Costa Rica is a small Central American country covered mostly with forests. The total forest area boosts around 2391000 ha which is almost 47% of the total land area. These forests consist of Mangrove Forests, Rain Forests, Cloud Forests and Low-land Rain Forests.
These forests are home to a wide variety of eco-biological species. According to one estimate, there are around twelve thousand species of plants, more than twelve thousand species of butterflies, around 830 species of birds, 450 of reptiles & amphibians, and more than two hundred species of mammals. The government of Costa Rica pays its land owners with almost US $50 annually for a 2.5 acre forest area if it remains preserved.
Dry Tropical Forest of Costa Rica is situated in the north-west coasts of the country. The weather conditions in the region remain dry for almost 5-8 months in a year. The temperatures are high. But average annual rainfall in this type of forest is quite high. The values have been estimated to be in the rage of 1500 to 2000 mm.
The biodiversity is huge in these dry tropical forests. At least 50 plant species are endemic e.g. Myrospermum. Similarly Rehdera is another endemic found in Costa Rican dry tropical forests. To maintain the biodiversity, plants have to adapt themselves to a longer dry warm period. So they have devised strategies like loss of leaves and loss of fruits to limit vapor-transpiration during dry season. Some examples of entities who adapt themselves to high temperatures and dry seasons are Quercus oleoides, Crescentia alata, bryophytes, pteridophytes and some certain types of fungi. The region boosts high endemism containing birds like Ortalis leucogastra, Amazilia cyanura, Campylorhynchus and Aratinga strenua etc. Mammals like Ateles geoffroyi, Felis onca, F. concolor, F. pardalis, F. wiedi, F. yaguaroundi, Tapirus bairdii and Tamandua mexicana etc. are also found in these forests. Aquatic fauna like marine turtles, various kinds of fish, amphibians and other reptiles are also living in these forests.
Cloud forests are the forest which for a certain span of time, remain covered with fog. The forests are evergreen and are found in tropical and subtropical regions. These forests are generally covered with a lot of mosses and therefore are also called as Mossy Forests. Trade winds flowing from the northeast of Costa Rica, send the heavy moist air to Cordillera Tilaran. The area is mountainous and therefore the air after being cooled down is pushed towards Monteverde. Due to lesser humidity of this cool air, cloud or fog is formed which causes the formation of Cloud Forest in Monteverde in Costa Rica. Cloud forests are unique in themselves as they offer more species diversity in a single site as compared to their tropical or low-land forests.
The Monteverde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica has exuberant biodiversity. Largest number of orchids, hailing from 34 different species, is found here. More than sixty species of amphibians and almost ninety species of migratory birds are also available here. The mammal’s fauna consists of 6 species of marsupials, around sixty of bats, 7 edentates, 3 muskrats, a couple of rabbits’, and 15 of other rat species. Besides all these species, there are some rare animals to be found in this thick and dense cloud forest.
