As part of National Parks Day celebrations, Costa Rica on Tuesday created a new biological reserve.
Reserva Biológica del Bicentenario de la República – Pájaro Campana, a name which invokes the country’s upcoming bicentennial, is located in the canton of Coto Brus, Puntarenas.
The reserve covers an area of 5,075 acres and borders La Amistad International Park, which is shared with Panama, and Las Tablas Protective Zone.
Its forests house biodiversity of scientific and conservational interest, and its rivers supply drinking water to communities in Costa Rica’s Southern Zone.
“These areas become natural laboratories that promote research, for proper management of the protected wild area,” said President Carlos Alvarado.
“The expansion in the protection of these ecosystems would increase their resilience to global change, thus ensuring greater ecological integrity.”
National Parks officials said the new reserve will be incorporated into a model of shared responsibilities in which local communities are involved in supporting and benefiting from the protected area.
Reserva Biológica del Bicentenario de la República – Pájaro Campana will fly Costa Rica’s bicentennial flag as the country counts down the days to its 200th birthday on September 15.