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Costa Rica

Cloudforest in cloudsCloudforest interior
Cloudforest in clouds
Bromeliad and moss

From mid-March to mid-April 1999 I was a volunteer at the Genesis II Cloudforest Preserve in Costa Rica.

Genesis II is a 38 hectare (95 acre) private refuge established to protect endangered cloudforest habitat. A cloudforest, as the name implies, is a mountain forest that is high enough to be normally in the clouds. Genesis II is at an altitude of 2360 metres (7500 ft) in the Talamanca Mountains of central Costa Rica. The refuge has a trail system of over 3km that was built and is maintained by volunteers.

The constantly wet and cool climate provides a suitable environment for the lush forest that is dense with towering white oaks, fern trees -- some over 8 metres high -- and epiphytes such as bromeliads, orchids, and hanging mosses, as well as vines and fungi. (An epiphyte is a plant that lives on another plant but does not take food or water from it.)

The cloudforest also provides a habitat for many species of birds, including hummingbirds and the Resplendent Quetzal, several species of mammals, like porcupines and squirrels, and frogs, butterflies and some huge moths.

The work during my stay consisted of trail maintenance, collection and planting of acorns, some topographical mapping, and various housework.

Collared Redstart Fern, closed Fern, open Insect
Flower Flower Flower Flower

(Note: The Genesis II website no longer seems to exist).


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