Costa Rica's conservation model shows that protection and joy can coexist

It was 6 a.m. on a cool, dewy morning.

- BILLIE DUMALIANG

A full moon lingers above the Costa Rican jungle. Rainbow-billed toucan perched in the Costa Rican jungle. Hummingbirds fly around like little drones.

Sunlight filtered through the tropical canopy as I set out on an early birdwatching walk at Pacuare Lodge, a world-renowned ecolodge set within a 400-hectare private reserve along the Pacuare River, surrounded by Costa Rica's Talamanca Mountains.Within minutes, nature was putting on show. Rainbow-billed and yellow-throated toucans hopped overhead, hummingbirds zipped past and howler monkeys bellowed from across the river. On one side stood a reforested cattle ranch and plantation; on the other, virgin forest. Seen side by side, they felt like two possible futures. The contrast was striking. Despite its relatively small land area, Costa Rica packs an astonishing variety of species into its 51,000 square kilometers.