Tortuguero National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

in the

Limón Province Limón () is one of seven Provinces of Costa Rica, provinces in Costa Rica. The province covers an area of 9,189 km2, and has a population of 386,862. The majority of its territory is situated in the country's Caribbean lowlands, though the ...

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 ...

. It is situated within the Tortuguero Conservation Area of the northeastern part of the country. Despite its remote location, reachable only by

airplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

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 or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

, 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, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...

s, including

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

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 ...

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 (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological 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'') an ...

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 or higher in the coolest month, featuring hot te ...

, 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 site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

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 geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. 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 ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

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 Conservation Area, Tortuguero and Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area, Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Areas, in the Limón Province of northeastern Costa Rica. It pr ...

, 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 Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

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 () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

. 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. 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

s, and

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

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, loggerh ...

Fauna and flora

The park's wildlife consists of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

mammals A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

marine life Marine life, sea life or ocean life is the collective ecological communities that encompass all aquatic animals, aquatic plant, plants, algae, marine fungi, fungi, marine protists, protists, single-celled marine microorganisms, microorganisms ...

, sea turtles,

s and

. 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. Threatened animals species in the reserve area are: the

American crocodile The American crocodile (''Crocodylus acutus'') is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four Extant taxon, extant species of crocodiles from the Americas, with populations present from South Florida, ...

(''Crocodylus acutus''), Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), marine turtles such as '' Chelonia mydas'' and '' Dermochelys coriacea'', the

manatee Manatees (, family (biology), family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivory, herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing t ...

or sea cow (''

Trichechus manatus The West Indian manatee (''Trichechus manatus''), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the Eastern United States to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it ...

'') (the northeastern Caribbean wetland is its local feeding and reproduction area) and the tropical gar (''Atractosteus tropicus'') a

living fossil A living fossil is a Deprecation, deprecated term for an extant taxon that phenotypically 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 or ...

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 com ...

, and leatherbacks. The rivers are home to sensitive populations of manatees, as well as

caiman A caiman ( (also spelled cayman) from Taíno language, Taíno ''kaiman'') is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family (biology), family, the other being alligators. ...

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), 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 more loosely to include ...

s, and tropical gar. The forests are home to at least four Costa Rican cat species:

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

s (''Panthera onca''), ocelot (''

Leopardus pardalis The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

''), jaguarundi ('' Herpailurus yagouaroundi'') and puma ('' Puma concolor''), and three of Costa Rica's four species of monkey: Geoffroy's spider monkey, the mantled howler, and the white-headed capuchin. Other mammals include three-toed sloths ('' Bradypus variegatus''), paca ('' Agouti paca''), peccary ('' Tayassu pecari''), tapir ('' Tapirus bairdii''), white-tailed deer ('' Odocoileus virginianus''), armadillo ('' Dasypus novemcinctus'') and 442 species of birds inhabit the area, including kingfishers, toucans,

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 and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

s and

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

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, 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. Some families of marine and freshwater fish reported are: The '' Cichlidae'', ''

Characidae Characidae, the characids, is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish belonging to the order Characiformes. They are found throughout much of Central and South America, including such major waterways as the Amazon and Orinoco Riv ...

'', '' Pimelodidae'', '' Carcharhinidae'', '' Centropomidae'', 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 a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

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 (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of Arthropod, arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquat ...

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'', basilisk lizards, '' Chrysemys'' spp., '' Rhinoclemmys'' 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 (biology), family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central America, Central an ...

''), and many endemic species of

salamanders Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

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 only 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 foun ...

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 oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

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 monoculture, monocultural stands in some seasonally flooded habitats. It ha ...

''), '' caobilla'' ('' Carapa nicaraguensis''), the ''almendro'' ('' Dipteryx oleifera'') and the monkey pot tree ('' Lecythis ampla''); 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 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'' and '' Manicaria saccifera'', and floating aquatic plants in the streams such as the '' Azolla'', '' Eichhornia'', '' Hydrocotyle'' and '' Salvinia'', which fully cover the streams during the dry season. There are trees including ''Dipteryx oleifera'', '' Protium'' spp., '' Vatairea'' spp., '' Inga'' 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''. Other important plant species are grasses such as '' Paspalum'' spp. and the invasive pasture grass '' Brachiaria mutica''. Trees native to the forests upland to the southwest are '' Apeiba tibourbou'', '' Astronium graveolens'', '' Brosimum alicastrum'', ''

Carapa guianensis ''Carapa guianensis'' is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae, also known by the common names andiroba or crabwood. Description Andiroba is native to the Amazon and is widely used by the indigenous populations of the northern region of ...

'', '' Cordia alliodora'', '' Crescentia cujete'', '' Croton niveus'', ''Dipterix oleifera'', '' Ficus insipida'', '' Hura crepitans'', '' Hymenolobium mesoamericanum'', '' Jacaratia spinosa'', '' Lecointea amazonica'', '' Manilkara zapota'', ''

Spondias mombin ''Spondias mombin'', also known as yellow mombin, hog plum, amra or cajazeira, is a species of tree and flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas, including the West Indies. The tree was introduced by the ...

'', '' 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''. 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. 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'', '' Tayassu pecari'', '' Tapirus bairdii'', '' Odocoileus virginianus'', '' Dasypus novemcinctus'' and marine turtles 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 (''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 (11,092 ha), as well as a few other reserves. The National System of Conservation Areas (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 Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU) and were implemented by

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

. The project envisaged "the organisation of land use and agroforestry, 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 in Tortuguero Volcano.

References

External links

* at Costa Rica National Parks
History of Tortuguero
from Tortuguerovillage.com {{authority control National parks of Costa Rica Geography of Limón Province Protected areas established in 1975 Tourist attractions in Limón Province