Amajor cause of concern worldwide is the destruction of forests converted to agriculture, i.e. food crops or grazing. Environmentalists deplore the disastrous impact of clearing rain forests in the Amazon watershed, important areas of remaining rain forest globally. Vast areas of forest have been allocated to cattle ranchers on condition that they clear the land converting it to grazing, a most unsuitable form of land use in that ecological situation, resulting in virtual desertification. Fertility in the Amazonian watershed is in the form of organic material in forest crowns. Forest biomass is recycled through tree growth but lost to the ecosystem as trees are cleared.

Afascinating switch has been a conservation initiative in Costa Rica which Anne and I had an opportunity to visit while we were in the country on a forestry project. We were asked to advise on an application for Canadian support by the breeding station on a wildlife reservation in the Guanacaste region. An endangered species, the green iguana, had been harvested illegally by poachers for years, bringing the species to the verge of extinction. The animal is something less than a beautiful creature but is apparently a delicacy on the dining room table, known locally as 'the chicken of the trees', sought as a gourmet meal.

The government contracted with a scientist, Dr. Dagmar Werner, who had studied the ecology of lizards in the Galapagos Islands. Her studies indicated that in nature only a small percentage of eggs ever hatched. With development of ideal incubation habitat in captivity, Werner raised yields to over 90%. The research station had a caged population of over 18,000 iguanas of varying age classes.

That was half the story. The natural habitat and major food source for the green iguana is foliage in the canopy of legume trees. In a nursery on the station thousands of young trees of legume species were being grown. Agovernment project, strongly supported by funds from the Canadian embassy, helped "Mama Iguana" to distribute animals to local farmers, mostly small land owners. Recipients were required to plant a proportion of their farms with seedlings which were also supplied from the breeding station.

With provision of both breeding stock and forest habitat, the intent was to develop a new agricultural industry. The animals lived freely in newly established forest crowns. With adequate food readily available in tree crowns, animals seldom moved far afield, hence facilitating harvest. The market was primarily restaurants in Costa Rican cities serving exotic meat dishes. On the farm it was expected the animals would develop breeding populations, becoming a self sustaining natural product. Furthermore the Guanacaste area of Costa Rica tends to be dry and of low productivity for agricultural products. Leguminous species of plants and trees have nitrogen fixing root systems. Addition of nitrogen in the soils helps to increase farm productivity for a variety of crops.

When we visited the station temperatures were over 38 degrees, apparently ideal for iguanas (though not for us!). Buildings on the station, built from local woods, accommodated staff and provided office facilities. They were open on all sides with wide verandas to catch even the slightest breeze. Built on a side hill, the station overlooked the open agricultural areas of the valley and the far distant forested hillside. Creating new forests provided a corridor for migration of flora and fauna, basic to maintenance of biodiversity.

Innovative developmental initiatives provide an exciting contrast to the massive destruction of rain forests in other parts of the world such as Brazil's Amazon watershed. Loss of forest cover and redevelopment of new forests are important factors in the broad field of water conservation and air quality, the latter being an important element in terms of climate stability.

Growing of new forests enhances the many services provided by forest ecosystems, including food products. In rural and northern Canadian communities, forest wildlife, i.e. moose and deer, represent only two examples. Meat as a forest product is a branch of science worth far greater consideration.