Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Unfortunately, the reefs themselves are in danger due to sediment washing downriver
from logging operations and toxic chemicals that wash out of nearby agricultural fields.
Though curbed by the government, these factors persist. Also, a major earthquake in 1991
lifted the reefs as much as 1.5m, stranding and killing large portions of this fragile ecosys-
tem. More recently, climate change has led to warmer water in the Caribbean, which puts
the reefs at the greatest peril - scientists released a report in 2008 that found that over half
of Caribbean reefs were dead due to increased temperatures.
Excellent, contemplative books on birds by the esteemed Dr Alexander Skutch include
A
Naturalist in Costa Rica
and
The Minds of Birds
.
Wildlife
Nowhere else are so many types of habitats squeezed into such a tiny area, and species
from different continents have been commingling here for millennia. Costa Rica has the
world's largest number of species per 10,000 sq km: 615, compared with wildlife-rich
Rwanda's 596 and the comparatively impoverished USA's 104. This simple fact alone
makes Costa Rica the premier destination for nature lovers.
The large number of species here is also due to the country's relatively recent appear-
ance. Roughly three million years ago Costa Rica rose from the ocean, and formed a land
bridge between North and South America. As species from these two vast biological
provinces started to mingle, the number of species essentially doubled in the area where
Costa Rica now sits.
For a detailed look at Costa Rica's animals, look to the
Wildlife Guide
.
