Map

http://www.paxnatura.org/images/map.jpg

The Monteverde Cloud Forest was established in 1972 and it covers over 35,000 acres. With major tourist attractions such as high biodiversity and over 8 miles of trails for tourists and inhabitants to hike, the status of this section of the eco-region is protected. 

http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/monteverdes-cloud-forests.html

Historical State of the Eco-Region

The Costa Rican Cloud Forest Forests is found in three areas:  2 in northwestern Costa Rica and another in southwestern Nicaragua. They are predominantly found between the Pacific Coast dry forests and the Tilarán Cordillera mountain range. Rain shadows cover the northwestern forests in Costa Rica, which affects the amount of water in the forest and, by extension, the animals who live there.

Costa Rica is extremely biologically diverse, with over 12,000 species of plants, 1,239 species of butterflies, 838 species of birds, 440 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 232 species of mammals. The endemic concentration is higher here than in any other location, except for islands such as the Galapagos, which are isolated by the ocean.
 FUN FACT: The Monteverde Cloud Forest is one of the only places that all six species of the cat family still exist (jaguars, ocelots, pumas, oncillas, margays, and jaguarundis.) 

                             Scarlet Macaw

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/rainforest-tropical-wildlife/

 In the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests of this region, there are numerous tall trees whose branches hold many epiphytes and lianas. Many migratory birds use these forests as a stopover point on their long journeys from North to South America.

The Cloud Forest gets its name from the tradewind-derived clouds that capture huge amounts of water while covering the tropical mountain’s cloud forests. 

The eco-zone takes in rain during the rainy season to prevent erosion, then releases the water vapor into the atmosphere during the dry season, thus acting like a natural regulator that benefits the areas inhabitants.


 http://costa-rica-guide.com/travel/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=364&Itemid=603 
 http://www.globalspecies.org/ecoregions/display/NT0119
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20costarica.htm

Human Benefits

The importance of the Cloud Forest is the benefits that humans receive from it. Taking the minerals and timber from the forest are just one of the many reasons why people occupy the forest. As mentioned earlier, tourism is a huge factor for why people come to Costa Rica. Unfortunately, when people benefit from the forest it turns to be a negative for the cloud forest. Subsistence farming, cattle ranching, mining, oil and drilling are reasons for people to use the forest. Although these are great benefits we still need to find a balance of using and renewing so that we do not complete exhaust these resources.

What Can Be Done to Improve this Ecosystem?

To improve the human ecosystem interactions, we can continue preserving the forest through government ordinances and acts. We must also be more considerate by our effect on the O-zone layer with the emission of Chlorofluorocarbons. The breakup of the O3 in our atmosphere is causing the rising temperature, and with less emission of chlorofluorocarbons we can attempt to decrease the rate of deforestation. We must use government power to prevent further deforestation, which will maintain the progress that has already been made. Tourists can be more respectful of the environment. Farmers can avoid planting in monoculture, instead using more eco-friendly planting methods, which include planting in polyculture. Companies should discourage using poisonous chemicals at mining extraction sites, and build safer pipelines that are less likely to leak. Simple fixes, such as replanting trees, would also be helpful in improving the Costa Rican Cloud Forest.

Human Impact

Costa Rica has a conservation program that protects more than 10% of the country. The protected areas runs through 40 miles and 9 ecological zones from sea level to 12,500 feet, thereby preserving a wide variety of wildlife. Starting in 1995, a plan to protect 18% of the country in national parks and another 13% in privately owned preserves was implemented, targeting areas that are high in biodiversity. This helped to reserve some of the human impacts that had been negatively affecting Costa Rica up until then.

 Yet despite the creation of many national parks and protected areas, Costa Rica still has world's 7th highest deforestation rate (3.9% in 2007). Increases in Costa Rica's  has caused approximately 20,000 acres of annual deforestation. Deforestation has eliminated most of the world’s tropical cloud forests years ago, and even protected areas like the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve are threatened as the world’s temperature rises.




The Biggest Threats to the Costa Rican Cloud Forest Include...


Cattle Ranching:


 50% of the deforestation in Costa Rica is a result of beef cattle ranching. To clear land for the cattle to live on, slash and burn farming techniques are implemented in areas with soil that has enough nutrients to sustain the wildlife. However, the nutrients don't last long, as the cattle deplete the soil fairly quickly. After a few years it dries out, forcing the cattle farmers to move farther up the mountain, destroying more rainforest to create new cattle pastures. 


Subsistence Farming:


Agricultural farmers encounter the same conundrum as cattle farmers. Farm land erodes because the soil is unable to sustain long term crop development in the mountains. Farmers are then forced to cut down more land for plantations and move farther up the already damaged mountain. The forests are also cut down to create vast mono-crop plantations where bananas, palm oil, pineapple, sugar cane, tea, coffee and other agricultural products are grown.


Logging:




Logging is the second largest cause of deforestation in Costa Rica. To find highest quality wood to sell to furniture stores, timber corporations cut down hundreds of trees every year. Stores such as Pier 1 Imports then buy this wood in bulk. Techniques such as "clear felling" eliminate acres of trees in just one day. These trees are then examined and it is decided whether the wood will be used for furniture, timber, or wood chipping. Furthermore, in order to access these trees, roads must be created in order to reach the forests. These roads damage wildlife as well, as they haphazardly cut through the forest, often destroying both trees and homes for the animals that inhabit them.

meted.ucar.edu

Mining and Oil Drilling:


Mining and Oil Drilling is the third largest threat to the Costa Rican Cloud Forest. High demand for minerals such as diamonds, aluminum, copper, and gold cause companies to use poisonous chemicals in their extraction methods. Forests are affected by oil companies searching for new oil deposits, as large roads are built through untouched forests in order to build pipelines to extract oil. These oil pipelines often rupture spilling gallons in the forest.



How Does This Affect the Atmosphere?


Due to the loss of forest, initial cloud formation occurs higher than it did in previous years. This affects the wildlife in the forest, as it changes the temperature of the ecoregion.  Plants and animals from lower climactic associations have been encroaching on the reserve and other Costa Rican cloud forest areas for more than a decade.This graph shows the rising temperatures in the Cloud Forest, which will affect both animal and plant species in the ecosystem.

http://globalspecies.org/weather_stations/climate/190/201

It is important to remember that deforestation accounts for nearly 25% of global Carbon Dioxide emissions, and is a serious issue in places other than Costa Rica as well.

http://globalspecies.org/ecoregions/display/NT0119
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Costa_Rica.htm
http://www.rainforestconcern.org/rainforest_facts/why_being_destroyed/