Reforestation in Costa Rica
Much of the rainforest in Costa Rica was cleared for agriculture and logging, starting in the 1940s. By the 1990s, so much had been lost that the government introduced two measures to protect and revive it. It made it illegal to clear forest without permission and it introduced payments for ecological services (PES) which provided an economic incentive to conserve and restore the forest. These measures were so successful that, in 2021, the country won an Earthshot prize for protecting and restoring nature.