In 1993, ecologist Diane Firestone bought a worn-out Costa Rica cattle ranch; decades later, it held 20% primary forest and 69% secondary forest

In 1993, ecologist Diane Firestone bought a stretch of exhausted pasture near Dominical on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. The soil was thin, the grass patchy, and the forest that had once covered the property was down to a few scattered tree lines after decades of cattle grazing. More than three decades later, the 145-acre farm that is now the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology contained 20% primary forest and an additional 69% of secondary forest, as documented on Pitzer College’s site .

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