Costa Rica

Paying for Biodiversity Conservation Services in Agricultural Landscapes

background

This document describes the genesis for the World Bank GEF project from 2002-2007 to implement payments for ecosystem services for silvo-pastoral systems in Colombia, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The payments were designed to compensate for biodiversity services: international donor money would be exchanged for the international environmental service of biodiversity.

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Amelioration of degraded rain forest soils by plantations of native trees

background

While much has been studied about the ability of tree growth to improve degraded soils in temperate zones, less is known about the impacts of tree growth on degraded soils in tropical zones.

research goals & methods

This study looks at the effects of trees planted in abandoned pasture land in northeastern Costa Rica, 25 years after that land had been cleared of rainforest. The soil was sampled before tree planting and 4 years after the trees became established. 

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Tree species effects on soil properties in experimental plantations in tropical moist forest

Background

Forest soil properties are influenced by the complex interactions of vegetation, soil type, geology, management, and climactic patterns. Tree species can differ in their long-term effects on soils. This study resamples one of the earliest replicated experimental sites at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, used to examine the effects of native tropical tree species on soil properties, to examine longer term effects on soil properties.

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Trade-offs between tree cover, carbon storage and floristic biodiversity in reforesting landscapes

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The multiple benefits of reforestation projects for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services are taken as a given. Yet not all forests are equal. Plantation-type reforestation projects typically undertaken for carbon sequestration are known for low species richness and inadequate provision of other ecosystem services. This study explores the relationships between an increase in tree cover area and changes in forest carbon storage and the potential of a landscape to provide habitat for native floristic biodiversity.

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Trade-offs between tree cover, carbon storage and floristic biodiversity in reforesting landscapes

Background

The multiple benefits of reforestation projects for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services are taken as a given. Yet not all forests are equal. Plantation-type reforestation projects typically undertaken for carbon sequestration are known for low species richness and inadequate provision of other ecosystem services. This study explores the relationships between an increase in tree cover area and changes in forest carbon storage and the potential of a landscape to provide habitat for native floristic biodiversity.

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Domesticación y fitoquímica de Quassia amara (Simaroubaceae) en el trópico húmedo de Costa Rica (Domestication of Quassia amara in Costa Rica)

En el Jardín Agroecológico Bougainvillea, ubicado en la zona atlántica de Costa Rica, se desarrolla un proceso de domesticación de Quassia amara L., con la finalidad de contribuir a la disminución de la recolección de poblaciones de plantas naturales del bosque y de promover una mayor conservación del ambiente, mediante prácticas de cultivo apropiadas, basadas en un modelo agroecológico.

Los autores describen algunas características de Quassia amara, tales como taxonomía, distribución, usos, farmacognosia y algunas actividades biológicas.

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Restauración de la cobertura vegetal en la reserva forestal Monte Alto. Hojancha, Guanacaste (Restoration of vegetation cover in Monte Alto, Costa Rica).

Los autores realizaron un estudio sobre el proceso sucesional en áreas de potrero en recuperación a bosque primario en la parte alta de la cuenca del Río Nosara, cantón de Hojancha, provincia de Guanacaste.

Se identificaron cuatro tipos de fases sucesionales: potrero en recuperación, bosque pionero, bosque secundario y bosque primario intervenido. Estas áreas se encontraron en dos zonas de vida: bosque húmedo tropical y bosque muy húmedo premontano.

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Guía de plántulas y árboles identificados en La Estación Tropical La Gamba, Sendero Fila, Julio 2010 (Seedlings and trees from La Gamba Tropical Station)

La Península de Osa y el Golfo Dulce presentan uno de los niveles de endemismo y diversidad mas altos del planeta. A pesar de ello, entre los años 1980 y 1995 se calculo una pérdida del 16% del bosque existente en esta zona.

La alta diversidad y las amenazas existentes han motivado a diferentes grupos y organizaciones a establecer programas de reforestación y conservación que permitan la recuperación de bosque y la conexión entre los parches existentes, uno de estos proyectos es el Proyecto Corredor Biológico La Gamba (COBIGA), el cual en los últimos 5 años a sembrado alrededor de 15 mil árboles en la zona.

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Vinculación entre el sustento de los agricultores, los árboles y el proceso de agua y suelos en las buenas prácticas de gestión de áreas de captación (Linking farmers livelihoods, trees and soils in water catchments management practices)

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Ecología de bosques tropicales. Descripción desiete especies forestales nativas del bosque húmedo tropical en el sur de Costa Rica (Description of seven native species from the tropical rain forest in Costa Rica)

Los autores presentan resultados de investigaciones detalladas sobre las primeras fases de desarrollo de siete especies arbóreas nativas de la Península de Osa, Costa Rica. Los resultados más importantes son:

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