Remember when you clear large forest areas, you alter the environment and ecosystem which includes weather patterns. With fewer trees, you get less rain in those areas. With all these abandoned cattle farms with little to no vegetation (aside from grass and weeds), what is a Tico to do? Enter organizations like the Monteverde Institute which made it its mission to help the community live sustainably with the environment. The Institute provides many community services including extensive reforestation.
The community needs reforestation more than you think, as it's simply not just about replacing what was lost. Reforesting areas help communities by restoring and protecting water supplies, helping to provide more clean drinkable water. Tree roots act as natural filters helping to purify water and remove chemicals that would be harmful to ingest. The trees also help to sequester carbon dioxide (they take carbon dioxide from the air/atmosphere and store it) which helps the climate become more stable. Lastly, reforestation helps increase wildlife biodiversity and causes less human/animal conflicts to occur (jaguars and pumas used to hunt livestock frequently which has led to these species being extirpated from different areas). Also, now that the country is focused on ecotourism, reforestation has helped to provide local economies with business opportunities.
