4 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 75 



logging and development. Today, less than 30% of the original forests remain in 

 Costa Rica, and deforestation continues at the rate of 60,000 ha annually. Although 

 reforestation efforts are beginning, most projects are still preliminary and account 

 for less than 4,000 ha annually. 



Tropical rain forests are the richest and most complex land biotas. Unfortunate- 

 ly, worldwide, more than half of what was formerly tropical rain forest has been 

 destroyed by modern humans, and the rate of deforestation is increasing. Destruc- 

 tion of tropical forests is causing the extinction of thousands of species, many of 

 them still unknown to science. Worldwide, between 76,000 km^ and 92,000 km^ 

 of forest are being clearcut yearly and an additional 100,000 km^ are being altered 

 severely (Myers 1986). If this deforestation rate continues unchecked, an estimated 

 50% of existing tropical forests will be eliminated by the year 2000 (U.S. Depart- 

 ment of State 1981). Mankind is losing the potential for the multiple use of these 

 forests as sources of new drugs for medicines, food plants, genetic reservoirs, water- 

 sheds, recreational areas, and for sustained utilization of the biota, such as for 

 hunting and logging. Additionally, destruction of large tracts of rain forest may 

 affect continental weather patterns. 



Habitat destruction and the associated loss of wildlife are not problems unique 

 to the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica, but rather a global problem. It is especially 

 acute in the tropics today as modern technology and demands for resources are 

 putting humans and nature in direct conflict. It has been estimated that 60% of 

 all species on the earth today will be extinct before scientists have a chance to study 

 them. The establishment of protected reserves and parks, and the expansion of those 

 that already exist, are critical if we are to preserve the flora and fauna of the planet. 

 Nearly everywhere the boundaries of reserves are set by political expediency rather 

 than on the basis of scientific data. 



In Costa Rica, the only viable long-term solution for conservation of the biota 

 is protection of remaining habitat and immediate research programs on sustained 

 use. Most remaining forested lands form part of the more than 60 protected wildland 

 areas, the majority of which are under governmental control. The Costa Rican 

 National Parks Service has been outstanding in protecting wildlands, with more 

 than 32 national parks and equivalent biological reserves protecting more than 

 500,000 ha of land or 12.5% of the national territory. Additionally, more than 

 9.6% of the national territory is protected in a combination of national forests and 

 wildlife preserves and privately owned biological reserves. Unfortunately, the great 

 majority of wildlands in Costa Rica are essentially unknown biologically; an obstacle 

 to their efficient conservation and management. Additionally, many wildland areas 

 are small and located in fragmented habitats; few reserves protect the continuum 

 of altitudinal gradients necessary for survival of many species that migrate seasonally 

 from one elevation to another. Altitudinal gradients also represent a more com- 

 plete picture of the biota found in a given region. 



One such altitudinal reserve was created on 13 April 1986 when Parque 

 Nacional Braulio Carrillo, protecting approximately 31,401 ha of mid- to high- 

 elevation forests on the upper slopes of Volcan Barva in Heredia Province, was 

 increased by approximately 13,500 ha with the addition of a wildland area termed 



