The Noble Act of
The province
of Guanacaste in Costa Rica has the distinction of containing most
of the remaining Tropical Dry Forest
in all the Americas.
Technically, a dry forest receives less rainfall than a wet forest, and
typically has a dry season that spans about eight months, as anyone who lives
here can attest. Although it is rich in biodiversity, it remained largely
unnoticed as it shrank in size. Its use as pasture land expedited its decay and
ironically, when the cattle were removed, the decay escalated as the jaragua
grass that had been planted to feed the cattle overran local fauna and became
fuel for dry season fires, which further diminished the forest. Enter Daniel
Janzen, an American entomologist working in the area who realized the magnitude
of rich life here and the futility of trying to discover and study it if it
would become only a memory in a few short years. This is where the book “Green
Phoenix” by William Allen begins. A team of Costa Rican and American scientists
and volunteers soon ventured out of the classroom and into the political,
ecological and social world arenas to not only preserve the quickly vanishing
forest but to boldly propose to regrow the forest, to connect the tiny islands
into a corridor resembling its original status. The notion was initially
considered outlandish, but the determination and passion of those involved
pressed the idea ahead, against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Allen does a good job of portraying the
main characters and their character flaws in this book, as well as how all the
participants are able to put aside their egos for the cause. The project is a
group effort but to succeed, they needed a spokesperson to pitch the cause. The
result was that “The Janzen Story” (part Crocodile Dundee, Part “Raiders of the
Lost Ark”, part “Nutty Professor”) started to overshadow the story of the
project to everyone’s dismay, especially Janzen, who came to distrust most
reporters.
Allen also includes some incredible
detail about the delicate and intricate balance between the entire
eco-structure, how plants, trees, birds, mammals and insects are interdependent
on one another. A breakthrough revelation was the discovery that this same
interdependency occurs between the rain forest and the dry forest through
migratory mammals, birds and even insects. He also does a wonderful story
detailing the work of many others involved, including the huge help Arias
provided almost immediately after becoming the president of Costa Rica.
The project is a model success story, one
that will finally succeed in reclaiming the forest to its pristine form, “in
about one hundred to one thousand years,” in the words of Daniel Janzen. Throughout
their endeavors, the team is confronted with hurdles, from poachers, gold
miners, squatters and even hostile land owners near the park. But they
persevered, and along the way they learned to be creative. The final result can
be viewed in about three centuries, but until then, Costa Ricans can be very
proud about what they have preserved and returned to Nature for future
generations.
