Beautiful Costa Rica & Ecotourism

#Costa_Rica_Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a growing & important sector of the economy here in Costa Rica in which the government has protected 25% of the area with 29 National Parks for all of us to enjoy.

 Now it will cost you for tours, but some things are just worth spending on & you are helping the Earth as 4% ot this planets biodiversity is here, even though it is a small country

Everything is Eco these days but lets remember the original meaning of it;

Ecotourism immerses travelers into natural areas (so for example in Costa Rica
you will see tropical forests which are dry, wet & rain types)
This will create environmental awareness through our sense of sight, smell, hearing & touch

Costa Ricas push towards ecotourism started with the establishment of the Cabo Blanco National Reserve in 1963 plus the first National Parks in 1971
That trend continued & today the countries park system covers 3,221,000 acres which is 30% of its territory marked for conservation, making it one of the highest ratios in the world

Costa Rica has the highest density of plant & animal species on Earth because of its interoceanic & intercontinental location
 Also plus the fact of it being an isthmus, in which many species migrated here during that geological time period & stayed

 

So besides the famous butterflies of Costa Rica (in stone & one of the 1,200 species) there are

 850 bird, 237 mammal, 1260 tree, 1200 orchid & 361 reptile / amphibian species of each    

Costa Rica has a tropical climate that extends across extreme variations in altitude & covers countless ecosystems

As i am walking the Zen Gardens (and marvel at Costa Ricas natural riches) i am reminded this was not always the case
Thankfully the country reversed its mindset of cutting down forests for agriculture & cattle in the mid 1900s (which was the standard for Central America at this time) 
The government then formed the Park System as they realized tourists are willing to pay to experience the wonders of their nature

Not all Eco-activities involve looking at plants in Costa Rica;
A) Rafting down rivers as you identify coastal birds
B) whale watching on the Pacific Ocean
C) riding horses on the plains of the Central Valley

The government estimates that 50% of international visitors consider themselves ecotourists
Now with these large numbers some parks are putting on a cap for per day entrants
For example; Monteverde is 200, Manuel Antonio is at 800 
So plan ahead 

The landscape here is diverse; rainforests, volcanoes, beaches, wetlands & caves 
All of this in an area of  62,000 square kilometers or 24,000 square miles ( think the size of West Virginia, which is the only the 41st largest state in the USA)

During your guided tour you may learn of the medical uses of the tropical plants, distinguish between the calls of a bellbird or toucan, maybe point out the root system of a balsa tree, etc
So yes, worth it to pay for tours in this country

There are Ecolodges that are intentionally isolated which uses solar & wind power
Now these are less fancy plus have fewer amenities than traditional resorts but what better way to experience nature in Costa Rica

The park system protects some 500,000 species of plants & animals which again is 4% of the worlds total biodiversity

Local artist & my friend Allan Murillos stunning work that captures the raw beauty of his country onto his canvas      https://www.instagram.com/amurillo.art/