A former cattle ranch in northern Costa Rica has become an unlikely refuge for wildlife.
asserted
ranch → become → wildlife
Near Tenorio Volcano National Park, Tapir Valley Nature Reserve has spent the past decade restoring land that was once used for grazing.
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that → spend → grazing
Cattle were removed, trees planted and a lagoon restored, allowing a mixture of forest, wetlands and regenerating pasture to develop.
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mixture → remove → forest
The changes have attracted Baird’s tapirs, hundreds of bird species and a wide range of frogs and reptiles.
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changes → attract → frogs
The reserve has also become known for the discovery of a tiny tree frog that had never been formally documented.
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that → become → frog
What began as a conservation effort has grown into a diverse wildlife habitat.
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began → begin → habitat
How a former cattle ranch became a wildlife refuge
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ranch → become → ?
The reserve lies near Bijagua, on the eastern side of Tenorio Volcano National Park.
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reserve → lie → Park
Its history is tied to a period when cattle farming was expanding in the area.
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farming → tie → area
During the 1990s, government programmes encouraged settlement and cattle raising, with land being cleared for agriculture as part of the process.
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land → encourage → process
In 2005, three local families joined forces to acquire a cattle ranch adjoining the newly established protected area.
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families → join → area
The original intention was conservation, particularly because the property still supported an impressive range of birds despite its agricultural use.
It was not an untouched piece of rainforest waiting to be discovered.
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It → support → rainforest
Much of the land had been shaped by cattle and pasture.
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Much → shape → cattle
The former ranch begins its return to nature
The most active phase of restoration began in 2016.
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phase → begin → 2016
Cattle were taken off the property, new forest was planted in lower parts of the reserve and an existing lagoon was restored.
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lagoon → take → reserve
The changes did not involve replacing the whole landscape with a single type of forest.
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changes → involve → forest
Wet areas, open ground, regenerating vegetation and established forest now occur alongside one another.
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areas → regenerate → one
That mixture creates different conditions for wildlife, from amphibians using shallow wetland areas to birds moving through the forest and its edges.
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mixture → create → forest
The reserve has since expanded into a much larger conservation property.
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reserve → expand → property
Reportedly, Tapir Valley currently describes the protected area as a 220-hectare reserve, while its history records the original 100-hectare cattle ranch acquired in 2005.
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history → describe → 2005
Tapirs become a sign of the reserve’s recovery
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Tapirs → become → recovery
The animal that eventually gave the reserve its name is the Baird’s tapir, a large herbivore native to Central America.
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that → give → America
Tapirs are now among the main attractions for visitors, but their presence also became a useful sign that the recovering habitat could support large mammals.
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habitat → become → mammals
Tapir Valley says at least six or seven tapirs now move through the reserve.
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tapirs → say → reserve
One female, known as Mamita, has produced at least 10 calves during her time there, according to the reserve.
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female → know → reserve
Her daughter Lunita and younger animals have also been recorded in the area.
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daughter → record → area
The return of such a large animal is quite different from seeing an increase in insects or small birds.
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return → see → insects
A tapir needs food, cover and enough connected habitat to move around.
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tapir → need → food
The animals are also capable of travelling beyond the boundaries of individual reserves, making the surrounding landscape important as well.
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landscape → travel → reserves
A 2026 conservation project from the Walker Foundation identifies Tapir Valley as part of a proposed biological corridor connecting Tenorio National Park with larger forested areas towards the Monteverde and Arenal region.
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project → identify → region
Tapir tracks and sightings have been recorded in the reserve as part of that wider conservation picture.
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tracks → record → picture
PC: Australian Geographic
More than 440 bird species have been recorded
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species → record → ?
Even when cattle were still present, the area supported a notable variety of birds.
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area → support → birds
As reported by Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, it reports more than 440 bird species.
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it → report → species
The reserve's birding tours move through several habitats, including forest edges, streams, undergrowth and canopy areas.
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tours → move → edges
Toucans, trogons, hummingbirds and crested guans are among the birds visitors may encounter.
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visitors → encounter → birds
It represents the number recorded in the reserve.
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It → represent → reserve
Still, the range gives an indication of how much wildlife can use a relatively small area when different habitats are available.
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habitats → give → area
The wider reserve also supports mammals such as howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins and agoutis, alongside its better-known tapirs.
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reserve → support → tapirs
Reptiles and amphibians become more conspicuous, and the sounds of the wetland provide clues to species that would be easy to miss during daylight.
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that → become → daylight
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
