In a quiet stretch of Costa Rica's Sarapiquí region, a former cattle pasture has been reborn as rainforest. It wasn't through massive government funding or corporate investment but thanks to one family and thousands of butterflies.
Over the past three decades, according to the BBC, William Camacho and Kristal Barrantes have helped turn what was once a field of grass into a thriving private reserve called Pierella Ecological Garden. And it was all done with butterfly-led rewilding.
Working with Costa Rica Entomological Supply, which provides butterfly chrysalises to projects around the world, the family planted native host plants that support butterflies.
As the butterflies thrived, they began pollinating vegetation and attracting birds. Those birds, in turn, dispersed seeds across the land. Slowly, layer by layer, the ecosystem rebuilt itself.
Today, the four-hectare property supports over 200 bird species, along with monkeys, frogs, reptiles, bats, sloths, and even ocelots. What began as a small butterfly operation has become a living example of how degraded land can recover when nature is given the right tools and enough time.
The project also shows how conservation can support people, not just wildlife. Income from butterfly breeding and eco-tourism allows the family to maintain the land, fund further restoration, and host educational programs for students and visitors from around the world.
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Also, butterflies are essential pollinators that aid food production — so restoring and supporting their populations benefits the world's food security.
The work fits into a larger national success story. Costa Rica's forest cover fell from roughly 75% in the 1940s to just 21% by the late 1980s. Thanks to reforestation incentives and community-based conservation efforts, it has since rebounded to around 60%, making the country a global model for land recovery.
"We planted for butterflies — the birds did the rest," Camacho said.
"The butterflies attracted birds; the birds dropped seeds; and the seeds became forest."butterfly-led rewilding
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