Turberas de Talamanca

Turberas de Talamanca. 02/02/03. San José, Cartago, Limón provinces. 192,520 ha. 09°30'N, 083°42"W. National Parks, Forest Reserve, Biological Reserve. A unique high mountain wetland (altitude 700-3821m) located in the Talamanca mountain range and considered an extremely heterogeneous area in terms of the ecosystems present: non-forested peatlands, paramos, meadows, cloud forests, and rain forests. The protected areas comprising the Ramsar site make up an immense biological corridor that allows numerous vulnerable animal species to move about in search of food and breeding sites, among them the Central American tapir Tapirus bairdii, the ocelot Felis pardales, and the red brocket Mazama americana. Numerous plant communities are present in the site's different ecosystems present - paramos, oak forests, and non-forested peatlands. Paramos are found between 2900-3100 meters above sea level, and contain a unique mixture of neotropical flora, including holartic, Andean, and endemic species, which show important adaptations to extreme conditions, seasonality, and high solar radiation. Oaks are the dominant feature in what is regarded as the country's largest forest mass, most notably the IUCN Red-Listed black oak Quercus costaricencis and the hook Quercus corrugata. Peatlands are "drowned" and thus are characterized by Ciperaceae, Juncaceae, Ericaceae, large ferns of the Blechnaceae family, plus Sphagnum and other mosses. The hydrological network in Tapantí National Park is of vital importance for Costa Rica in terms of hydroelectric power production and supply of a large portion of the drinking water for the country's largest cities. Chirripó National Park features the country's tallest mountain, Cerro Chirripó (3820m above sea level), as well as rare geomorphologic formations of glacial origin. The largest indigenous group in Costa Rica, the Bribri, are native to the mountains of Talamanca, thus giving the site a great cultural importance. Ramsar site no. 1286. Most recent RIS information: 2003.

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