Piedras Blancas National Park
| Piedras Blancas National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location | Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica |
| Nearest city | La Gamba |
| Coordinates | 8°42′00″N 83°15′40″W / 8.7°N 83.261°WCoordinates: 8°42′00″N 83°15′40″W / 8.7°N 83.261°W |
| Area | 34,642 acres (14,019 ha) |
| Established | 17 July 1991 |
| Governing body | National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) |
Piedras Blancas National Park is a national park part of the Osa Conservation Area. It is found in the Puntarenas Province of southern Costa Rica near the town of La Gamba. It protects rainforests and beaches near the Golfo Dulce on the Pacific Coast. It used to operate as part of the Corcovado National Park called the Esquinas Sector from 1991 before becoming a separate park in 1999. Until the mid-90s, much of the forest in the park was severely endangered by logging.
The rugged mountains and watersheds of the Esquinas and Piedras Blancas rivers are covered in dense evergreen forest that is home to a number of rare tropical trees and the habitat of many species of birds, mammals and reptiles. Hunting has been a problem, but the number of park rangers was increased from 6 to 16 between 2005 and 2007, and poaching has decreased.
Some of the park has remained in private hands, however a charitable organisation — Rainforest of the Austrians (Regenwald der Osterreicher) — has been raising funds and purchasing these, which up to 2008 had moved 37 square kilometres (14 sq mi) of land in the area into public ownership. The Costa Rican government, the hydroelectric company Tenaska (carbon offset joint implementation), The Nature Conservancy and the Gordon and Betty Moore foundation have also purchased land in Piedras Blancas, bringing the total protected area within the park to more than 80%.
Austrian researchers studying the mammals of Piedras Blancas NP in 2003 and 2004 compiled a list of 96 species sighted or caught in camera traps. The 14 species of carnivores include raccoons, coati, kinkajou, olingo, skunks, grison, tayra and five species of cats (jaguar, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi and puma). It is, however, highly unlikely that tourists will encounter a wildcat as they are elusive and nocturnal. Two-toed sloths are rare in the Esquinas forest but can be found in the coastal areas around Golfito. Around 20 years ago, the giant anteater was seen for the last time by local hunters, but it is extinct today. The northern tamandua has been sighted near Esquinas Lodge and the silky anteater was recorded in the mangroves near Golfito.
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Wikipedia