Nearly half the trees in San José’s largest city park, La Sabana, should be removed and replaced, according to a new study by the National Biodiversity Institute (INBio).
Canadian-based bank Scotiabank funded the study as part of its project “Iluminando Mañana – Recuperando La Sabana” (Illuminating Tomorrow – Recuperating La Sabana). The project aims to increase the number of native species in La Sabana in hopes of recuperating the natural ecosystem there through assisted regeneration.
More than 3,200 trees are dead, seriously damaged, sick or non-native, and will be removed gradually. They will be replaced with the planting of 5,000 native species trees over eight years, according to a statement from the project coordinators.
According to the INBio study, which looked at nearly 6,500 trees with a diameter of more than 15 centimeters, 88 percent of La Sabana’s trees are exotic species.
“Once the plan is completed, La Sabana will be a forest full of flora and fauna, with an ecosystem native to this area, which means a better environment for the capital and a better quality of life for its inhabitants,” said Scotiabank general manager Luis Liberman, in the statement.
