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The Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve is a
Up to the 1960s the lands that now constitute the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve were being depleted of their natural forests for use as farm and pasture land. The emphasis in those days was to develop and increase agricultural production and cattle, and little concern was given to conservation of natural habitats.
Nils Olof Wessberg (known as Nicolás) and Karen Mogensen arrived in Costa Rica 1955 in the pursuit of Karen's dream of finding happiness in harmony with nature. They chose to establish themselves in the Nicoya Peninsula.
Soon after establishing themselves in a farm near the Montezuma area, Nicolás set up on an expedition to the Cabo Blanco area in search for native tree seeds to reforest their newly acquired farm. Upon arriving to the area, he was amazed at the abundant wildlife and the size of the trees in the area. This was like an oasis in the midst of a desert as all lands around had been devastated to give way to low-yield pasture and agricultural lands.
This experience was what triggered their determination to save and preserve this "natural jewel". With the aid of international conservation societies, they bought of land in 1963 and turned these lands into the first protected area in all of Costa Rica.
Nicolas was murdered in 1975 while he was campaigning to protect Osa Peninsula from depletion by hunting, forest and gold exploitation. Karen died in 1994. Their bodies are buried at the Nicolas Wessberg Natural Reserve which was the original farm they bought when first arrived in the Montezuma area.
Orca Whales
. Costa Rica Scuba.com. Retrieved on August 25, 2017 fish, crabs and mollusks found in the shore waters and in the Cabo Blanco island. Worth mentioning is the healthy population of brown boobies and pelicans found in the island, and also the plentiful conch ('' Strombus galeatus'') found on the park's waters.
Cabo Blanco Nature and Wildlife
at Nicoya Peninsula Travel Guide * at Costa Rica National Parks
at Costa Rica map
CaboBlancoPark.comPhotos of Cabo Blanco
at Costa Rica Photos {{Authority control Nature reserves in Costa Rica Geography of Puntarenas Province Tourist attractions in Puntarenas Province
Nature Reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
of Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area
Tempisque Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the western part of Costa Rica, including the Tempisque River valley and the Nicoya Peninsula. It contains a number of National Par ...
in the province of Puntarenas
Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is awarded the title of city, which comprises the Puntarenas, Chacarita and El Roble districts. A ...
, covering an area of terrestrial and marine on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula
The Nicoya Peninsula () is a peninsula on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is divided into two provinces: Guanacaste Province in the north, and the Puntarenas Province in the south. It is located at . It varies from in width and is about lon ...
near Montezuma-Cabuya and Mal Pais.
The site is home to the San Miguel Biological Station which was developed to promote and support teaching, research, and environmental education and has facilities that include classrooms, laboratories and a reference library. The reserve was created in 1963 due to a campaign started by Nils Olof Wessberg and was the first major conservation project in the country.
History
Up to the 1960s the lands that now constitute the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve were being depleted of their natural forests for use as farm and pasture land. The emphasis in those days was to develop and increase agricultural production and cattle, and little concern was given to conservation of natural habitats.
Nils Olof Wessberg (known as Nicolás) and Karen Mogensen arrived in Costa Rica 1955 in the pursuit of Karen's dream of finding happiness in harmony with nature. They chose to establish themselves in the Nicoya Peninsula.
Soon after establishing themselves in a farm near the Montezuma area, Nicolás set up on an expedition to the Cabo Blanco area in search for native tree seeds to reforest their newly acquired farm. Upon arriving to the area, he was amazed at the abundant wildlife and the size of the trees in the area. This was like an oasis in the midst of a desert as all lands around had been devastated to give way to low-yield pasture and agricultural lands.
This experience was what triggered their determination to save and preserve this "natural jewel". With the aid of international conservation societies, they bought of land in 1963 and turned these lands into the first protected area in all of Costa Rica.
Nicolas was murdered in 1975 while he was campaigning to protect Osa Peninsula from depletion by hunting, forest and gold exploitation. Karen died in 1994. Their bodies are buried at the Nicolas Wessberg Natural Reserve which was the original farm they bought when first arrived in the Montezuma area.
Flora
About 140 different species of trees have been identified inside the park. Because the park is located in a transition area between the dry and wet forest, a unique combination of evergreen trees (never lose their leaves) which are characteristic of the humid rainforest, and trees of the deciduous type (which lose their foliage during the dry season) and are characteristic of the dry forest. Among the dry forest specimens found we can mention the "Pochote" ( Bombacopsis quinata), the "Guacimo" (Guazuma ulmifolia
''Guazuma ulmifolia'', commonly known as West Indian elm or bay cedar, is a medium-sized tree normally found in pastures and disturbed forests. This flowering plant from the family Malvaceae grows up to 30m in height and 30–40 cm in diame ...
), and the "Indio Desnudo" (Bursera simaruba
''Bursera simaruba'', commonly known as gumbo-limbo, the tourist tree, copperwood, almácigo, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florid ...
) but there are many other trees present that are native to the whole Nicoya Peninsula area.
Among the evergreens is worth mentioning the tall and impressive "Espavel" (Anacardium excelsum
''Anacardium excelsum'', the wild cashew, ''espavél'' or ''espavé'', is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The tree is common in the tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests of Pacific and Atlantic watersheds of Central ...
), the "Guacimo Colorado" (Luehea seemanii), and the beautiful "Cortez Amarillo" (Tabebuia ochracea
''Tabebuia ochracea'', known as in Spanish, is a timber tree native to South America, Cerrado and Pantanal vegetation in Brazil. It is also known as ''Handroanthus ochraceus'' or ''Tecoma ochracea''. It is often confused with the Golden Trumpet ...
) which bursts into a yellow spectacle of flowers during the dry months of March and April.
Fauna
There is a considerable variety of mammals in the park. Predominant among these and very easily spotted by visitors are the howler ( ''Alouatta palliata'') and the white-face ( ''Cebus capuchinus'') monkeys. Also very abundant and easily seen are the white-nosed coati ('' Nasua narica'') and the white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North, Central and South America. It is the most widely-distributed mainland ungulate ...
'').
Also present, but harder to spot are the margay ('' Felis wiedii'') and the coyote ( ''Cannis latrans'').
But the greatest wealth in fauna is in the abundant marine birds, marine mammals including orca
The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...
s,ANNIE. 2012Orca Whales
. Costa Rica Scuba.com. Retrieved on August 25, 2017 fish, crabs and mollusks found in the shore waters and in the Cabo Blanco island. Worth mentioning is the healthy population of brown boobies and pelicans found in the island, and also the plentiful conch ('' Strombus galeatus'') found on the park's waters.
References
External links
Cabo Blanco Nature and Wildlife
at Nicoya Peninsula Travel Guide * at Costa Rica National Parks
at Costa Rica map
CaboBlancoPark.com
at Costa Rica Photos {{Authority control Nature reserves in Costa Rica Geography of Puntarenas Province Tourist attractions in Puntarenas Province