In southern Costa Rica near the Panama border an ongoing project to devise tropical rainforest restoration strategies is being conducted by Dr. Karen Holl, Dr. Rakan Zahawi and a team of committed staff members. 

Tropical rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate throughout the world.  These forests hold a large percentage of the earth's biodiversity.  Citizens, farmers, scientists, non-profit organizations, and governments are working together to devise economically and ecologically viable strategies to restore and protect these lands.

Once removed to make room for agriculture and livestock, tropical rainforests are not so simple to replace.  This area, at one time completely forested, has less than 10% of the original forest. Low soil fertility and the collapse of global coffee prices have moved many small coffee farmers to abandon coffee cultivation altogether.

This progressive experiment seeks to find ways to accelerate the return of agricultural lands to forest cover.  Drs. Holl and Zahawi have integrated themselves with the local farming community to assist local farmers in reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and community development.

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Photos of research fieldwork