Salvage Logging and Its Ecological Consequences Book

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.