Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [35]
The legendary resplendent quetzal – the bird at the top of every naturalist’s must-see list – teeters precariously as its home forests are felled at an alarming rate. Seeing a noisy scarlet macaw could be a bird-watching highlight in Costa Rica, but trapping for the pet trade has extirpated these magnificent birds from much of their former range. Although populations are thriving in the Península de Osa, the scarlet macaw is now extinct over most of Central America, including the entire Caribbean coast.
Central America’s largest land mammal, the 300kg Baird’s tapir, is a sought-after source of protein, making it a target for hunters. The tapir’s habit of commuting between feeding patches and water holes on distinctive ‘tapir trails’ makes it extremely vulnerable to hunting. Tapirs are now restricted to the least accessible wilderness areas. Similarly, the gigantic 600kg West Indian manatee is an easy victim for hunters, especially since they are placid and have no defenses. Manatees still populate the canals of Parque Nacional Tortuguero, though they are elusive.
Carol Henderson’s Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica is a handy all-in-one resource.
DREAM OF THE BOUNTIFUL TURTLES
The following list outlines the current endangerment levels for each of Costa Rica’s turtles and the places where you can (still) see them.
Green Endangered – the world population of nesting females is estimated to be less than 90,000. Green turtles nest in Parque Nacional Tortuguero (Click here) and surrounding beaches from mid-June to mid-September.
Hawksbill Critically endangered – the world population of nesting females is estimated to be less than 23,000. These beauties only make rare appearances on beaches around Tortuguero between February and September, while they are more common at Parque Nacional Marino Ballena (Click here) from May to November.
Leatherback Critically endangered – the world population of nesting females is estimated to be 35,000. Leatherbacks nest on the northern Caribbean coast around Parque Nacional Tortuguero and the beaches of Parismina from March to June. Pacific leatherbacks lay eggs on Playa Grande in the Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas de Guanacaste, but the number of nesting turtles has declined dramatically in recent years.
Olive ridley Endangered – the world population of nesting females is estimated to be around 800,000. Olive ridleys are unique in that thousands of turtles descend on one beach to nest en masse. This happens in Parque Nacional Santa Rosa and Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Ostional between July and November.
Costa Rica’s sexiest endangered species is undoubtedly the reclusive jaguar. Jaguars require a large area to support enough prey to survive. Annually, an individual jaguar needs the equivalent of 53 white-tailed deer, 18 peccaries, 40 coatis, 25 armadillos and 55 iguanas. That is for one jaguar! Owing to clearing for cattle ranches and overhunting of jaguar prey, suitable habitat for viable populations of jaguars now exists in only a handful of protected areas, such as Parque Nacional Corcovado and Parque Internacional La Amistad.
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Plants
Floral biodiversity is also high – close to 12,000 species of vascular plants have been described in Costa Rica, and more are being added to the list every year. Orchids alone account for about 1400 species.
Costa Rica’s national tree is the guanacaste, commonly found on the lowlands of the Pacific Slope.
Experiencing a tropical forest for the first time can be a bit of a surprise for visitors from North America or Europe, where temperate forests tend to have little variety. Such regions are either dominated by conifers, or have endless tracts of oaks, beech and birch. Tropical forests, on the other hand, have a staggering number of species – in