Aero: Brianna Jackson – Costa Rica 2016 – Biodiversity
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
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Biodiversity in a wider scope refers to the variety of life on the entire planet. Costa Rica, and Nicaragua are certainly rich in their biodiversity. They both have a variety of plants and animal life that were extremely protected by the government. During the trip we visited volcanoes, lagoons, a wildlife habitat, mud pots, and hot springs. The topography of each place was certainly unique, and nothing like what you would experience in America.
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Brianna Jackson
The plants were beautiful and vibrant, and had adapted to the hot environment. During the hike through the Adventure Park our tour guided pointed out various tress, some which grew so tall that they reached up into the sky so they could have sunlight. There were other trees in another forest that had gone through a hostile takeover by foreign seeds, and now served as hosts. It was certainly interesting to see how the plants had adapted to the climate they were in
When we went to the volcanoes, the topography also varied. The volcano we visited in Costa Rica was high up in the mountains, so the climate changed drastically. There air thinned out, and since we were so close to the clouds, there was a dampness in the air, and the ground was wet and slippery. Yet on another hike to a volcano in Nicaragua, the air was warm, and the volcano itself was releasing steam due to it being active. When visiting the mud pots the hike was extremely grueling and hot. It was almost like a desert after we left the forest. The land was flat, and the ground was red like clay due to the volcano there. The air also smelled like sulfur because of the mud pots themselves. We even got to see a rock that had been launched from the nearby volcano when it was active way back when.
The wildlife is also diverse. There are so many different types of birds in Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Not to mention the mammals, reptiles, and so forth. I especially enjoyed the visit to Zooave, the “zoo.” In reality, it’s a place for animals who have been injured by humans in attempts to smuggle them out of the country, or just because of cruelty. It was places like this one that really showed how important the wildlife, and the environment is to the Costa Rican people. There were parakeets, turtles, more various types of birds, monkeys, and so forth. The best part was that it was open, there was vegetation everywhere, and even though some animals were in cages, there were others that could roam free, such as the peacocks, and there was even a little tunnel that ran underground for a certain animal to travel through if it wanted a change of scenery.
Costa Rica and Nicaragua is so diverse, not only with its people, but with its topography, its vegetation, and its wildlife. The people are very protective of their country as I saw firsthand. Not only do they have strict laws and security in place to make sure that you don’t smuggle anything living or otherwise out of the county, they provide shelters for animals, and plants that need saving and nurturing Not to mention that places such as the volcanoes and mud pots charge fees so that they can pay for the upkeep and protection of the environment. It was amazing to be able to see a volcano crater up close like I did. And the variation in the climate and wildlife was beautiful as well. Nature sure is a fascinating force here on our plant, and it’s nice to see a country working so hard to preserve it.
Brianna Jackson
LEAF Contributor
ML@FLCC: Costa Rica 2016
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