RESERVA KINKAJOU

Buffer zone at Braulio Carrillo National Park

Protection of an important biological corridor and primary forests for Kinkajou & Co.

In 2017, Tropica Verde became aware of the deforestation of primary forest near the village of Horquetas de Sarapiqui, north of San José. Even though deforestation could not be stopped immediately, an important, partially deforested buffer zone of almost 40 hectares on the border with Braulio Carrillo National Park was acquired in two stages in 2018 and 2019.

The area also forms a biological corridor between two primary forests. This makes the area particularly important for the preservation of biodiversity and its reforestation through targeted planting from the in-house tree nursery and natural succession.

Habitat for the kinkajou, the greater soldier macaw and rare amphibians

The Kinkajou Reserve, for example, serves as a stopover for the Great Military Macaw (Ara ambiguus) during its seasonal migrations from north to south. This is due to the presence of important food trees such as the rare monkey pot tree (Lecythis ampla). Tropica Verde has placed these trees under protection and is planting other important rainforest trees—such as the forest almond tree (Dipteryx panamensis), the Titor tree (Sacoglottis trichogyna), the kapok tree (Ceiba petandra), and the sandbox tree (Hura crepitans). You can find interesting information about these trees, for example, at Plantaciones Edelmann. Between 2018 and 2022, small groups of these birds were regularly and increasingly spotted flying into the trees of the reserve, screeching loudly. This is an important observation given that the remaining macaw population in Costa Rica numbers only about 500 individuals. In addition, a wide variety of mammals—such as tapirs, small anteaters, spider monkeys, ocelots, and pumas—as well as numerous amphibian and reptile species have been documented at the Reserva Kinkajou. And, of course, the kinkajou (English: sloth bear) is found there—the animal that gave the reserve its name. Dawn brings a unique symphony of countless bird calls.

Many insects, such as this leafhopper, are excellently camouflaged
Planning for the protection of the Great Soldier Macaw at Yatama Lodge. Understanding the flight paths of birds is important in order to establish further protected areas.
The Reserva Kinkajou was established in 2019. The Tropica Verde team, Pedro and the locals are delighted.
The Reserva Kinkajou always offers animal surprises. After the night walk through the area, the rare pygmy anteater greets us at the entrance gate of Yatama Lodge. Apparently took a short nap before the exhausting nightly insect hunt.
Wickelbär—the inspiration behind Reserva Kinkajou
Drone image Reserva Kinkajou

Kinkajou Nature Reserve

Aerial view at the edge of the Kinkajou Nature Reserve. On the left you can see part of the young reforestation and next to it the wooden hut on the Reserva Kinkajou, which will eventually be converted into an environmental education center. We leave the unwooded areas on the right to natural succession. In the background, the primary forest protected by Tropica Verde extends as a buffer zone to the Braulio Carrillo National Park.

Partner

Our partners at the Reserva Kinkajou include Pedro from the Yatama Ecolodge and Alex from the Centro Científico Tropical (CCT). They are the local key players behind the success of this Tropica Verde project.

Tree seeds first had to be laboriously collected in the forest and germinated before trees could be grown in the nursery
Nursery Reserva Kinkajou

Nursery

Over 700 trees of various species are waiting to be planted in 2021. Tropica Verde project coordinator Stefan Rother and forest engineer Victor Esquivel are delighted with the healthy growth of the seedlings, which were germinated from collected seeds.

WHAT DOES TROPICA VERDE DO?

  • Reforestation of the fallow pastures on the Reserva Kinkajou. Tree seeds were collected with local plant experts

    collected on site

    grown in our own tree nursery and planted out as seedlings in the grounds. Regular checks and maintenance will be carried out until 2025 (this work can be supported by your donation, for example).
  • Close cooperation with local conservationists such as the neighboring Pedro Mendez Tam, who actively supports us in reforestation and forest conservation. The nature lover runs the Yatama Ecolodge in the immediate vicinity. Tropica Verde also participates in a neighborhood network founded in 2022 to protect an area of more than 1000 ha.
  • An existing old wooden house on the edge of the Reserva Kinkajou is to be converted into a science and education center in the near future.
  • As the macaws show nesting behavior on the Reserva Kinkajou but there are no suitable forest almond trees with sufficiently large tree cavities, the establishment of some artificial nesting aids is planned for 2023.
  • In 2022, a scientific bachelor thesis supported by Tropica Verde was completed, which examined the mammal fauna in relation to the different forest types. The work revealed a great diversity of species even in the newly created secondary forests and showed the negative influence of fragmentation by cattle pastures, which are often the reason for deforestation of the rainforest.
  • In order to link the Costa Rica-wide environmental education activities of our local partner organizations, Tropica Verde 2024 launched across-project education network .

News about this project

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