The Guanacaste Conservation Area contains important natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity
The Guanacaste Conservation Area
contains important natural habitats for the
conservation of biological diversity
The marine habitats of Guanacaste are exposed to seasonal upwelling resulting in significant temperature drops, increased nutrients and lower pH. These unusual oceanographic phenomena have led to the formation of important critical habitats for migratory species, some of them threatened. In particular, the Costa Rica Thermal Dome (CRTD) is a region of high biological productivity off the coast of Guanacaste in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), which influences the route and movements of migratory species. A Misión Tiburón study carried out in 2018 showed that silky sharks migrate from Isla del Coco National Park to the CRTD. Similarly, the Catalinas Islands are the most important aggregation site in Costa Rica for oceanic giant mantas which visit the area during the upwelling season. These islands form part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA), which covers 88,000 terrestrial hectares as well as a marine no-take zone of 43,000 marine hectares. The GCA area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, because of its importance for the conservation of biological diversity on land and at sea; however, such a prestigious designation requires ongoing research, inventories of biodiversity and monitoring of organisms and ecosystems.
Catalinas Islands are the most important aggregation site in Costa Rica for oceanic giant mantas which visit the area during the upwelling season. These islands form part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA), which covers 88,000 terrestrial hectares as well as a marine no-take zone of 43,000 marine hectares. The GCA area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, because of its importance for the conservation of biological diversity on land and at sea; however, such a prestigious designation requires ongoing research, inventories of biodiversity and monitoring of organisms and ecosystems.
The marine habitats of Guanacaste are exposed to seasonal upwelling resulting in significant temperature drops, increased nutrients and lower pH. These unusual oceanographic phenomena have led to the formation of important critical habitats for migratory species, some of them threatened. In particular, the Costa Rica Thermal Dome (CRTD) is a region of high biological productivity off the coast of Guanacaste in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), which influences the route and movements of migratory species. A Misión Tiburón study carried out in 2018 showed that silky sharks migrate from Isla del Coco National Park to the CRTD. Similarly, the