“America’s national parks are wonderful treasures, but they are dwarfed in biodiversity by Osa, Costa Rica’s crown jewel”

–E.O. Wilson

Once an island, the Osa Peninsula merged with the Central American mainland nearly two million years ago. The resulting combination of plants, animals, and ecosystems make it a place unlike any other.

Costa Rica represents less than 0.3% of the world’s landmass but contains over 5% of global biodiversity.  Within this very small geographic area, the Osa Peninsula contains 2.5% of the earth’s biodiversity, including many species found nowhere else on the planet.

Biodiversity Worth Protecting

The Osa is home to:

• One of only four tropical fjords on the planet
• The most significant wetland ecosystem and mangrove forests of Central America
• The largest remaining tract of lowland rainforest in Pacific Mesoamerica
• 2-3% of Earth’s flora found nowhere else in the world
• 323 endemic species of plants and vertebrates
• The largest population of scarlet macaws in Central America
• More than 4,000 vascular plants
• More than 10,000 insects
• More than 700 tree species
• 463 species of birds
• 140 mammals including 25 species of dolphins and whales (the only place on the globe where northern and southern populations of humpback whales meet)
• 4 species of sea turtles