Butterflies Spark a Forest’s Remarkable Comeback

Costa Rica has transformed a former cattle pasture into a thriving rainforest through decades of butterfly-led rewilding, bringing wildlife back to land once bare of grass.

“We planted for butterflies, the birds did the rest, and the forest followed,” said William Camacho, co-founder of the family-run Pierella Ecological Garden.

Since the mid-1990s, native butterflies have been raised and released to pollinate plants, disperse seeds and rebuild food webs, helping more than 200 bird species return alongside monkeys, sloths, frogs and other wildlife. Income from sustainable butterfly breeding and small-scale ecotourism has funded continued restoration, showing how nature-based livelihoods can heal ecosystems while supporting local families.