Monteverde​—A Nature Preserve in the Clouds

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN COSTA RICA

The warm Caribbean trade winds that blow in from the sea encounter mountains reaching as high as 5,500 feet [1,700 m]. As the winds ascend these heights, they cool off, and the moisture within them condenses. Thick, low-lying clouds are formed, which then bathe the mountains in rain or shroud them in mist. The result? A rare place of stunning natural beauty known as a cloud forest.

THE year is 1951. Forty-four members of the religious group commonly known as Quakers leave their home in Alabama, U.S.A., in search of a place to establish a peaceful religious community. Their quest leads them to the cloud-covered mountains of northwest Costa Rica, in Central America. The land there is isolated, fertile, and relatively inexpensive.

Developing the area into a homestead, however, is not easy. Marvin Rockwell, one of the original settlers, recalls, “The only road up the mountain was an oxcart trail, and we repaired it with picks and shovels so that our jeeps could enter.” It was with the assistance of local residents that they finally established their new home in the clouds. Appropriately, they called it Monteverde, meaning “Green Mountain.”

The settlers made two decisions that had far-reaching effects. They knew that they had to make their farming community self-sustaining. But what commodity could  they produce that would withstand the lengthy trip down the mountain to market? They decided that cheese fit the bill. A small cheese-making operation that began back then now produces more than 9,000 pounds [4,000 kg] of cheese a day, besides other dairy products, such as sour cream, cream cheese, and ice cream.

The settlers also decided to set aside 1,335 acres [541 hectares] of forested mountainside above their homes. Since this watershed area served as the water source for their small hydroelectric plant, they deemed it wise to protect it. Soon, however, the rich variety of flora and fauna in the watershed area caught the attention of scientists, especially after the discovery of the golden toad. (See the box on the golden toad.) In the 1960’s, a group of scientists and local residents founded the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, a wildlife sanctuary that soon thereafter was expanded to include the watershed. Since then, the preserve has been further extended to encompass approximately 26,000 acres [10,500 hectares].

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve is one of the most visited attractions in Costa Rica. Annually, as many as 50,000 tourists travel the steep, winding dirt road to Monteverde. Bird-watchers and naturalists throng to see the thousands of species of birds, animals, and plants that make their home in the preserve and its surrounding areas.

Plant Life

Some 500 species of trees serve as a foundation of the preserve’s ecosystems. Some trees cling tenaciously to exposed ridges, struggling against the winds that have stunted and gnarled them. Those that grow in protected areas wear a dense robe of vines, herbs, and shrubs, which cover the tree-trunk surfaces. How can these plants, called epiphytes, live without being rooted in soil? A trail guide reads: “In this very wet environment epiphytes receive plenty of water even without extensive root systems. The  mass of vegetation traps enough of the leaf litter being washed down from the canopy to supply nutrients.”

Three hundred species of orchids add splashes of color to the primarily green palette. Much of the remaining space in the landscape is filled in by the 200 kinds of ferns that thrive here​—some nearly 40 feet [12 meters] tall and 150 years old.

What accounts for so much biodiversity in such a small area? For one thing, the preserve’s boundaries extend down toward both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. The dramatic differences in humidity and temperature at various elevations create six distinct ecological zones in which life flourishes in astounding variety.

Bird and Animal Life

Monteverde is a bird-watcher’s paradise. In 1996, a bird count tallied the number of species present within a 15.5 mile [25 kilometer] circle that included parts of Monteverde. In just 24 hours, 369 different bird species were sighted! Native birds here range from the diminutive hummingbird to the resplendent quetzal. In fact, many visitors come particularly to see the quetzal​—one of the most impressively plumed birds in the Tropics. There are approximately 100 quetzal pairs nesting in Monteverde, but they can be difficult to spot because their green plumage blends in so well with the forest verdure. However, it is hard to miss the hummingbirds that frequent the feeders placed outside local shops and restaurants. Beautifully decorated in gleaming violet, emerald, and turquoise, they zip between flowers and feeders on wings that beat too fast for us to see.

One hundred species of mammals also call Monteverde home. “It is one of the few remaining habitats of . . . five species of the cat family: jaguar, ocelot, puma, margay, and jaguarundi,” says the Costa Rica Handbook. Still, the reclusive big cats keep their distance from humans. “A puma is sighted about every six months,” Rafael Bolaños, manager of the preserve, told Awake! “A jaguar is seen only about every three years.” An encounter with one of the 120 species of amphibians and reptiles is much more likely.

What does the future hold for Monteverde? Efforts are being made to expand the protected area. In fact, the recent addition of the Santa Elena Forest Reserve and the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest more than doubled the conservation area. (See the box below.) It is hoped that these measures will help to ensure that there will always be abundant life in the clouds.

[Box/Picture on page 17]

The Disappearance of the Golden Toad

The native golden toad, actually a brilliant neon-orange, was first discovered high in the forests of Monteverde by biologist Jay Savage in the 1960’s. Monteverde appears to be the only place on earth where this toad could be found. “In 1985 a swarm of about 1,000 was observed,” notes Rafael Bolaños, manager of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. “But just two years later, very few could be found.” The golden toad is now believed to be extinct.

Dr. Alan Pounds, who has studied the disappearance of 20 species of frogs and toads in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, notes that “extreme patterns of daily precipitation . . . immediately preceded the collapse and disappearance of many amphibian populations, including the endemic golden toad.”

[Credit Line]

© 2003 Richard Sage

[Box on page 18]

Children’s Eternal Rain Forest

In a small primary school in rural Sweden, a class of nine-year-olds asked what they could do to save the rain forest. With the help of their teacher, they raised money that in 1988 was used to purchase 15 acres [6 ha] of threatened rain forest. Thus was born the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest. Word of the project spread, and children in 44 countries joined the effort. Children have raised enough money to expand the protected area to include thousands of acres bordering three sides of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve.

[Map on page 16]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Monteverde

[Picture on page 16]

Epiphyte plants

[Picture on page 16]

Ferns

[Picture on page 16, 17]

Orchid

[Picture on page 18]

Hummingbird

[Credit Line]

THE HUMMINGBIRD SOCIETY/Newark Delaware USA

[Picture on page 18]

Quetzal

[Credit Line]

© Anthony Mercieca/SuperStock

[Picture on page 18]

Red-eyed tree frog

[Picture Credit Line on page 17]

Background and orchid: © Michael and Patricia Fogden