Riverbank Restoration Initiative
Past timber harvesting damaged more than the forests of Costa Rica. As clear-cuts removed stabilizing vegetation, increasing amounts of soil washed away in rains and floods. And as the remaining forest corridors and habitats were fragmented into increasingly smaller acreages, plants and animals were pushed into areas unable to support large populations.
Establishing sota caballo tree nurseries and beginning riverbank restoration will not only slow erosion, it also will create corridors that allow wildlife to access more and larger habitat areas. Residential and volunteer staff members will be needed to manage nurseries and tend to seedlings once they have been transplanted. It is also critical that education awareness programs be established for local residents.
