Costa Rica Celebrates World Environment Day

 by The Costa Rica News

June 5 marked the World Environment Day; a special date that recognizes the value of natural resources. This day has becomes a global call to preserve natural environment around the world.

Costa Rica is one of the most amazing places in the world, with 5% of the Earth’s biodiversity. Acting as a migrational land bridge between Central America and South America, Costa Rica is truly one of the world’s riches natural environments
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A study by the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) of Mexico, the rate of animal density per 1,000 square kilometers in Costa Rica is 256.2, that is, by far the highest Central America, followed by El Salvador with a rate of 201.

In addition, a status report on the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Region of the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio) states that Costa Rica has 135 species of freshwater fish, 226 reptiles, 239 mammals, 857 birds and 183 different types of amphibians.

Approximately 50% Costa Rica is covered with tropical jungles, divided into 116 protected areas or bio-reserves.

Unfortunately it’s not all positive news for the number of species that live in Costa Rica. The total number of plant and animals threatened or endangered is1,828.

There is already concern the golden toad (Bufo periglenes) is now extinct. In Central America there are 10 different toad and frog species not seen for over ten years but have not yet been declared extinct.

Their main threats are habitat loss, over exploitation of resources, gaps in conservation and climate change.
Deputy Minister of Environment Ana Lorena Guevara called for more responsibility for both government and individuals saying “We want to make a call to citizens to continue preserving the environment”.

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Water Preservation and Protection at Nature Walk, Costa Rica

NatureWalk has provisionally agreed to incorporate the installation of the “advanced enviro septic” waste water treatment facilities on its site in Turrubares Costa Rica, to protect ground water and preserve the eco integrity of the project.

NatureWalk has provisionally agreed to incorporate the installation of the “advanced enviro septic” eco-friendly waste water treatment facilities on its site in Turrubares Costa Rica.

NatureWalk is an existing teak plantation, subdivided into serviced development lots of 1,000m2 and upwards. PRG Group Canada are the developers.

Tim Alexander from PRG Group said “the eco-friendly integrity of the project as a whole is very important to us. We have investigated a number of waste water treatment options and sought out an option which does not require electric pumps and so does not further contribute to the planets carbon dioxide load.”

James Cahill from Costa Rica Invest added “The treated waste water will be relatively superficial to the grounds surface and will help to water the tropical trees and shrubs growing on the lots. This will ensure that Nature Walk is the literally “greenest development” in Costa Rica.”

NatureWalk is an ecological subdivision in which purchasers benefit not only from the ownership of the serviced development lots but also the teak growing on them. The teak from the lots will be harvested at maturity and used by Tropical Teak Homes, a division of PRG Group, in the build of teak homes on site.

The offcuts of teak will be used in furniture manufacture on site. Each lot has an “ecological easement” attached requiring the replanting of at minimum 50% of the surface area with trees. The installation of the eco friendly waste water treatment will serve not only to preserve water, but will also ensure that ground water is protected and preserve the ecological integrity of the project.

Marine Life around Costa Rica and the Diversity of Marine Life

Costa Rica’s Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) is well known for its untouched lands, incredible diving , shark-filled waters, and remote location. PADI the diving association ranks Cocos Island as the best diving location in the world. As a tourist destination, it is the most untouched, incredible location in Costa Rica, generally attracting only the most serious researchers and divers. And recently, those researchers have discovered that the beautiful island’s waters are home to micro “insects” and algae that are self-illuminatory, much like the phosphorescent creatures of other locations.

These tiny sea creatures are largely responsible for maintaining the island’s clear waters, and feeding the larger species that are so common here. The majority measure less than one millimeter, and are elusive, therefore relatively unknown to science. Their ability to glow in the dark allows them to light up the island’s waters at night, creating a dazzling, sparkling undersea light show.

The creatures’ luminescent abilities are actually a chemical reaction: when they perceive change in their surrounding environment, they release chemicals into the water, which create a blue, glittery effect. To learn more about these creatures, the Center of Scientific Investigation of the Sea and Fresh Water (Cimar), of the Universidad de Costa Rica, has launched an in depth study. Costa Rica offers not only virgin rainforest, fascinating volcanoes and pristine beaches but also an overwhelming world of undersea wildlife - and it is estmated that 3.5% of the wolr's biodiveristy lives in the waters of Costa Rica. A recent study cataologued 6,777 individual species.

Between 2 to 15 miles offshore the northwest of the country from Nicoya peninsula the archipelago of the Catalina Islands is located and this archipeligo consists of about 20 rocky islands of different sizes. A little bit further north, Bat Island / Isla Murciélagos is located. The exposed location of these islands guarantees an abundant variety of sea wildlife which is hardly to be found somewhere else. For some reason - unexplained up to now - the Catalina and Bat Islands are a melting pot of very different undersea wildlife and fish that usually do not occur together. With good luck, even whale sharks are to be seen at Bat Island.

The diversity of marine life is huge and may rival that of the rain forests in the number of species found there, and, yet, our knowledge of ocean life lags far behind that of terrestrial life. A new age of ocean exploration is upon us, and there is a very practical need to better understand changes occurring in the seas for their implications on human life and our marine resources.

The Census of Marine Life (CoML) addresses these issues as a global network of researchers in about 80 nations engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life in the world oceans - past, present and future. The emphasis of the program is field studies, which are to be conducted in poorly known habitats as well as those assumed to be well known. In both coastal and deep waters, projects will identify new organisms and collect new information on ocean life. Through the field studies and other projects, ranging from analyzing historical documents to modeling future ecosystems, the CoML will enable scientists to compare what once lived in the oceans to what lives there now, and to project what will live there in the future.