Learning from an awe-inspiring immense ecosystem that has returned to life (Irish Examiner article on Costa Rica)

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https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/outdoors/arid-41588044.html

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But how was it done? Did it mean putting farmers or others off the land? No, it didn’t, and this is where it gets really interesting. Landowners were simply given the option of being paid for essentially rewilding their land. A great many realised this offered huge benefits to them, allowing more time to spend on businesses, families, or whatever else they wanted. Livelihoods frequently became centered around nature, working as tour guides or in other roles.

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Giving alternative income options was crucial (people need to survive), but everyone I spoke to about it told me there was another factor at play. The national greeting ‘Pura vida!’ (roughly, ‘Good life!’) conveys something that seems to make ‘Ticans’ stand out. Society doesn’t place the same value on amassing wealth beyond basic needs: the focus is instead more on family, friends, and enjoying ‘pura vida’.

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Nonetheless, Costa Rica does provide a stark example of the potential for nature recovery in a country like Ireland, in ways that work for everyone and everything: farmers, rural communities, wildlife, the climate, tourism, and society as a whole.

Giving Irish farmers the option of receiving farm subsidies (which they already get) for not farming, but rewilding, is the first and most important step we can take towards such a much brighter, nature and hope-filled future.

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1. Eco