Word: janzen
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Janzen has so far collected $1.3 million from such contributors as the MacArthur and W. Alton Jones foundations and is now negotiating to buy 15.4 sq. mi. of land -- a mosaic of 20- to 50-acre farms, grasslands and plots of forest -- from farmers and cattlemen. He offers the going rate of $200 to $300 a hectare (2.5 acres). With crops and cattle returning marginal profits in Costa Rica, and interest rates exceeding 20%, he has met with little resistance and hopes to purchase the remaining land by February 1988. Environmentalists are cheering him on. "We as conservationists in Latin...
...trees flower and bear fruit, which nourishes a variety of mammals and insects. Centuries ago, such vegetation covered 60% of the forest regions of Latin America, India, Southeast Asia, Africa and northern Australia. On the west coast of Central America alone, 98% has been chopped down or burned. Says Janzen: "Tropical dry forest is where what you call endangered is dead, and what you call safe is endangered. They have become the breadbaskets of the tropics...
...Janzen has observed that dry forests can re-establish themselves. They need only to be protected from heavy grazing, overhunting and fires set annually by local residents to clear the land. If the forest is allowed to grow back naturally, a closed canopy forms in about 20 years. Aided by planted seedlings, he estimates, regeneration would take only a decade. Rejuvenated dry forest attracts a wide variety of animals, which, in turn, help disperse seeds. In Santa Rosa, the biologist has counted 170 species of birds; 700 species of plants; about 13,000 species of insects, including 3,140 species...
...instructing visitors in natural history. As a result, he says, "people are no more likely to damage the forest than they are to steal gold candlesticks from the local church." Four ex-farmers have become park guards and are responsible for stopping hunters and preventing or controlling grass fires. Janzen permits the farmers to live in the park and use a portion of the land to raise crops and a few cattle. Limited grazing keeps the grass low and gives woody plants a chance to take hold. By moving the cattle through the rangeland, says Janzen, "we are turning...
...biologist hails the Costa Ricans for their support of the Guanacaste project. Since 1970, Costa Rica has been one of Latin America's most conservation-minded countries. It has set aside nearly 20% of its land for parks and reserves -- more than any other nation in the tropics. Janzen admits that he would not have attempted such a large-scale reclamation project anywhere else. But, he says, "I think this is the way of the future. Guanacaste is a demonstration of the fact that you can grow back a tropical forest if the community that lives around it comes...