Finca Mil Colores

Guanacaste has its unique challenges, with little water we had to strategize how to best tend to the land and to a new forest in a reforestation effort. This property, having it's roots in traditional costa rican cattle farming, is one of many projects looking to transition from bear lands to mix-use regeneration. What we provide in a culturally difficult history is a whole systems approach where the history of the peoples is very much respected and integrated into the design of regenerated the land. While most ecologist might say, take the cows out of the jungle, we have to understand that the cattle have been a pathway for many generations now to sovereignty. This cultural rite should neither be abolished nor shunned but rather integrated into the approach of caring for the whole ecosystem. In its hey day Costa Rican government allowed, and even proposed to its people to take land, anything they tended to was theirs for keeps. The impact of this movement meant that many burnt and cut down forest to raise cattle, as this was the profitable market within the country and on a global scale. Much of the reforestation in Costa Rica occurs on these now pasture lands and much of guancaste's biodiversity and watersheds was lost to these practices. In this project we are integrating holistic pasture grazing rejuvinting the soil that his been exposed to constant rain and sun for over 70yrs by rotating the cattles in different pastures while also closing off access to parts of the property for full reforestation. The reforestation is focused specifically where water once was and is present today. By scaping the land to recieve water we capacitate the land to hold and distribute water in this dry dry zone. While these efforts must be approached at a much larger scale, (this client) is a pillar to commence the efforts to restore the ecosystem and the relationship of people with the land.