Global 200 Ecoregions

Remnant Rainforests Face Threat
Talamancan and Isthmian Pacific 
Forest

map of Talamancan ecoregion
 
Major Habitat Type
Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests

Biogeographic Region
Neotropics

Location
Costa Rica and Panama, Central America


Biological Diversity

The People

The Threat

The Response

The Challenge


Summary

The narrow isthmus of land joining the North and South American continents is a region of considerable conservation importance. The close proximity of the two largest oceans in the world, as well as the geological history of this region, has resulted in a rugged terrain subjected to contrasting climates. This variation has given rise to many unusual ecological conditions. In addition to being an important meeting place for North and South American flora and fauna, this narrow land bridge has also served as an important route through which people, plants and animals migrated in the past. Combined, these factors contribute to an area of outstanding natural and cultural importance.

The Talamancan and Isthmian forests of Central America are among the most important ecosystems of this region. The ecosystem is recognised as an important centre of regional endemism for a wide range of taxa including predatory birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Costa Rica alone contains more species per unit area than most other countries in the world. Some 10,000 plant species, 850 bird, 228 mammal, 215 reptile, 160 amphibian and around 360,000 insect species have so far been identified. Many of these species rely on the Talamancan and Isthmian forests.

The Cordillera de Talamanca, the most significant natural feature in the region, is the highest and wildest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America. The Cordillera runs from near Cartago province in Costa Rica to an area near Volcan Baru, Chiriqui Province, Panama. A series of peaks, massifs, small valleys and slopes, swamps, paramos (humid alpine meadows), important Atlantic and Pacific watersheds, waterfalls and other features are scattered along its range. The transfrontier La Amistad Reserve is the only area in Central America to have remnant impressions of glaciation - the last glacial event being around 25,000 years ago. Forested areas range from lowland tropical wet rainforest to cloud and paramo forests, high marshes and glacial vestiges. With the exception of sub-tropical dry forest, all of Costa Rica's vegetation types are found in this region.



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