A year-long wildlife study at Reserva Conchal in Guanacaste documented 79 species of mammals, birds and reptiles, nearly double the 40 recorded during the property’s previous monitoring period in 2023–2024. The research was carried out at the Conchal Mixed National Wildlife Refuge using 20 camera traps placed at different points across the property.
The cameras operated for a year, recording wildlife activity and providing researchers with a broader look at animal life within Guanacaste’s tropical dry forest. The monitoring identified 28 mammal species, 48 bird species and three reptile species. White-nosed coatis, white-tailed deer, raccoons, opossums and coyotes were among the animals recorded with the greatest relative abundance.
The most notable findings involved Costa Rica’s wild cats. Cameras confirmed the presence of pumas, ocelots, known locally as manigordos, and jaguarundis. The study reported three puma records, 14 ocelots and six jaguarundis, along with evidence of reproduction, including a female ocelot accompanied by a cub.
The presence of large and medium-sized predators is being viewed by Reserva Conchal as an encouraging sign for the refuge, particularly because wild cats depend on functioning habitat and adequate prey populations. “Each species recorded gives us valuable information about the health of the ecosystem,” said Gabriela Meza, Sustainability Manager at Reserva Conchal.
Meza said the monitoring gives conservation teams a stronger scientific basis for deciding where future protection efforts should be concentrated. The increase from 40 species in the previous monitoring period to 79 in the latest survey is substantial, although it should be interpreted as an increase in species detected rather than evidence that wildlife populations themselves nearly doubled.
The publicly available report does not provide enough methodological detail to determine how directly the two monitoring periods can be compared. Reserva Conchal carries out its wildlife work with the Tempisque Conservation Area, McGill University in Canada, the SalveMonos Foundation and the Baulas-Conchal Marine-Coastal Biological Corridor. The partnerships are focused on wildlife research and maintaining connections between habitat areas used by animals moving through this part of Guanacaste.
More than 60 wildlife crossings have also been installed on the property in recent years. The crossings are intended to reduce vehicle strikes and electrocutions, two threats that can become more serious where wildlife habitat overlaps with roads, power infrastructure and tourism development.
Reserva Conchal has also incorporated artificial intelligence into biodiversity analysis, using technology alongside camera-trap monitoring to help researchers process wildlife information and guide conservation decisions. Previous reports on the property’s environmental programs have also documented its use of camera traps, wildlife crossings and collaboration with McGill University and SalveMonos.
The refuge is officially listed by Costa Rica’s National System of Conservation Areas, or SINAC, as the Conchal National Wildlife Refuge under the mixed category. It is located in the Cabo Velas district of Santa Cruz, Guanacaste.
Conservation work at Reserva Conchal also extends to schools in surrounding communities. Since 2017, its Simbiosis environmental education program has reached more than 3,700 students through activities involving biodiversity, ecosystem conservation, pollinators, reforestation and sustainability.
The program brings children and young people into direct contact with the natural environment, rather than limiting environmental education to the classroom. For Reserva Conchal, the latest camera-trap results offer another measure of what wildlife continues to use a landscape that combines protected habitat with one of Guanacaste’s best-known tourism areas.
Continued monitoring will be especially important in determining whether the expanded species list represents a lasting trend and how wild cats and other animals move through the refuge as development continues along Costa Rica’s northern Pacific coast.
