If Al Pacino hadScent of a Woman, I had experienced a ‘Scent of a rainforest’. I visited Costa Rica in April 2007 to attend a scientific conference about payment for ecosystem services. Our venue was at the Barreal in Heredia (Provincia de Heredia), which is located some 10 kilometers a little north-west of San Jose, the country’s capital. The nearby rainforest we visited was simply refreshing – the first forested area I visited in Central/South America.