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The Osa Peninsula The Osa Península, because of its isolation, its biological richness and its relatively undisturbed forests, is now one of the most important natural areas in Central America. In the heart of the peninsula boasts a large forested plateau, many rivers, estuaries and wetlands, an extensive stretch of mangroves in the north, and a huge lagoon in the alluvial lowlands which are nearly surrounded by the mountains of Corcovado National Park. Miles of unspoiled beaches, rocky headlands, and crystal-clean waterfalls create a visual spectacle of extraordinary beauty. It is in these forests that the nearly pristine northern part of Corcovado National Park and Marenco Biological Reserve are situated.
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Poorly understood
climatic factors create conditions in which lowland rain forests thrive,
quite distinct from the more seasonally dry and deciduous forests which
formerly covered the coastal areas to the north and south. Separated from
the wet lowlands of the Atlantic by the cool Talamanca Mountains, the
island-like isolation of the region has led to the restriction of many
wet-forest species to the lands around the Golfo Dulce. Within Costa Rica,
for example, the Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri orstedii) is found only in this
area. Endemism, or the presence or unique species, is well documented for
birds: of 394 species of birds recorded to date in this region, 22 species
and subspecies are encountered only in southwestern Costa Rica. This
region contains endemic frogs, snakes, and lizards, and endemism among
plant trees reach their northern limit here. Within these forests one
encounters perhaps the most complete lowland tropical insect fauna to be
found between Panama and Mexico. Documentation of the flora and fauna of
this immensely rich area is only just the beginning.
