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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Suzanne Bearne in Nosara, Costa Rica

From barren shores to green oases: how a surfer looking for shade ended up transforming Costa Rica’s coastline

Young trees shade a sandy pathway and area where small groups of people are sitting with waves visible in the background.
One of the paths to Playa Guiones, which has been transformed by reforestation efforts. Photograph: Handout

Pointing to a photograph of dry brown long grass hugging the shoreline, Gerardo Bolaños stands in front of a green oasis of seedlings and trees potted in black plastic bags. “This is what Playa Guiones looked like when we started in 2011,” says the executive director of Costas Verdes, a Costa Rican nonprofit.

As howler monkeys growl in the background, Bolaños points to the picture next to it – an image of the same patch of land but with scores of flourishing, lush green trees. Today, he says, this is how the beach looks.

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