Metropolitan Park La Sabana is one of the main green lungs of the capital city. Seventy-two hectares of trees, sports areas, a lake, and the National Stadium—gifted to Costa Rica by the Chinese government following the establishment of diplomatic relations—make it a pleasant place.
It is an oasis of nature amidst the chaos of the city. Since 2009, a plan has been underway to replace the predominantly non-native trees with Costa Rican species, as well as trees native to the Central American isthmus. In 2019, the project was completed with the planting of 5,000 new trees, including: Guaiacum sanctum (Guayacán real) and Cedrela salvadorensis (Bateo cedar)—two species on the brink of extinction—as well as Dalbergia retusa (Cocobolo), Tecoma stans (Vainillo), Simarouba glauca (Aceituno), Astronium graveolens (Ron ron), Senna hayesiana (Abejoncillo), Plumeria rubra (Flor blanca), Pentaclethra macroloba (Gavilán), and Posoqueria latifolia (Guayaba de mono), among others.
One day, while walking through La Sabana, I witnessed the fall of one of these giants, removed to make way for native species in the area and to provide a better ecosystem for the local fauna.
