Home Environment From barren shores to green oases: how a surfer looking...
Environment

From barren shores to green oases: how a surfer looking for shade ended up transforming Costa Rica’s coastline

Key Points

A grassroots project has turned deforested beaches into thriving ecosystems by planting 100,000 native treesPointing to a photograph of dry brown long grass hugging the shoreline, Gerardo Bolaños stands in front of a green oasis of seedlings and trees potted in black plastic bags. “This is what Playa Guiones looked like when we started in 2011,” says the executive director of Costas Verdes, a Costa Rican nonprofit. As howler monkeys growl in the background, Bolaños points to the picture next...

A grassroots project has turned deforested beaches into thriving ecosystems by planting 100,000 native trees

Pointing to a photograph of dry brown long grass hugging the shoreline, Gerardo Bolaños stands in front of a green oasis of seedlings and trees potted in black plastic bags. “This is what Playa Guiones looked like when we started in 2011,” says the executive director of Costas Verdes, a Costa Rican nonprofit.

As howler monkeys growl in the background, Bolaños points to the picture next to it – an image of the same patch of land but with scores of flourishing, lush green trees. Today, he says, this is how the beach looks.

Continue reading...
Costa Rica’s (LOCATION) Gerardo Bolaños (PERSON) Playa Guiones (PERSON) Costas Verdes (ORG) Costa Rican (ORG) Bolaños (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian Environment Read original →