Costas Verdes restores 100k+ trees on Pacific beaches
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- Costas Verdes began its reforestation programme in 2011 and has planted more than 100,000 native trees on 34 Pacific beaches, turning previously barren shoreline into green oases.
- Gerardo Bolaños joined as a volunteer in 2011, became project director in 2014, and was appointed executive director in 2024, noting that only about 40% of the planted trees survive at the Guiones site.
- Max Tattenbach founded Costas Verdes in 2009 after being motivated by a lack of shade at his favourite surf spot Playa Hermosa, prompting the first tree‑planting effort there in 2010.
- Bernal Herrera‑Fernández explains that the north Pacific region suffered severe deforestation due to cattle farming and fire, linking it to the ‘hamburger connection’ and noting that the 1977 maritime zoning law created a legal framework for coastal protection.
- Costas Verdes is seeking to raise $295,000 this year through donations, $70 tree‑planting tours and merchandise sales to fund its goal of planting 300,000 trees across 100 beaches.
- Wildlife such as howler monkeys and variegated squirrels have returned to restored beach areas, indicating ecological recovery after the reforestation effort.
Why it matters: Local beachgoers, tourists and wildlife gain shade and restored habitats, while Costas Verdes secures $295,000 to scale its effort, demonstrating that community‑driven reforestation can reverse decades of cattle‑driven deforestation and generate ecological and economic gains for coastal communities.
