Apr 10 2013
Osa Biodiversity
Osa Biodiversity
The Osa Peninsula is a very special place in Costa Rica and in the world.
It has a great wealth of species, and it is an area of high endemism of plants and freshwater fish; that is to say that you can find here species that exist only in this area. This richness in biodiversity is due to its geographical location, topography, climate and characteristics if the soil, which permit the existence of different ecosystems and habitats.
The Osa Peninsula holds the last remmants of the biggest humid tropical rainforest in the Pacific Coast of Central America, which is complemented by different ecosystems like cloud forest, floodplains, gallery forest, swaps, mangroves, rivers, and lagoons. Its importance is due to the interchange and establish of species of plants and animals, originating in North America and South America, furthermore permitting the development of a large quantity of endemic species. The Osa Peninsula is one of the most outstandings examples of humind tropical rain due to the biodiversity and size of the trees (up to 80 meters in Height and 3 meters in diameter).
What can you find on the Osa Peninsula?
- 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity
- 50% of the total known species in Costa Rica.
- 13 Ecosystems Incluing lowland, cloud forest, gallery forest, lakes, mangroves and fresh water wetlands, beaches and coral reefs.
- 4000 and 5000 species of vascular plants more than 700 species of trees.\
- Between 2% and 3% of the plants on the Osa Peninsula are endemic.
- 237 species of mushrooms
- 38 species of lichens
- more than 375 species of births
- 124 species of mammals
- 40 species of fresh water fish
- 762 species if mollusks
- 8000 species of insects
- 69 species of amphibians
- 115 species of reptiles
The Osa Peninsula contains the biggest populations of scarlet macaws, actually in danger of extinction, also host the biggest population of squirrel monkeys in Central America
Wildlife protection areas have been created for the protection of this treasure. The area covers 144.295 HA (31.8%) of the Osa. Of these 87959 HA (19.4%) are effective protection areas (wildlife refuges and national wetlands) and 56.335 HA (12.4%) are absolute protection areas National Parks.
