Flora and Fauna in Osa Peninsula - Costa Rica
Poorly
understood climatic factors, create conditions in which lowland
rain forests thrive; quite distinct from the more seasonally dry
and deciduous forests which formerly covered the coastal areas to
the north and south. Separated from the wet lowlands of the Atlantic
by the cool Talamanca Mountains, the island-like isolation of the
region has led to the restriction of many wet-forest species to
the lands around the Golfo Dulce. Within Costa Rica, for example,
the Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri orstedii) is found only in this area.
Endemism, or the presence of unique species, is well documented
for birds: of 394 species of birds recorded to date in this region,
22 species and subspecies are encountered only in southwestern Costa
Rica. This region contains endemic frogs, snakes, and lizards, and
endemism among plant trees reach their northern limit here. Within
these forests one encounters perhaps the most complete lowland tropical
insect fauna to be found between Panama and Mexico. Documentation
of the flora and fauna of this immensely rich area is only just
the beginning.
Because of its isolation,
biological richness and its relatively undisturbed forests, the
Osa Peninsula Costa Rica is one of the most important
natural areas in Central America. In the heart of the peninsula
boasts a large forested plateau, many rivers, estuaries and wetlands,
an extensive stretch of mangroves in the north, and a huge lagoon
in the alluvial lowlands which are nearly surrounded by the mountains
of Corcovado National Park. Miles of unspoiled beaches, rocky headlands,
and crystal-clean waterfalls create a visual spectacle of extraordinary
beauty. It’s in these forests, that the nearly pristine northern
part of Corcovado National Park and Marenco Biological Reserve,
are located. |
