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

by William Allen, Samantha Burton (Illustrator)

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 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.

Genres: Environment, Travel, Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

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Reviews

[Zack Rusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have got to admire the ability of a writer to create human drama out of subjects that readers tend not to think of as dramatic.

Allen does a great job of framing conservation efforts to regrow the rainforest into a narrative about different groups of people overcoming obstacles to pursue a common dream in a way that I had totally not expected.

Sadly, like most real life dramas, the story ends with more of a whimper then a definitive bang. Although I wouldn’t blame the author as much the material he was dealing with. It is tough to look at the complexity of conservation work, draw a neat line, and proclaim “we are done!”

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I had anticipated. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the great outdoors/conservation or to anyone who would like a glimpse into the complicated world that environmentalists are working toward.

[Wendy Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartening and important true story of how dry forest in northern Costa Rica was restored during the 1980s and 1990s, due to the collaboration among American scientists and Costa Ricans (scientists, landowners, government officials, educators). Dan Janzen is an American biologist who was doing research in the Costa Rican dry forest and realized that his subject matter was at risk of disappearing. He became a political activist to not only preserve, but restore, the dry forest area to enable other scientists to continue to work there. His energy, drive, and collaborative spirit were key to the restoration effort. The Costa Rican people, who value education and parks, have been key to sustaining the effort.

The book details how the work progressed with vivid descriptions of the flora and fauna of the Guanacaste region as well as portraits of many of the players involved in the preservation effort. The politics of Central America and Costa Rica are also woven in. Although at times I found that the book got bogged down in details, overall it was well written and enabled me to visualize the region well.

[Bram · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on page 36. The author explains *every* even remotely scientific term, and he’s way more interested in the person who started the conservation project than I’ll ever be.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demonstrates what is possible. Thank you for documenting this incredible story William Allen.