Blogpost written by Eleanor Flatt, Restoration and Biodiversity Research Field Assistant Many intensely biodiverse tropical rainforests are not only inhabited by wonderful wildlife but also by people who call it their home. In these areas, farms offer opportunity to grow crops or maintain livestock in order to provide income for their families. In an ideal world, these two landscapes would be separated and conflicts would not exist. However, located where the rainforest meets farm, there is a matrix where the flora and fauna interact and where human-wildlife conflicts...

Blogpost by Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya, Biodiversity & Conservation Projects Coordinator and Botanical Assistant After a long but successful morning collecting specimens for the botanical garden we headed back to the station, excitement and rumbling stomachs in tow. Suddenly, one small plant close to the trail caught my eye. I curiously approached it, going in for a closer look. What was it? I called over our botanical assistant Marvin to pick his brain. Immediately he smiled with happiness and enthusiastically screamed: “It is a passiflora, collection number 11 for the...

Blog written by Abigail Fields, Osa Conservation DC Intern Imagine hundreds of tiny green and yellow masses moving all around on a leaf. They shift up and down, sashaying side to side, stepping on top of one another as they move in different directions. Small, light green buds can be seen around the masses as well. No, these aren’t bugs, but actually an army of gliding tree frogs and their eggs. Each year during the rainy season explosive breeding takes place, leading to these gatherings of frogs. The frogs mate...

Blog by Megan Tudor, previous Sea Turtle Volunteer The wet season in the Osa Peninsula is just that—very wet. For the past three weeks, I have been out trekking in torrential rain, both first thing in the morning and late at night, while working on the sea turtle program. I also had the opportunity to help with various other important field research tasks being carried out by the incredible team at Osa Conservation. [caption id="attachment_10534" align="aligncenter" width="364"] Megan performs a pH test from a water sample[/caption] One project that I especially...

Blog written by Juan Carlos Crus Diaz, Feline Program Coordinator The white-lipped peccary is a species that represents the tropical forests of Latin America just as much as the jaguar or tapir; however, they are often not nearly as well known. The white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), or “chancho de monte,” has a range from Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina. They are a very important species for tropical forests because they directly benefit the regional biodiversity. When they search for worms and seeds on the ground, they move around the soil  making...

Video Blog by Dr. Andrew Whitworth, Director of Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Osa Conservation has recently started a new research project to investigate the role of the endangered spider monkeys in dispersing seeds and restoring tropical forests in the Osa.  In this video blog below, Andy and his group of researchers are searching out the nightime sleeping trees of the spider monkeys and shows us some of their exciting "latrine site" discoveries. Check out the video below to learn more about this new project:   [video width="848" height="480" mp4="https://osaconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-09-08-VIDEO-00000265-2.mp4"][/video]   Stay tuned...

Blog post by Eleanor Flatt, Restoration and Biodiversity Field Assistant  Collecting 60 camera traps is no easy task, especially when 52 of them are off-trail in the dense tropical rainforest and getting to them involved river crossings and scrambling up steep muddy ridges. These camera traps were part of a study where we combined forces with PhD student Juan Sebastian Vargas (University of Toronto). This work will continue and become part of the growing Camera Trap Network made up of conservation organizations, ecolodges, researchers and land owners that all share...

Blog post written by Marina Garrido, Sea Turtle Research Field Assistant Several months ago, while returning to the station after spending a long morning working to build a new hatchery, some volunteers from the University of Costa Rica and I spotted the nest of a white-necked jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) close to the trail. We were very lucky to see the mother incubating her eggs in a nest made of soft vegetation and cobwebs. This delicate nest was on the surface of a large leaf covered and protected by other...

Blog post written by Juan Carlos Cruz, Feline Program Coordinator Osa Conservation is excited to have worked with our partners to host the very first workshop for the Osa Camera Trap Network!   [caption id="attachment_10339" align="aligncenter" width="346"] Photo of Osa Camera Trap Network Workshop[/caption]   This Network gathers together those in the Osa interested in doing research on wildcat conservation - including partners from communities, private companies, research institutions and conservationist organizations- to help inform conservation decision-making and provide a baseline of wildcat data for generations to come. Wildcats are keystone species, which are...

Blogpost written by Dr. Andrew Whitworth, Director of Restoration Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation   Last night, as I prepared my evening feed (rice with something), I heard a strange and unfamiliar squeaking sound from outside. I grabbed my head torch (aka.flashlight) and out I went. This is what I found. [caption id="attachment_10293" align="aligncenter" width="372"] Eyelash pit viper starting its meal (Photo by Andrew Whitworth)[/caption]   I couldn’t believe it. Ever since moving to live on the Osa Peninsula in February, I have been desperate to see the stunning eyelash pit viper (Bothriechis schlegelii),...