The Guanacaste conservation area is a 147,000 Hectare area of reclaimed land and contiguous national parks stretching over 100 kilometers of diverse terrain from the Pacific ocean to the Caribbean lowlands creating one of the last remaining virgin eco corridors in the Neo Tropics. This comparatively small area is an abundant eco system , which because of attention to including the entire habitat system, boasts more bio diversity than all of North America and Mexico combined. One thing that makes this conservation area unique is the diverse geographies in its make up. From the rocky marine environment on the Pacific coast across the mountains of the Guanacaste range, these diverse environments support a multitude of endangered species including wild cats, Tapirs, Olive Ridley Turtles and a plethora of plant and invertebrate species. The Guanacaste Conservation area was extended beyond the Parque Nacional Santa Rosa in 1999 completing the areas current makeup with the purchase of 15000 Hectares of private land in what can only be called an aggressive and ambitious conservation plan. The overall project is run by an administrative unit that makes inclusion of the indigenous population an important part of its mandate in support of and growth of this important ecological corridor. The corridor includes an important and often overlooked world conservation priority in the dry tropical forests that are increasingly rare in our modern world. This habitat supports a multitude of endangered species including the Great Green Macaw, the Mangrove Hummingbird and the rare military Macaw and Great Curassow. A diverse collection of reptiles including the endangered American Crocodile and speckled Caiman are also evident in this habitat. I applaud Costa Rica for its commitment to preservation, and am proud to call her my home.

Guanacaste comprises a visually stunning landscape and an equally abundant marine environment. Several converging currents and cold upwelling nutrient rich currents off the coast contribute to an amazingly diverse and productive marine eco-system. The land areas are equally rich in bio diversity boasting over 7000 plant species and over 900 known vertebrate species in addition to over 9000 invertebrate species and a plethora of endangered species which include the Tapir, the American crocodile, the speckled Caiman, the great Green Macaw, and the military Macaw, in addition to many rare Felids including the Ocelot the Jaguar and more

Costa Rica’s efforts in conservation is a model for the world and it is hard to overlook the fact that this small country the size of West Virginia has set a high bar in regards to conservation. Costa Rica has set aside 23.4% of its total land mass to national parks and conservation efforts, making it the leader of total geography devoted to conservation by land mass in the world. Why such a commitment you ask? The Costa Ricans have a pretty good idea of the treasure they possess and are committed to preserving it for future generations. This small country with only .03 % of the worlds land mass astoundingly holds 5 % of the worlds bio diversity meaning 5% of all the species of plant and animal life in the world, an amazing statistic and the Costa Ricans are serious about guarding this resource. An unexpected side effect of such assiduous conservation efforts in the last 20 years has been the explosion of interest in the country and the consequential explosion in Costa Rica as an eco-tourism destination. People from all over the world flock to see the wildlife, the pristine jungles and rare dry tropical rain forests. The tropical weather, the incredible beaches and proximity and ease of access from North America contribute to this tourism phenomenon.