Manuel Antonio National Park.Jardin Gaia Wildlife Rescue Center is in close proximity to Manuel Antonio National Park, and the well being of the park and its wildlife is of great importance to the Center. Manuel Antonio National Park is famous for its natural beauty and great biodiversity,and is the area's main attraction. However, the park's natural resources and surrounding environment are being worn down due to commercial development, oil palm plantations, rice fields and an ever growing tourism industry. Hotels and other tourism related enterprises are being built by the dozen, and obviously provide a boom to the local economy. However, recent illegal development has occured, including deforestation of park property, destruction of mangroves and gravel extraction from rivers. Jardin Gaia is working with local authorities to promote a general reform in the management of tourism, to help preserve the environment and wildlife -- the basis of the tourism industry. A different, but even more immediate problem exists for Manuel Antonio. Twenty five years ago, the Costa Rican government confiscated land to establish the national park, with the promise of paying its original owners. Currently, nearly half of the park land is still unpaid. Last year, the Costa Rican Supreme Court ruled that all unpaid confiscated land must return to the original owners, a declaration which could mean more development and the end of the park as it currently exists. Jardin Gaia is working with government officials on funding programs to pay the private owners to maintain all the land as national park and modify the old Law that create the Park to allow that at least the 50% of the entrance fees will be devoted to pay back the land to the original owners.
Some background on the park and its inhabitants. Though it is Costa Rica's
smallest national park of (684 hectares) it represents the last patch of
original lowland forest in the central pacific coast. Its main attraction
lies in its two pristine beaches which are graced with white sand, gentle
waves, a long slope into transparent blue water and a tall evergreen forest that grows right down to the hightide mark. The varied environment includes primary forest, secondary forest, mangrove swamp, lagoons and beach vegetation.
The most remarkable species is the beautiful squirrel monkey (Saimiri
oerstedi citrinellus ), the only endemic sub species of primate of the
country and in great danger of extinction . |
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To date 346 species have been discovered here, including 109 species of
mammals and 184 birds. It is also possible to see two and three toed sloths (Bradypus variegatus ), raccoons (Procyon lotor ), coaties (Nasua narica ), howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata ), and white faced monkeys (Cebus capucinus ) . Researchers working in conjunction with Jardín Gaia have produced a complete catalog of the animals in Manuel Antonio. Look at the