned that San Vito is a piece of land that was severely damaged by human activity in the 1960s and 1970s, as the government offered land ownership to individuals who demonstrated economic improvement. To achieve this, many citizens began clearing large areas of forest to raise cattle. Cattle ranching became the main economic activity in the region for decades, resulting in degraded soils and grasslands. In this blog, you will learn how organizations like Loma Linda and Finca Cántaros contribute to ecological restoration in the region.
Loma Linda
Loma Linda is an association formed by a team of researchers led by the ecologist and owner Rebecca Cole. Their ecological restoration projects include various activities, such as analyzing tree functional traits (nitrogen fixation, root systems, and others) and using these characteristics to guide the planting of species most suitable for the local ecosystem. They also integrate strategies to help restore soil fertility, such as planting the “Guava tree” (Inga edulis) and using the “mountain microorganisms”, a natural fertilizer obtained from their forests. Additionally, Rebecca and other researchers have performed studies in the area, evaluating the method of “applied nucleation”, which has proven to be an effective and less resource-consuming strategy to restore the forest in San Vito.
Finca Cántaros
Finca Cántaros is an organization dedicated to connecting the community with birds and trees. Their ecological restoration projects emphasize environmental education using strategies such as art sessions, guided walks through the forest, reforestation activities, and various spaces to raise awareness on topics like landscape restoration and gender. To achieve their goals, they plant and grow trees in their nursery to increase survival rates after planting and engage women in conservation initiatives through programs like “Mujeres Comprometidas con la Tierra” (Women Committed to the Earth) and “Lideresas por la Naturaleza” (Leaders for Nature).
For their reforestation projects, both Finca Cántaros and Loma Linda plant the “Guava tree” or Inga edulis, as it is a resilient species that thrives in degraded open pasture conditions, grows quickly, fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere, and produces substantial leaf litter.
Although Inga edulis is not a native species, it has naturalized in the region and shows no evidence of competing with native trees, likely due to its short life of only about 20 years. After this period, it dies, enriching the soil with nutrients and thus creating a more suitable environment for future plant communities.
In conclusion, the efforts of organizations like Loma Linda and Finca Cántaros not only aim to address an environmental need resulting from inappropriate land management but are also directed at changing people´s mindsets. Initiatives like these will allow us to progressively create a society with greater environmental consciousness and responsibility.
