Science Costa Rica National Parks Information and Biodiversity by Professor Joshua Ag端ero Rosales
K R A P L A N IO T A N ARE N AL Costa Rica's Arenal National Park has the most active volcano in the country. It was believed to be dormant until a major eruption in 1 968. The park is next to the country's largest hydroelectric project, the Arenal Lake Dam.
PALO VERDE NATIONAL PARK
The Palo Verde National Park of Costa Rica protects forested areas as well as an extensive marshland between the Tempisque and Bebedero rivers of Guanacaste. Palo Verde National Park is a diverse patchwork of habitats located in the heart of the Tempisque basin near the mouth of the Rio Tempisque River.
The area is comprised of both deciduous and evergreen tropical dry forest, brackish and fresh water wetlands, mangrove swamps, and the tidal estuarine ecosystem of the lower Tempisque River. This area provides an important wintering ground to migrant North American waterfowl
The Ostional National Wildlife Refuge is located in the counties of Santa Cruz and Nicoya in the province of Guanacaste. The Ostional National Wildlife Refuge was created to protect one of the world's most important nesting beaches of the marine turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Olive Ridley) or Lora as it is known locally. The Ostional Wildlife Refuge protects marine turtle species, such as the Olive Ridley (Lora) and Leatherback (Baula) at Playa Ostional on the Nicoya Peninsula Costa Rica. Arribadas at this beach are considered the largest in the world, with as many as a million sea turtle eggs laid in the beach
OSTIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK
Corcovado National Park Costa Rica. The park protects various threatened plant and animal species, and is known to have about 1 24 species of mammals (over 50 bats); 375 species of birds (perhaps 5-8 endemics); 11 7 species of reptiles and amphibians (2 crocodilians, 4 sea turtles); 66 freshwater fish species; and 70 species of marine crabs. Among the mammals are 4 monkey species (e.g. Central American squirrel monkey, white-faced capuchin), anteaters, sloths, southern river otter, crab-eating raccoon, 5-6 cat species (e.g. ocelot, margay, jaguar), peccaries and Baird's tapir.