Miguel Guevara, Founder of Grow Jungles

Founder & Director

Miguel Guevara is the founder and director of Grow Jungles, a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit he started in 2019 to help protect Costa Rican rainforest and to pay local people to care for and restore it.

Founded Grow Jungles: 2019
Role: Founder & Director
Focus: Costa Rica rainforest, wildlife corridors, jaguars, harpy eagle
Film: Waterfall Hunters (Tribeca 2023, Mountainfilm 2024)

Conservation work

Under Miguel's leadership, Grow Jungles has helped conserve more than 5,000 acres of Costa Rican forest, monitors wildlife with 44 camera traps, and has 15+ local people hired. Its work includes native-tree reforestation with Osa Conservation on the Osa Peninsula, camera-trap monitoring along wildlife corridors, and a planned Grow Jungles reserve dedicated to returning the harpy eagle to Costa Rica's forests.

Film

Miguel appears in Waterfall Hunters (2023, directed by Lindsey Hagen), a short documentary filmed at La Danta Salvaje that screened at the 2023 Tribeca Festival and the 2024 Mountainfilm Festival.

Writing

Miguel writes about Costa Rican conservation, wildlife and history, from the disappearance of the harpy eagle and giant anteater to the history of jaguars in Texas. See Articles by Miguel Guevara below.

He also leads Patterns, a camera-trap wildlife identification project by Grow Jungles in partnership with Las Oncas, currently in development.

Contact and media: info@growjungles.com · LinkedIn · miguelgguevara.com

Articles by Miguel Guevara

Conservation stories and insights from the field

Wildlife

The Eagle Costa Rica Lost, and How We Bring It Home

Harpy eagles seen in Costa Rica lately were most likely visitors from Nicaragua. Here is what it would take to bring back a breeding population, and why the Osa Peninsula, linked to La Amistad by biological corridors, may be the best place to try.

Conservation

The Burned Ranch at the End of the World

Gold, jaguars, and the long reinvention of a jungle village. Juan Cubillo Gomez is knee-deep in a creek behind his house in Rancho Quemado, holding a shallow metal pan the way you hold something you have held ten thousand times before. After sixty years of panning for gold, he now guides visitors through the mechanics of artisanal gold panning while explaining what he is doing to paying guests — a performance that is also a reality.

Wildlife

Jaguars in Texas? The Forgotten History and Wild Future of America's Apex Predator

Once roaming freely across Texas and the American Southwest, jaguars were hunted to extinction in the region by the mid-20th century. Now, with conservation efforts on both sides of the border gaining momentum, could America's apex predator be poised for a return?

Conservation

Costa Rica's Greenwashing: The Fight for Authentic Environmentalism

Costa Rica's booming real estate and tourism sectors often practice greenwashing, masking environmental harm behind green labels. This article exposes the true costs behind eco-friendly claims, from illegal land-clearing to extensive pesticide use that threatens neotropical rivers and communities.

Wildlife

Discovery and Conservation of the Tlalocohyla Celeste: A New Leap in Costa Rican Biodiversity

The discovery of Tlalocohyla celeste at Tapir Valley Nature Reserve highlights the power of conservation and rewilding. This tiny tree frog, found by local naturalist Donald Varela Soto, represents a testament to ecological restoration and the mysteries nature holds.

Conservation

Costa Rica's African Palm Oil Dilemma: Unraveling the Ecological Catastrophe

The introduction and expansion of African palm oil plantations in Costa Rica has created a complex web of economic benefits and devastating environmental and social consequences, particularly affecting indigenous communities and natural ecosystems.

Wildlife

In the Footsteps of the Jaguar: A Journey into the Heart of Jaguar Territory

Artist Tico Haroutiounian's obsession with the elusive melanistic jaguar led him deep into the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula, where patience, danger, and determination culminated in a breathtaking face-to-face encounter with the wild.

Conservation

Successful Reforestation Project in Osa Peninsula

Grow Jungles partnered with Osa Conservation to plant 1,500 native trees across a two-hectare plot on the Osa Peninsula, including critically endangered Canelillo species. This reforestation initiative demonstrates strategic conservation efforts to restore biodiversity in one of the world's most biodiverse regions.

Research

Life in Costa Rica Before Spanish Conquest

Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, indigenous populations lived in the region for at least 10,000 years. Explore the fascinating cultures, crafts, societies, and daily lives of the four main indigenous tribes—Caribs, Borucus, Chibchas, and Diquis—who shaped pre-Columbian Costa Rica.

Conservation

Talamanca: Conservation's Next Frontier

The Cordillera de Talamanca stretches from Southeast Costa Rica to Western Panama, housing some of Central America's most biologically diverse ecosystems and serving as a critical refuge for endemic species and indigenous communities.

Conservation

Costa Rica's Legendary Environmentalist: Alcides Parajeles

Meet Alcides Parajeles, the fearless 'peasant environmentalist' of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula who has dedicated his life to fighting poaching, trafficking, and illegal logging—despite death threats, harassment, and a government that often abandons its defenders of nature.

Conservation

The History and Impact of the United Fruit Company in Costa Rica

The story of how the United Fruit Company shaped Costa Rica's economy, politics, and environment. From monopolistic control to labor strikes and environmental degradation, discover the lasting impacts of one of history's most powerful multinational corporations.

Conservation

Environmental Impacts of Pineapple Plantations in Costa Rica

The global pineapple industry's environmental and social costs. Costa Rica exports nearly 45% of the world's pineapples, but at the expense of rainforest destruction, water contamination, worker exploitation, and devastating impacts on wildlife and indigenous communities.

Conservation

Potentially The Most Important National Park In Costa Rica – Barbilla National Park

Exploring Barbilla National Park—a biodiversity hotspot and cultural sanctuary protecting rare species, indigenous Cabécar communities, and critical watershed systems in Costa Rica's most remote and ecologically pristine region.

Research

Gold Mining Impacts on the Osa Peninsula Costa Rica

Exploring the complex legacy of gold mining on the Osa Peninsula—balancing environmental protection with the economic needs of indigenous and rural communities who depended on mining for survival.

Community

A People's History Of Hunting In Costa Rica

Exploring the complex relationship between rural hunters, farmers, wildlife conservation, and the evolution of hunting laws in Costa Rica—a story of conflicting needs and changing values.

Community

Amos Bien – The Man Responsible for Eco-Tourism in Costa Rica

From founding Rara Avis to shaping global sustainable tourism standards, Amos Bien transformed how the world approaches conservation and economic development.

Conservation

Rara Avis: Impact On Rainforest Conservation

Discover how Rara Avis pioneered eco-tourism as a conservation strategy, transforming Costa Rica's approach to rainforest protection while empowering local communities.

Wildlife

The Extinction of the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyia) in Costa Rica

As deforestation escalates and hunting pressures increase, the magnificent Harpy Eagle faces extinction in Central America. Discover how organizations like the Peregrine Fund are working to save this incredible species.

Wildlife

The Extinction of the Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in Costa Rica

The giant anteater faces extinction in Costa Rica due to habitat loss, fires, poaching, and roadkill. Discover why this unique creature is vulnerable and what conservation efforts are underway to save it.

Research

Ecological Diversity And Its Role In Nature

Explore ecological diversity and its crucial role in maintaining ecosystem stability. Learn how species variation, ecosystem hierarchies, and biodiversity loss impact our planet's natural systems and human survival.

Research

Biodiversity As The Vital Building Block For Sustaining A Healthy Rainforest

Biodiversity is the variety of life and the foundation of healthy ecosystems. Explore why rainforest biodiversity matters for both ecological stability and human survival, from medical discoveries to disease prevention.

Conservation

Freedom to Roam Wild

Freedom to Roam is the general public's right to access certain public or privately owned land, lakes, and rivers for recreation and exercise. This article explores the critical importance of landscape connectivity and wildlife corridors in conservation.

Conservation

Top 5 Countries In The World For Conservation

Want to know the top countries that are doing the most to help conserve our wildlife and their natural habitats? Here we will discuss how scientists have listed these top 5 countries and why their conservation efforts are so vital. In addition to this, we will be sharing with you some of the most successful non-profit organizations across the globe.

Conservation

Failures In Rainforest Conservation Efforts We Must Learn From!

Learn from our past actions towards failed attempts. Proven examples show that if governments and organizations do not change, conservation is dead.

Conservation

The Role of Private Land Stewardship in Conservation

Near the middle of the last century, Costa Rica faced a deforestation crisis. Heavy agricultural and ranching practices reduced the country's original 75% forest cover to only 26%. Discover how private land stewardship is helping reverse this trend.