Green Phoenix : Restoring the Tropical Forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

a Vividly Written Account Of One Of The Great Environmental Success Stories Of Our Time Can We Prevent The Destruction Of The World's Tropical Forests? In The Fire-scarred Hills Of Costa Rica, Award-winning Science Writer William Allen Found A Remarkable Answer: We Can Not Only Prevent Their Destruction — We Can Bring Them Back To Their Former Glory. in green Phoenix , Allen Tells The Gripping Story Of A Large Group Of Costa Rican And American Scientists And Volunteers Who Set Out To Save The Tropical Forests In The Northwestern Section Of The Country. It Was An Area Badly Damaged By The Fires Of Ranchers And Small Farmers; In Many Places A Few Strands Of Forest Strung Across A Charred Landscape. Despite The Widely Held Belief That Tropical Forests, Once Lost, Are Lost Forever, The Team Led By The Dynamic Daniel Janzen From The University Of Pennsylvania Moved Relentlessly Ahead, Taking A Broad Array Of Political, Ecological, And Social Steps Necessary For Restoration. They Began With 39 Square Miles And, By 2000, They Had Stitched Together And Revived Some 463 Square Miles Of Land And Another 290 Of Marine Area. Today This Region Is Known As The Guanacaste Conservation Area, A Fabulously Rich Landscape Of Dry Forest, Cloud Forest, And Rain Forest That Gives Life To Some 235,000 Species Of Plants And Animals. It May Be The Greatest Environmental Success Of Our Time, A Prime Example Of How Extensive Devastation Can Be Halted And Reversed. this Is An Inspiring Story, And In Recounting It, Allen Writes With Vivid Power. He Creates Lasting Images Of Pristine Beaches And Dense Forest And Captures The Heroics And Skill Of The Scientific Teams, Especially The Larger-than-life Personality Of The Maverick Ecologist Daniel Janzen. It Is A Book Everyone Concerned About The Environment Will Want To Own. about The Author: William Allen Is An Award-winning Science Writer At The st. Louis Post-dispatch . His Reporting On Tropical Forests Has Appeared In Such Publications As the Sciences , bioscience , And harvard . He Lives In Chesterfield, Missouri. Avividly written account of one of the great environmental success stories of our time, Green Phoenix tells the gripping story of how a large group of Costa Rican and American scientists and volunteers set out to save the tropical forests in northwest Costa Rica, in an area badly damaged by the fires of ranchers and small farmers. Despite the widely held belief that tropical forests, once lost, are lost forever, the team moved relentlessly ahead, taking a broad array of political, ecological, and social steps necessary for restoration. They began with 39 square miles and, by 2000, had stitched together and revived some 463 square miles of land and another 290 of marine area. Today the region is known as the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a fabulously rich landscape of dry forest, cloud forest, and rain forest that gives life to some 235,000 species of plants and animals. It may be the greatest environmental success story of our time, a prime example of how extensive devastation can be halted and reversed. Can we prevent the destruction of the world's tropical forests? In the fire-scarred hills of Costa Rica, award-winning science writer William Allen found a remarkable answer: we can not only prevent their destruction -- we can bring them back to their former glory. Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 11 Prologue: The Contrafuego......Page 15 Part I: In the Place of the Tree with Ears......Page 25 1. The Nucleus......Page 27 2. Cañón del Tigre......Page 39 3. The Ant and the Acacia......Page 51 4. The Tree with Ears......Page 72 5. The Fires of Guanacaste......Page 93 6. The Living Dead......Page 101 7. The Battle Plan......Page 111 Part II: Advancing through the World of Wounds......Page 127 8. A Tropical Christmas Catalogue......Page 129 9. Earthquakes......Page 144 10. Little Dances......Page 162 11. The Clifftop and the Volcano......Page 175 12. Home Runs......Page 184 13. The Green Magician......Page 199 14. Touch of the Money Spider......Page 211 Part III: The Rising Phoenix......Page 223 15. Area de Conservación Guanacaste......Page 225 16. A Time of War......Page 239 17. The Vigilant......Page 259 18. Life Jackets......Page 274 Epilogue: Lessons from a Tropical Kitty Hawk......Page 289 Bibliography......Page 311 A......Page 323 C......Page 324 D......Page 325 G......Page 326 J......Page 328 M......Page 330 P......Page 331 S......Page 332 U......Page 333 Z......Page 334 Can we prevent the destruction of the world's tropical forests? In the fire-scarred hills of Costa Rica, science writer William Allen found an answer: we can not only prevent their destruction - we can bring them back to their former glory. 'Green Phoenix' reveals how the tropical forests in the northwestern section of the country were saved Behind the Casona, a large house that served long ago as the residence and base of operations for Hacienda Santa Rosa, in northwestern Costa Rica, a rough stone stairway is dug into the side of a hill.