Ecosystems of Costa Rica

Costa Rica has twelve of the life zones classified by L. Holdridge in 1971. In simple words, these life zones are defined by the variation of temperature and precipitation in a given area. These variables also change with elevation. The life zones are named according to the latitudinal belt (in Costa Rica they are all tropical forests), humidity (in Costa Rica: dry, moist, wet, rain) and the elevational belt (lowlands 0-500 m.a.s.l., premontane, lower montane, montane, subalpine). Here, some of the life zones are described together according to their location and elevation.

Life Zones:

Costa Rica unique topography makes it home to twelve major life zones.

The Dry forest is found in parts of the central valley but mainly across the North West Pacific Coast.

The Forest of the Lowlands (0-500 m. altitude), -not dry forest; is mainly found in most other coastal regions (Pacific and Caribbean slopes).

As you approach 500-1500 meters in altitude you in most cases enter the Middle-elevation Forest

Above 1500 meters you get into Highland ecosystems of Costa Rica.

There are also some other ecosystems in Costa Rica not included in the life zones categorization, such as the coral reefs or the mangroves. Some of them are described below.

Dry Forest

Dry Forests have less than 2 meters of rainfall per year. The plants have adapted to the six-month dry season as most of the trees lose their leaves and produce flowers and fruits during the dry season. The dry forest of the North West...

Forest of the Lowlands

Forest of the lowlands (0-500 m). The Lowland rain and dry forests have a short dry season. They also experience some of the highest rainfall in the country (up to 8 m). These are semideciduos or evergreen forests where the trees can reach 50 meters tall, and palms and ferns are abundant in the understory. These forests are the most abundant forest in Costa Rica...

Highland Ecosystems

The highland forests are evergreen. Here is where the impressive oaks are found. The plant life is abundant and literally grows everywhere: on the ground, on the tree trunks, in the canopy and even on the electricity cables along the road. The Montane Rainforest also includes some bamboos that grow with the shrubs, and a special kind of vegetation related to the Sphagnum mosses (called “turberas” in Spanish). These mosses create a very acidic environment where only few plants can grow, but these places absorb a lot of water and are very important in maintaining the underground water reservoirs.

Middle-elevation Forests

This forest typically consists of evergreen or semideciduos (some trees can lose their leaves during the wet season) trees, depending on the amount of rain. Tree height varies between 25 and 40 meters; the understory is very dense, and in the rain forest ground is covered by mosses and ferns. Life zones home to these forests: Premontane Moist Forest, Premontane Wet Forest, Premontane Rain Forest. Found ....

Coral Reefs & Wetlands

The coral reefs are among the most productive environments of the world, and they are important not only as carbon sinks but also for marine life reproduction. Coastal areas are important for shorebirds (many of them are migratory), and constitute extremely important nesting sites for marine turtles. Mangroves are forests that grow in between the area of low and high tide, with an influence of freshwater. At least five species of trees can be found growing in these estuarine habitats. The mangrove ecosystems serve as wildlife refuges, nursery and spawning areas. Several species of marine organisms spent their initial stages of development among the roots of the mangroves. Mangroves also help as nutrient and sediment retention areas and shoreline protection. The Terraba-Sierpe mangroves in the South Pacific, Puntarenas Province, were declared RAMSAR sites, as well as the Tamarindo wetlands, the Potrero Grande Mangroves (Guanacaste) and those in the Gandoca-Manzanillo NP (Limón Province, Atlantic coast) .

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