our vision
Once deforested land, transformed into healthy rainforest in perpetuity, ensuring biodiversity, wildlife habitats
and educational opportunities exist for this and future generations.
Our Work
About
Pierella Rainforest Reclamation Project
PRFRP’s primary purpose is to acquire clear-cut land in Costa Rica and turn it back into rain forest with the goals of helping climate change by capturing carbon; increasing biodiversity, ecosystem services, sustainability and wildlife corridors;
and educating people about the planet and how important rainforests are.
PRFRP is a diverse, 100% volunteer organization. Through many lenses and perspectives, we believe in a common goal: we all need to help reverse the damage we’re doing to our planet, and that reclaiming land for rainforest is an excellent way to achieve that goal. Our initial target is a small corner of Costa Rica, where we will help the rainforest reclaim clear-cut land as second growth forest. This will provide a return far exceeding the scale of the plot. We are building on the success of Pierella Ecological Garden which has proven that a small parcel of land can be productively returned to rainforest and deliver a huge benefit.
We plan to leverage our reclamation efforts to provide habitat; study the process of reforestation and the second growth rainforest that develops; capture carbon and study that process; and educate people young and old about the rainforest and why it is so critical to our planet. Our primary work is the two step process of:
Rainforest Reclamation:
- Acquire Land – there are many parcels of clear-cut land available for purchase which are prime targets to be reclaimed for the rainforest. Our funds will be used to purchase these plots of land.
- Reforest – We will then carefully reforest the land in a process designed to allow it to develop into secondary growth rainforest targeted to be balanced for both optimum carbon capture and maximum biodiversity support.
This affords us an excellent “laboratory” which we will use to document and study the process. We work to contribute to global understanding of the rainforest, the complex interconnectedness of the species there, and the current best practices and processes for returning clear-cut to second-growth rainforest. Additionally, we work with students from early grade school through graduate-level studies to ensure the next generation has the same passion for the rainforest that we have, and that they are prepared to advance our knowledge of this critical resource.
The Pierella Rainforest Reclamation Project formed in 2020 during the pandemic, as an outgrowth of Bill Cooper’s vision.
Our team, spread across the country, meets online to discuss our main focuses:
Why this work?
Innumerable groups work on a wide variety of ecological projects all over the globe. So why did we start one? Rather than becoming a small cog in a huge machine that spends large amounts of its donations and effort on internal bureaucracy, marketing and political efforts, we wanted to make a direct impact. PRFRP is dedicated to ensuring that 100% of the money raised goes to the greatest possible benefit of the planet. We feel that our approach, leveraging small changes for maximum impact, is how our dedicated group can best contribute to helping the planet. We have brought together like-minded staff and a world-class group of scientific advisors to maximize the impact of the monies raised, providing habitat for hundreds of species, capturing carbon and providing a living laboratory for education and research in a place that will support our plan to set this land aside in perpetuity.
Costa Rica is the ideal place for our work for a number of reasons:
- It has the highest species density and diversity on the planet.
- The government is both stable and extremely supportive of reversing the deforestation that has occurred in past decades.
- We have located an area where reforestation is proven viable and supportive of hundreds of endemic species.
- There are local universities and experts able and willing to collaborate with our work.
- Deforested land is available for purchase contiguous to both second and first growth rainforest.
We have a great team with solid goal and one of the premier places on the planet to execute it. We can use your financial help to make it a reality. And our team is always looking to expand. We have plenty of room for good people to become part of this “about us.” We hope you’ll support our work in whatever ways you can and become part of the ‘Butterfly Effect.’
