Gold Mining Impacts on the Osa Peninsula Costa Rica

The Osa Peninsula sits on the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. National Geographic named this area one of the most biologically intense places on earth. On the western shore of the Peninsula is Drake Bay, where you can head out to visit Corcovado National Park, a region where gold flowed down rivers that sustained […]

A Peoples History Of Hunting In Costa Rica

Anyone who has spent time deep in the rainforest knows the complex and sometimes personal stories of the hunters or poachers. It is often easy to label, all hunters as villains. We must first put ourselves in these people’s shoes and understand that each event is typically separate from one another. Visiting and spending time […]

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

[February 2, 1951 – November 19, 2017] Amos Bien may have been born in New York City, but his heart seems to have come alive in Costa Rica.  This love affair began as a graduate student working on his thesis back in 1979, and the relationship grew over the four decades while finding ways to […]

Rara Avis-Impact On Rainforest Conservation

As one of the first ecolodges to have been created in the world, the Rara Avis project started back in 1983. Founded by Amos Bien, his inspiration to create this private rainforest reserve came from his experience working at a biological station in the Sarapiqui region of Costa Rica (1). It was here he would […]

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

As stated in early Greek mythology, the conquistadors settlers saw the harpy as a “frightful, flying creature with hooked beak and claws.”  For many tribes deep in the rainforest, the harpy is believed to be an embodiment of tribal chiefs, a symbol of willingness and bravery. Fact File Habitat: Harpy Eagles inhabit an extensive range of areas, […]

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

Distribution: The global distribution of the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is endemic throughout South and Central America, but absent from North America (1). They can be found inhabiting a diverse range of native habitats, including grasslands, savannas and both humid and dry forests. They also have shown a presence in agricultural landscapes, including pasturelands, managed forests, and sugarcane fields. […]

Ecological Diversity And Its Role In Nature

An introduction to the ecological hierarchy Populations Communities Ecosystem Biome Biosphere  What is ecological diversity? Ecological diversity is the largest scale of biodiversity. On a global scale, ecological diversity would look into the variation in ecosystems such as deserts, grasslands, forests, oceans, and wetlands. Within each ecosystem, there is a great deal of both species […]

Top 5 Countries In The World For Conservation

USING MEGAFAUNA AS AN INDEX FOR SUCCESS: Megafauna (from Latin greek Megas ‘large’ and fauna ‘animal life’) comprises of the large or giant animals of an area. Megafauna has been used as a conservation index because they are particularly valuable in economic, ecological, and societal terms. Recent studies have indicated that 60% of the world’s […]

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