The Children's Eternal Rainforest () is a private land trust and preserve in

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 ...

. The preserve is run by the non-profit Monteverde Conservation League.

History

The Monteverde Conservation League was formed in 1986 to counteract agricultural development threatening Pacific Slope forests near the

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve () is a Costa Rican reserve located along the Cordillera de Tilarán within the Puntarenas and Alajuela provinces. Named after the nearby town of Monteverde and founded in 1972, the Reserve consists of ove ...

. After U.S. biologist Sharon Kinsman gave a presentation about the rainforests to a class of Swedish schoolteacher Eha Kern, the children raised funds to protect the forest. Their efforts initially raised $18,000 for the forest. Kern and her husband formed the Swedish non-profit Barnens Regnskog (Children's Rainforest) in 1987. By 1998 the Children's Eternal Rainforest was the largest private biological reserve in Central America, spanning in the Guanacaste,

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela (canton), Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of ...

, and

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 ...

provinces.

Biology

The preserve's 23,000 hectares is one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. It contains 450 species of birds, which is about 50% of Costa Rica's total avifaunal diversity, including several well-known threatened species such as the

resplendent quetzal The resplendent quetzal (''Pharomachrus mocinno'') is a small bird found in Central America and southern Mexico that lives in tropical forests, particularly montane cloud forests. They are part of the family Trogonidae and have two recognized s ...

(''Pharomachrus mocinno'') and the

bare-necked umbrellabird The bare-necked umbrellabird (''Cephalopterus glabricollis'') is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and Panama. Bare-necked umbrellabirds live only in forests and their diet c ...

(''Cephalopterus glabricollis''). It also has the largest number of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

species of any single location on Earth. Because of the large altitudinal gradient and protected lands on both the Pacific and Caribbean slopes,

species composition Relative species abundance is a component of biodiversity and is a measure of how common or rare a species is relative to other species in a defined location or community.Hubbell, S. P. 2001. ''The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeog ...

varies dramatically at different locations. Midge1

Mammal diversity is high with most large Costa Rican species surviving in the preserve including three species of monkey, two species of sloth, and all six species of cats found in Costa Rica. However, hunting pressure and habitat loss in surrounding areas has caused declines of a few mammals and local extirpation of others (e.g.,

white-lipped peccary 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 ...

, ''Tayassu pecari''). Because of

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

around the Tilarán Mountains, the Children's Eternal Rainforest and adjacent protected areas are now an island of natural habitat limiting dispersal of some animals. However,

biological corridor Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

s connecting other nearby protected areas are still possible.

Facilities

There are four locations for visitors to experience the preserve: Bajo del Tigre, San Gerardo Station, Pocosol Station, and Finca Stellar. All offer hiking trails in the forest and San Gerardo and Pocosol offer overnight lodging and meals. San Gerardo, located deep in the forest and overlooking the Arenal Volcano is a particularly scenic location with abundant wildlife.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://acmcr.org/content/ Land trusts Rainforests Nature reserves in Costa Rica 1980s establishments in Costa Rica Tourist attractions in Puntarenas Province