Piedras Blancas National Park
Encyclopedia
Piedras Blancas National Park is a national park
part of the Osa Conservation Area
. It is found in the Puntarenas Province
of southern Costa Rica
near the town of La Gamba
. It protects rainforest
s and beaches near the Golfo Dulce on the Pacific Coast. It used to operate as part of the Corcovado National Park
called the Esquinas Sector from 1991 before becoming a separate park in 1999. Until the mid-90s, the forest was severely endangered by logging.
The rugged mountains and watersheds of the Esquinas and Piedras Blancas rivers are covered in dense evergreen forest
that is home to a number of rare tropical trees and the habitat
of many species of bird
s, mammal
s and reptile
s. Hunting has been a problem, but the number of park rangers was increased from 6 to 16 between 2005 and 2007, and poaching has decreased.
Some of the park has remained in private hands, however a charitable organisation — Rainforest of the Austrians — has been raising funds and purchasing these, which up to 2008 had moved 37 square kilometre of land in the area into public ownership. The Costa Rican government, the hydroelectric company Tenaska (carbon offset joint implementation), The Nature Conservancy and the Gordon and Betty Moore foundation have also purchased land in Piedras Blancas, bringing the total protected area within the park to more than 80%.
White-face capuchin and squirrel monkeys are often seen in the lodge garden, whereas howler monkeys are usually heard and seen on the Golfo Dulce coast and spider monkeys have been regularly sighted since 2006. Five species of American opossums have been recorded, including the Mexican mouse, the gray four-eyed, and the common opossum. Rodents include the agouti paca and several species of mice, squirrels and rats.
With 53 different species, bats are the richest mammal group in Piedras Blancas NP. Most of the species are fruit eaters like Artibeus watsoni and Carollia perspicillata. The vampire bat is a real blood feeding animal and was found foraging in open habitats near La Gamba.
, but coral snakes, vine snakes, boa constrictors and pit vipers are seen occasionally. Spectacled caimans live in the ponds, and American crocodiles can be seen in larger rivers and mangrove swamps.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
part of the Osa Conservation Area
Osa Conservation Area
Osa Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in Costa Rica, on the southern Pacific coast region...
. It is found in the Puntarenas Province
Puntarenas Province
Puntarenas is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and it is the largest province in Costa Rica. Clockwise from the northwest it borders on the provinces Guanacaste, Alajuela, San José and Limón, and the...
of southern Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
near the town of La Gamba
La Gamba
La Gamba is a small village located 30 km away from Golfito, which is part of the Puntarenas state of Costa Rica. The small village’s inhabitants are living simply and prosperously off agriculture and jobs offered in cities such as Golfito and Rio Claro...
. It protects rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s and beaches near the Golfo Dulce on the Pacific Coast. It used to operate as part of the Corcovado National Park
Corcovado National Park
Corcovado National Park is a National Park on the Osa Peninsula in the South West of Costa Rica , which is part of the Osa Conservation Area. It was established on 24 October 1975, and encompasses an area of 425 km² . It is widely considered the crown jewel in the extensive system of national...
called the Esquinas Sector from 1991 before becoming a separate park in 1999. Until the mid-90s, the forest was severely endangered by logging.
The rugged mountains and watersheds of the Esquinas and Piedras Blancas rivers are covered in dense evergreen forest
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
that is home to a number of rare tropical trees and the habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
of many species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s and reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s. Hunting has been a problem, but the number of park rangers was increased from 6 to 16 between 2005 and 2007, and poaching has decreased.
Some of the park has remained in private hands, however a charitable organisation — Rainforest of the Austrians — has been raising funds and purchasing these, which up to 2008 had moved 37 square kilometre of land in the area into public ownership. The Costa Rican government, the hydroelectric company Tenaska (carbon offset joint implementation), The Nature Conservancy and the Gordon and Betty Moore foundation have also purchased land in Piedras Blancas, bringing the total protected area within the park to more than 80%.
Mammals
Austrian researchers studying the mammals of Piedras Blancas NP in 2003 and 2004 compiled a list of 96 species sighted or caught in camera traps. The 14 species of carnivores include raccoons, coati, kinkajou, olingo, skunks, grison, tayra and five species of cats (jaguar, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi and puma). It is, however, highly unlikely that tourists will encounter a wildcat as they are elusive and nocturnal. Two-toed sloths are rare in the Esquinas forest but can be found in the coastal areas around Golfito. Around 20 years ago, the giant anteater was seen for the last time by local hunters, but it is extinct today. The northern tamandua has been sighted near Esquinas Lodge and the silky anteater was recorded in the mangroves near Golfito.White-face capuchin and squirrel monkeys are often seen in the lodge garden, whereas howler monkeys are usually heard and seen on the Golfo Dulce coast and spider monkeys have been regularly sighted since 2006. Five species of American opossums have been recorded, including the Mexican mouse, the gray four-eyed, and the common opossum. Rodents include the agouti paca and several species of mice, squirrels and rats.
With 53 different species, bats are the richest mammal group in Piedras Blancas NP. Most of the species are fruit eaters like Artibeus watsoni and Carollia perspicillata. The vampire bat is a real blood feeding animal and was found foraging in open habitats near La Gamba.
Amphibians and reptiles
Several scientists and students have undertaken studies in Piedras Blancas National Park, using La Gamba Field Station as a base for their investigative trips. They have produced a booklet with descriptions of 37 amphibian and 42 reptile species of the Esquinas rainforest. You are likely to encounter spectacularly colored frogs such as the red-eyed leaf frog or poison-arrow frogs, tree frogs, glass frogs, rain frogs and cane toads. The nocturnal concert of frog calls at Esquinas Lodge is unforgettable. Basilisks and iguanas frequent the streams, anole lizards can be seen in the garden, and geckos can be seen chasing insects in the main lodge building at nighttime. The most common and most dangerous snake is the fer-de-lanceFer-de-Lance
Fer-de-Lance is French for spearhead , and may refer to:Snakes:*Bothrops lanceolatus, the Martinique lancehead *B. caribbaeus, the Saint Lucia lancehead...
, but coral snakes, vine snakes, boa constrictors and pit vipers are seen occasionally. Spectacled caimans live in the ponds, and American crocodiles can be seen in larger rivers and mangrove swamps.
External links
- Piedras Blancas National Park at Costa Rica National Parks