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Tortuguero National Park is a
national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
in the
Limón Province Limón (), commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is h ...
of
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
. It is situated within the
Tortuguero Conservation Area Tortuguero Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in Limón Province, northeastern Costa Rica. It contains a national park, several wildlife refuges and protected zones. Protect ...
of the northeastern part of the country. Despite its remote location, reachable only by
airplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad ...
or
boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on i ...
, it is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica. The park has a large variety of biological diversity due to the existence within the reserve of eleven different
habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s, including
rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
,
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
forests,
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s,
beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc s ...
es, and
lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...
s. Located in a
tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...
, it is very humid, and receives up to of rain a year. The park, a protected area within the northeastern Caribbean wetlands, was recognized under
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...
on 3 March 1991 for its rich biological diversity and ecosystems that support threatened flora and fauna species. Set in a natural wetland of the Caribbean coast, it forms a corridor with another protected area, the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve of
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...
. It is a key
Ramsar Site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **


Geography

The park is located on the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...
coast of Costa Rica and covers an area of . It is bounded with an elevation range of , indicative of a sea coastal region to low hilly topography. The Tortuguero National Park has over 20 miles of coastline, which provides sea turtles a protected place to lay their eggs. Tortuguero is bordered on the north by the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge (with habitats and climate similar to Tortuguero), to the south by the mouth of the Parismina River and the
Cariari National Wetlands Cariari National Wetlands is a nature reserve, part of both the Tortuguero and Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Areas, in the Limón Province of northeastern Costa Rica. It protects mangrove swamps and marine areas on the Caribbean coast. I ...
, the town of Tortuguero at the mouth of the Tortuguero River, and the Dr. Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge, which is a biological station to carry out turtle tagging program run by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (Now known as the Sea Turtle Conservancy). While volcanic activity is reported as the formation of a group of small islands, erosion has created the depressions which have a permeable base of "light grey, broken lava rocks, with harder rocks and grey or dark grey
lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or ...
s overlying". Sandy soils resulting from sedimentation dominate the reserve with the formation of parallel bars in the coastal area. The depressions are subject to filling by ephemeral floods; estuary lakes, grassy marshes, and wooded swamps caused by very heavy rainfall. Small tides of about height have also affected the coastal zone. The small rivers and streams that originate in the hills and flow through the park generally have water deep. The lakes in the northern part of the reserve are fed by the
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. s ...
. The very humid tropical forest is influenced by excessive humidity, rapid drainage, and thin soils, with over 330 days of cloud cover per year. Moisture-laden winds come from the Caribbean. The park has worked with the neighboring village of Tortuguero to help its inhabitants understand that preserving their natural resources is the key to encourage
eco-tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fun ...
. With rich water resources from precipitation of per year, the drainage system of the park is fed by many rivers. There are a large number of interlinked canals, waterways, navigable
lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...
s, and
lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
s that create plains of sediment carried by the river system. The plains are interspersed with rolling hills of forest that were created in ancient days from volcanic cinder cones, of which the Tortuguero Hill and the Lomas de Sierpe of height could be mentioned. Enforcement of protection has remained a challenge. Swaths of the park have been semi-legally clear-cut, the damage which allows access to habitat of endangered
sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...
s.


Fauna and flora

The national park's wild life consists of
birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
,
mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...
,
fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...
,
fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...
s,
marine life Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. At a fundamental level, marine life affects the nature of the planet. ...
,
sea turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...
,
lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
s and
rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
. Tortuguero National Park acts as a refuge to many of these species which are also found in the La Selva Biological Station and
Braulio Carrillo National Park Braulio Carrillo National Park is a national park in Heredia Province and San José Province, in central Costa Rica. It is part of the Central Conservation Area. Geography The park is located on the volcanic Cordillera Central (Central mounta ...
. Threatened animals species in the reserve area are: the American crocodile (''Crocodylus acutus''),
Baird's tapir The Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as ...
(''Tapirus bairdii''),
marine turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...
such as '' Chelonia mydas'' and ''
Dermochelys coriacea The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...
'', the
manatee Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living speci ...
or sea cow ('' Trichechus manatus'') (the northeastern Caribbean wetland is its local feeding and reproduction area) and the tropical gar (''Atractosteus tropicus'') a
living fossil A living fossil is an extant taxon that cosmetically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of origin of the extant clade. Living foss ...
brought under protection by Costa Rican legislation. The park is a breeding ground along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica for many of the main fishes used in subsistence fishing.


Fauna

The coastal zone, which has a long beach extending to nearly , is the nesting ground for turtles popularly known as the "beach-nesting turtles (''tortugas'')". They are found on the beaches, and also many of these species are reported from the canal banks. The main species to lay eggs during the winter months of February to July are: hawksbill, loggerheads,
green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...
, and
leatherbacks The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...
. The rivers are home to sensitive populations of manatees, as well as
caiman A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America f ...
s,
crocodile Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant me ...
s, and tropical gar. The forests are home to at least four Costa Rican cat species:
jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
s (''Panthera onca''), ocelot ('' Leopardus pardalis''), jaguarundi ('' Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') and puma ('' Puma concolor''), and three of Costa Rica's four species of monkey: Geoffroy's spider monkey, the
mantled howler The mantled howler (''Alouatta palliata'') is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America. It takes its "mantle ...
, and the white-headed capuchin. Other mammals include three-toed sloths ('' Bradypus variegatus''), paca (''
Agouti paca The lowland paca (''Cuniculus paca''), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria. The animal is call ...
''), peccary (''
Tayassu pecari The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar in appearance t ...
''), tapir (''
Tapirus bairdii The Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as ...
''), white-tailed deer ('' Odocoileus virginianus''), armadillo (''
Dasypus novemcinctus The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. It ...
'') and 442 species of birds inhabit the area, including
kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
s,
toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...
s,
great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos I ...
s and
parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...
s. Neotropical migratory birds fly through this park, a noted bird species which is the crested eagle (''Morphnus guianensis''), which is the second largest bird of prey. An
endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
is the great green macaw (''Ara ambiguus''). 134 species of migratory birds have been recorded. The park is a migratory stopover for nearly one million birds annually. As of 1976 54 freshwater fish and 84 marine species are recorded for the area. Another source gives 30 species of
freshwater fish Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, especially the difference in levels o ...
. Some families of marine and freshwater fish reported are: The ''
Cichlidae Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted this ...
'', ''
Characidae Characidae, the characids or characins is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their ...
'', '' Pimelodidae'', '' Carcharhinidae'', ''
Centropomidae ''Centropomus'' is a genus of predominantly marine fish comprising the family Centropomidae. The type species is '' Centropomus undecimalis'', the common snook. Commonly known as snooks or ''róbalos'', the ''Centropomus'' species are native to ...
'', and Lutjanidae. Species include the bobo mullet (''Joturus pichardi''), which breeds in the estuaries but migrates upriver. Other species include eel, the bull shark (''Carcharinus leucas''), tarpon ('' Megalops atlanticus''), snook ('' Centropomus parallelus'') and tropical gar (''Atractosteus tropicus''). As of 1995 only a single species of freshwater
mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is est ...
had been recovered from the park, a small bivalve identified as either '' Mytilopsis guianensis'' or '' M. sallei'', but a minimum of 10 species was estimated in 1995. and a variety of
crustaceans Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean g ...
are found here. Two important crustaceans are the shrimp '' Macrobrachium carcinus'' and '' M. tenellum'' which are fished for in and around the park by local inhabitants of the towns surrounding the area. 54 species of amphibians and 110 species of reptiles are known from here. Seven species of land turtles are known from here. Reptiles and amphibians reported are: '' Caiman crocodilus'', ''
Crocodylus acutus ''Crocodylus'' is a genus of true crocodiles in the family Crocodylidae. Taxonomy The generic name, ''Crocodylus'', was proposed by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768. ''Crocodylus'' contains 13–14 extant (living) species and 5 extinct speci ...
'',
basilisk lizard ''Basiliscus'' is a genus of large corytophanid lizards, commonly known as basilisks, which are endemic to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The genus contains four species, which are commonly known as the Jesus Ch ...
s, '' Chrysemys'' spp., ''
Rhinoclemmys ''Rhinoclemmys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae), the only genus in the subfamily Rhinoclemmydinae. Member species of the genus are commonly known as the Neotropical wood turtles and are the only geoemydids ...
'' spp., poison-dart frogs (''
Dendrobatidae Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...
''), and many endemic species of salamanders.


Flora

As of 2006, the known flora is represented by 779 species, of which 36 are
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the country. According to other sources the national park ecosystem has more than 400 species of trees and about 2,200 species of other plants. The wet lowland
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
slopes (mostly below ) of northern Costa Rica, particularly along the coast, form into mangrove forests. The forests in this region consist of the ''gavilán'' (''
Pentaclethra macroloba ''Pentaclethra macroloba'' is a large and common leguminous tree in the genus ''Pentaclethra'' native to the wet tropical areas of the northern Neotropics, which can form monocultural stands in some seasonally flooded habitats. It has giant, bip ...
''), '' caobilla'' ('' Carapa nicaraguensis''), the ''almendro'' ('' Dipteryx oleifera'') and the monkey pot tree (''
Lecythis ampla ''Lecythis ampla'' is a species of woody plant in the family Lecythidaceae, which also includes the Brazil nut (''Bertholletia excelsa''). Common names include ''coco, olla de mono, jicaro'' and ''salero''. It is found in Central and South Ameri ...
''); the last two species (regional endemics of the lowlands found below ) are stated to be nearly endangered. While 99% of mangrove forests are reported from the
Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...
of Costa Rica, only 1% is found in the Caribbean part of the park. Lakes, marshes and floodplains areas in the park have reported palms such as: ''
Raphia taedigera ''Raphia taedigera'' is a palm species in the family Arecaceae, colloquially known as yolilla in Central American Spanish. It is found in parts of Western Africa, Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion ...
'' and ''
Manicaria saccifera ''Manicaria'' is a palm genus which is found in Trinidad, Central and South America. It contains two recognized species: #'' Manicaria martiana'' Burret – Colombia, northwestern Brazil #'' Manicaria saccifera'' Gaertn. – Central America, T ...
'', and floating
aquatic plants Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that g ...
in the streams such as the ''
Azolla ''Azolla'' (mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern) is a genus of seven species of aquatic ferns in the family Salviniaceae. They are extremely reduced in form and specialized, looking nothing like other typical ferns but more rese ...
'', '' Eichhornia'', ''
Hydrocotyle ''Hydrocotyle'', also called floating pennywort, water pennywort, Indian pennywort, dollar weed, marsh penny, thick-leaved pennywort and even white rot is a genus of prostrate, perennial aquatic or semi-aquatic plants formerly classified in the f ...
'' and '' Salvinia'', which fully cover the streams during the dry season. There are trees including ''Dipteryx oleifera'', '' Protium'' spp., '' Vatairea'' spp., ''
Inga ''Inga'' is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing treesElkan, Daniel. "Slash-and-burn farming has become a major threat to the world's rainforest" ''The Guardian'' 21 April 2004 and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. ''Inga''s ...
'' spp., '' Pterocarpus officinalis'', '' Pachira aquatica'', '' Luehea seemannii'' and ''Pentaclethra macroloba'', with thick and varied undergrowth, and several species of small palms such as ''
Euterpe precatoria ''Euterpe precatoria'' is a tall, slender-stemmed, pinnate-leaved palm native to Central and South America and Trinidad and Tobago. ''E. precatoria'' is used commercially to produce fruits, although '' Euterpe oleracea'' is more commonly cultiv ...
''. Other important plant species are grasses such as ''
Paspalum ''Paspalum'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. The group is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Commonly known as paspalum, bahiagrasses, crowngrasses or dallis grasses, many of the species are tall pere ...
'' spp. and the invasive pasture grass ''
Brachiaria mutica ''Brachiaria mutica'' (''Urochloa mutica'') is a species of grass known by the common names para grass, buffalo grass, Mauritius signal grass, pasto pare, malojilla, gramalote, parana, Carib grass, and Scotch grass.Stone, Katharine R. 2010''Uroch ...
''. Trees native to the forests upland to the southwest are ''
Apeiba tibourbou ''Apeiba tibourbou'' is a tree native to Caatinga and Cerrado vegetation in Brazil, and Costa Rica. It is used as an alternative fiber crop to make paper. It is found in Mexico, Central America, and the northern part of South America. This f ...
'', '' Astronium graveolens'', ''
Brosimum alicastrum ''Brosimum alicastrum'', commonly known as the breadnut or ramon, is a tree species in the family Moraceae of flowering plants, whose other genera include figs and mulberries. The plant is known by a range of names in indigenous Mesoamerican ...
'', '' Carapa guianensis'', ''
Cordia alliodora ''Cordia alliodora'' is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the American tropics. It is commonly known as Spanish elm, Ecuador laurel, cypre or salmwood. It can reach 35 m in height. Uses ''Cordia ...
'', '' Crescentia cujete'', '' Croton niveus'', ''Dipterix oleifera'', ''
Ficus insipida ''Ficus insipida'' is a common tropical tree in the fig genus of the family Moraceae growing in forest habitats along rivers. It ranges from Mexico to northern South America. Taxonomy The tree was described in 1806 under the scientific name ' ...
'', ''
Hura crepitans ''Hura crepitans'', the sandbox tree, also known as possumwood and jabillo, is an evergreen tree of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), native to tropical regions of North and South America including the Amazon rainforest. It is also present in p ...
'', ''
Hymenolobium mesoamericanum ''Hymenolobium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. It was formerly assigned to the tribe Dalbergieae, but recent molecular phylogenetics, molecular phylogenetic evidence has pla ...
'', ''
Jacaratia spinosa ''Jacaratia spinosa'' (known as wild mango, or and in Brazil, and tree in Argentina) is a species of tree, in the genus ''Jacaratia'' of the family Caricaceae (the papaya family). It is found in the tropical dry forests of central and southern ...
'', '' Lecointea amazonica'', ''
Manilkara zapota ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, naseberry, nispero or chicle, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in th ...
'', '' Spondias mombin'', '' Virola sebifera'' and '' Zigia longifolia''.


Uses

Tortuguero National Park is surrounded by private property consisting of large areas under cattle ranching and agricultural farming. The park area itself does not have any permanent human settlement though the settlement was reported during the early part of the twentieth century when timber logging, turtle hunting, and collecting and selling skins of large mammals and reptiles were the major activities. The local inhabitants around the park are only permitted to collect forest products to supplement their income and also for domestic use. Fishing and tourism are major activities. Regulated guidance to visitors to access creeks, lakes, nature trails and watching wildlife and also for observing egg-laying by the turtles '' Chelonia mydas'' and ''
Dermochelys coriacea The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...
''. Training workshops as part of environmental education are organized by the park administration (ACTo) on aspects of conservation measures. Even though no research activities are conducted in the park, several institutions are involved in conducting surveys on sea turtles, birds, flora and insects, land tenure and use, and related economic development, there are some guard stations and protection points built within the park. Regulations for the public use of the Tortuguero National Park provides an allowance for public visitation under the specific regulations formulated. The park entrance is accessible from the Cuatro Esquinas center in the village of Tortuguero, in the northern part of the park. Several trails depart from this point — three aquatic trails and one hiking trail. The hiking trail is called the Gavilan Trail and is long. La Ceiba and La Bomba trails lead up to Tortuguero hill, to a tower that provides a scenic vista of the region. The Sector Jalova Station is further south near Jalova Lagoon and the town of
Parismina Barra del Parismina is a village of about 500 people located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, at the mouth of the Reventazón River. Parismina is about halfway between Tortuguero and Limón on the Tortuguero canals. There is no road to Paris ...
. Aguas Frias Station is on the western edge close to the town of Cariari. The three water trails are the Harold which is the most popular, Mora, and Chiquero.


Conservation

Illegal clear-cuts within the park have created access for poachers to the once isolated second-largest green sea turtle nesting beach in the world. Other threats are due to cutting of '' Manicaria'' spp. for use as a roofing material, change of river course deforestation, siltation as a result of banana plantations, and illegal hunting by outside agencies. The last named threat is most serious and the most affected species are: ''
Agouti paca The lowland paca (''Cuniculus paca''), also known as the spotted paca, is a large rodent found in tropical and sub-tropical America, from east-central Mexico to northern Argentina, and has been introduced to Cuba and Algeria. The animal is call ...
'', ''
Tayassu pecari The white-lipped peccary (''Tayassu pecari'') is a species of peccary found in Central and South America and the only member of the genus ''Tayassu''. Multiple subspecies have been identified. White-lipped peccaries are similar in appearance t ...
'', ''
Tapirus bairdii The Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as ...
'', '' Odocoileus virginianus'', ''
Dasypus novemcinctus The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. It ...
'' and
marine turtles Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...
and their eggs. Some of the developmental activities reported to be directly affecting the park environment are; a hydroelectric project; the new international port of Barra del Parismina; and an interlinking project linking the canals to the Pacific and the Caribbean. Conservation measures proposed in the core area of the larger
Tortuguero Conservation Area Tortuguero Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in Limón Province, northeastern Costa Rica. It contains a national park, several wildlife refuges and protected zones. Protect ...
(''Area de Conservación y Desarrollo Sostenible de Llanuras del Tortuguero'', ACTo), which encompasses the Tortuguero National Park, the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge (40,315 ha), the
Border Corridor Wildlife Refuge Border Corridor Wildlife Refuge ( es, Refugio de Vida Silvestre Corredor Fronterizo) is a wildlife refuge, running through Guanacaste, Arenal Huetar Norte and Tortuguero Conservation Areas, in the northern part of Costa Rica running as a 2,000 ...
(11,092 ha), as well as a few other reserves. The
National System of Conservation Areas National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC, es, Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación) is part of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) of Costa Rica. It is the administrator for the nation's national parks, conservation areas, an ...
(SINAC), a department of the Ministry for the Environment and Energy (MINAE), is then responsible for managing the project. In 1990–1992, conservation projects were undertaken with the initiative of the project the MINAE and the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
(EU) and were implemented by
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
. The project envisaged "the organisation of land use and
agroforestry Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. Trees produce a wide range of useful and marketable products from fruits/nuts, medicines, wood products, etc. This intentional ...
, conservation of aquatic resources, strengthening of social structures, facilitating research development, and protecting existing natural and cultural resources."


Gallery

Image:Caiman crocodilus (Tortuguero).jpg, Spectacled Caiman in the Tortuguero National Park. Image:Artibeus sp. Tortuguero National Park crop.jpg, Neotropical fruit bats in Tortuguero National Park. Image:Oophaga pumilio-Tortuguero1.jpg,
Strawberry poison-dart frog The strawberry poison frog, strawberry poison-dart frog or blue jeans poison frog (''Oophaga pumilio'', formerly ''Dendrobates pumilio'') is a species of small poison dart frog found in Central America. It is common throughout its range, which ex ...
in Tortuguero Volcano.


References


External links


Tortuguero National Park
at Costa Rica National Parks

{{authority control National parks of Costa Rica Geography of Limón Province Protected areas established in 1975 Tourist attractions in Limón Province