If Costa Rica has something, it is a truly impressive variety of animals. Its tropical forests keep a unique fauna in the world. You have hundreds of marine species ready to be discovered by you.
The importance of biodiversity in Costa Rica makes it one of the places with the highest number of species per square meter.
Despite centuries of deforestation, Costa Rican nature has been regaining its rights.
Its ancient forest, devastated by intensive agriculture and livestock, has been channeled, for approximately thirty years, to give way to mixed fields and pastures.
Today, there is a thick green blanket that once again covers half the country, from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean Sea and the slopes of volcanoes. But let’s not believe that it is the man who takes care of the recovering forest, no, the true artisans of reforestation are the animals that inhabit it: jaguars, tapirs, white-lipped peccaries, spider monkeys, green macaws …
These are species that help shape, rebuild and bring to life a nature that, without them, would die completely.
Costa Rica is a jewel like no other on the planet. Not only has it put an end to the destruction of its forests, but it has also become, in just thirty years, a veritable sanctuary for more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity.
A network of national parks unique in the world protects its abundant ecosystems. Dry and humid forests, maritime parks …: despite innumerable challenges, the preservation of these natural environments and their fauna is more than ever a priority for this small Central American country.
This documentary focuses on the fabulous natural heritage of Costa Rica, a world of biodiversity.
This episode is about: jaguars, peccaries and spider monkeys which help to build and maintain the rich ecosystem of the forest that would not have life without their presence.
As first protagonist
We have the jaguars which play very important functions in the ecosystem. These help control herbivore populations, maintaining the natural balance between plants and their consumers. Therefore, this big cat keeps the forest healthy, allowing vegetation to regenerate. It is essential to conserve this species of felid from Costa Rica that today is in danger of extinction. Hence the importance of the jaguar rescue carried out by the MINAE of Costa Rica.
Likewise, in Costa Rica there are four species of monkeys: Congo or howler, white-faced, marmoset or squirrel and spider or red. Of these, the worst are the spider, because they have been widely used for human consumption and as pets. “Deforestation, with or without permission, continues to be a problem, because we cut off the movement of the monkeys”,
Veterinarians have pointed out that a similar thing happens to humans when they eat junk food: the level of fat in the liver increases and their teeth are filled with cavities from sweets.
“We have seen that animals change behavior and eating habits. For example, in a troop of monkeys, the females protect the young and tend to wander into the forest if they perceive human presence. However, now the females leave their young to get food provided by tourists. This behavior is learned by the little ones”.
It is urgent to think about strategies for the conservation and protection of wildlife, in this case of monkeys, which is not easy because it requires political will and economic resources.
The creation of biological corridors and the protection of the hydrographic basins to establish the necessary connectivity would favor the growth of the populations and thus produce crosses of individuals between different troops.
Reflection
As a result of the pandemic it seems something strange but, nature has recovered apparently the simple fact that human beings have been locked up gave rise to the recovery of the habitat of many animals, the question arises: will we be the problem? Could it be that nature gave us a lesson and showed that its growth is clouded thanks to our presence?
At TCRN we make a call to conscience, to reconnect and make peace with our beloved nature, to understand that the problem is we who burn garbage, those who indiscriminately hunt animals just for fun many times, the problem is our lack of humanity and not understanding that we must be in harmony with it because the day it passes the bill to us will be too late.
