In the decade of the 1990s, when a great area of farm and ranch land was sold, most of the new owners had no desire to continue farming or raising cattle. They wanted a lovely house with a view and abstained from using most of their newly acquired property. Wildlife moved into the area immediately, and after a few years, the new owners found themselves relaxing on their porches, watching monkeys and toucans. The unused area soon reverted to wildness, beginning with what could be called a charral in Spanish and later evolving into a secondary forest which, as the years passed, came more and more to resemble a primary, or virgin, forest.

At Hacienda Barú, we did the rewilding on purpose. It all began with the advice of a professional forester who recommended that we abandon a steep hillside pasture to the whims of Mother Nature and let her do what she pleased with it. I remember him saying, "Once you quit chopping the weeds, the jungle returns vigorously." And that is exactly what happened.

First came the charral made up of sun-loving plants. Fast-growing trees such as balsa and cecropia emerged from the low-lying cover and created a favorable shade for other types of plants. Later other species of trees appeared. Nature is dynamic, and wild areas are in a constant state of change. That former pasture is now a 43-year-old secondary forest replete with a wide diversity of flora and fauna. It is probably the oldest rewilded area in the Path of the Tapir and the Costa Ballena.

I feel so fortunate to have had the privilege of experiencing first-hand the rewilding of the wonderful region where I live.