Life in the Clouds: Environmental Conservation

In 2002, Ian and Genevieve (Jenny) Giddy purchased a 60 hectare (148 acre) cattle farm bordering Chirripó National Park in southern Costa Rica. and then added 700 more acres to replant and conserve high-altitude montane primary forest, with an enormous diversity of tropical trees, birds, insects and other flora and fauna.

From its beginnings as a reforestation project, Cloudbridge has grown along with its forests to expand and develop projects on not just reforestation, but conservation, education and research as well. So far, the restoration project has been a great success, through either planting or natural regeneration, tree cover has been re-established over almost the entire reserve. This allows us to focus on the next phase of regeneration, planting climax species in the understory that will slowly take over from the pioneer species over the next several decades, and, eventually, return the reserve to a climax forest composition.

Produced by Kitty Pilgrim, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhinecliff