Curu Wildlife Refuge and Tortuga Island, Costa Rica
The tropical rainforest is just one of the many environments found in Costa Rica, however, its survival depends on at least some twelve other habitats such as the tropical cloud and the tropical dry forests among others. Animal species from this intricate mosaic of life zones need to migrate throughout the year from one habitat to the other in pursuit of food and nesting sites. During the dry season tropical dry forests become very vulnerable to both natural as well as man caused fires. For this reason, the protection of these forests have become a priority in the conservation efforts of the Costa Rican government.
This morning, the Sea Voyager anchored off the coast of Curu Wildlife refuge in the Nicoya Peninsula. This privately owned working ranch is also a conservation area where tropical dry forest and mangroves are protected by law. Mangos, coconuts, and timber are extracted from this land in a sustainable way and wildlife is protected. Tourism is also a source of income for the owners of this unique refuge. As we walked through the trails of Curu it was hard to believe that this was a tropical dry forest and that just a few months earlier in the year this lush forest was dry, leafless, and brown. But that is exactly what a tropical dry forest is about: long dry periods followed by intense rains. Trees are protected from predators that may deprive them from precious water by various strategies, from shedding their barks and thus dropping parasites to the ground, to using toxins or simply preventing them to climb up their spiny trunks. Animals are also well adapted to surviving in this harsh environment. As we explored the forest we saw howler monkeys, an agouti, squirrels, bats, manakins, anshrikes, iguanas and even a snake.
Back on board we had the lifeboat drill, followed by the people bingo which allowed us to get to know one another. Lunch was light and refreshing followed by a siesta. Then we picked up our snorkeling gear and went for an afternoon of beach fun on Tortuga Island. The weather was as mild as the water and we had good fun.
The tropical rainforest is just one of the many environments found in Costa Rica, however, its survival depends on at least some twelve other habitats such as the tropical cloud and the tropical dry forests among others. Animal species from this intricate mosaic of life zones need to migrate throughout the year from one habitat to the other in pursuit of food and nesting sites. During the dry season tropical dry forests become very vulnerable to both natural as well as man caused fires. For this reason, the protection of these forests have become a priority in the conservation efforts of the Costa Rican government.
This morning, the Sea Voyager anchored off the coast of Curu Wildlife refuge in the Nicoya Peninsula. This privately owned working ranch is also a conservation area where tropical dry forest and mangroves are protected by law. Mangos, coconuts, and timber are extracted from this land in a sustainable way and wildlife is protected. Tourism is also a source of income for the owners of this unique refuge. As we walked through the trails of Curu it was hard to believe that this was a tropical dry forest and that just a few months earlier in the year this lush forest was dry, leafless, and brown. But that is exactly what a tropical dry forest is about: long dry periods followed by intense rains. Trees are protected from predators that may deprive them from precious water by various strategies, from shedding their barks and thus dropping parasites to the ground, to using toxins or simply preventing them to climb up their spiny trunks. Animals are also well adapted to surviving in this harsh environment. As we explored the forest we saw howler monkeys, an agouti, squirrels, bats, manakins, anshrikes, iguanas and even a snake.
Back on board we had the lifeboat drill, followed by the people bingo which allowed us to get to know one another. Lunch was light and refreshing followed by a siesta. Then we picked up our snorkeling gear and went for an afternoon of beach fun on Tortuga Island. The weather was as mild as the water and we had good fun.
