6 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 75 



Fig. 2. Satellite photo of the study area. Courtesy of Earth Resources Laboratory, National 

 Space Technology Laboratory, NASA. 



tected corridor of forest from 30 m elevation at La Selva to 2,906 m at the top 

 of Volcan Barva (Fig. 2). This corridor covers four life zones and two transitional 

 zones between life zones, and is an important route for altitudinal migrants, including 

 at least 35 species of birds. The expansion of Braulio Carrillo extends from the 

 southwestern border of the La Selva Biological Reserve at 100 m and connects 

 the Atlantic lowland forest around Puerto Viejo to the highlands of Volcan Barva. 

 Together the biological reserve and national park contain 52,000 ha of uninter- 

 rupted forest. 



Destruction of the rain forest in the Caribbean lowlands has proceeded at 

 such an alarming rate that the two adjacent reserves. La Selva and Parque 

 Nacional Braulio Carrillo, form a virtually isolated island of virgin forest 

 (Fig. 3). The recent extension of the national park to La Selva, forming an eleva- 

 tional transect between the station and the higher elevations of Parque Nacional 

 Braulio Carrillo, will be of vital importance in providing habitat to maintain 

 breeding populations of the larger species with large home ranges that require 

 extensive tracts of undisturbed habitat to maintain population levels, as well as 



