Location: Map
Area: 990,717 acres (400,929 ha)
Tel. 758 6822, 775 3163
The La Amistad International Park (also called PILA), is a
cross-border park, was created by the governments of Costa Rica
(PILA-Costa Rica) and Panama (PILA-Panama) by bringing together the
Talamanca Mountain Range Reserve and La Amistad National Park,
respectively, into a single entity where the address is shared
between the two nations. The park was declared a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO in 1983, and declared an International Peace Park,
following the recommendation of UNESCO in 1988.
It has an
area of 401,000 ha, in Costa Rica there are (193,929 ha), in the
provinces of San José, Cartago, Limón and Puntarenas, being
extremely inaccessible; the part of Panama (207,000 ha) is difficult
to access, having much of the park still unexplored, covering the
provinces of Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí, as well as the Naso Tjër
Di region.
It is composed mostly of rain forest, it includes
the area of the Talamanca mountain range, where the highest peaks of
the two countries are located. More than 3,000 plant species have
been identified in the park area. The park provides habitat for 600
species of birds, more than 300 species of amphibians and reptiles
and 120 species of fish. It houses more than 600 different orchids.
The La Amistad International Park is divided equally between Costa Rica and Panama, as part of the old Friendship Reserves. The park protects much of the Talamanca Mountain Range, including the highest point in Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripó. It covers 401,000 ha of tropical forest and is the largest nature reserve in Central America; together with a 15 km buffer zone, it represents an important biodiversity resource on a regional scale (approximately 20% of the region's species diversity) and worldwide. This is recognized by its strategic position in the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor and its designation as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its cross-border position gives it a unique potential to improve bioregional planning. The park's buffer zone includes coffee and beef producers and indigenous subsistence farmers. Three indigenous tribes - the Naso, Bribri and Ngöbe-Buglé - also live within the park. These indigenous groups live in small traditional villages.
The park is located in a tropical rainforest area. The
PILA is a park with a high biodiversity for both the Panamanian and the
Costa Rican side
Mammals: Some species of mammals have been found
in the PILE such as: jaguar, puma, ocelot, slate, saíno, tapir,
three-toed sloth, squirrel monkeys, howler monkeys, capuchins, spiders
and aotus, the latter has been seen on the Panamanian side of the park,
but since the animals do not recognize political borders it is believed
that it is also found on the Costa Rican side of the park; in fact it
has been mentioned that this species could live much further north, up
to Nicaragua. The Panamanian side of the PILE has not been fully studied
and includes many areas where biologists and science have never reached,
as they are very inaccessible
Birds: 550 species have been identified
for PILA-Panama, representing almost 50% of the 986 bird species
registered for the country. On the other hand, about 450 species have
been reported in the PILA-Costa Rica, which represents 51% of the 845
species of Costa Rica. The trepatroncos alicastaño, the white-throated
hummingbird, the quetzal, the black turkey, the peacock, the harpy
eagle, the macaws and other species stand out.
Reptiles: In 2004 an
ANAM work registered 25 species of reptiles for the PILA-Panama. In 2005
INBio registered 29 species for the PILA-Costa Rica.
Amphibians:
Again ANAM registered in 2004 32 species for the PILA-Panama. INBio
reported 44 species for the PILA-Costa Rica.
The study of the fauna, flora, fungi and ecosystem of
the park has only just begun. It is made difficult by environmental
conditions. It is carried out by scientists from all over the world, and
in a more organized way since 2003.
In 2006, the United Kingdom
Darwin Initiative funded a three-year collaborative refined exploration
project coordinated by the Natural History Museum of London, the INBio
(National Institute of Biodiversity (of Costa Rica), ANAM and the
University of Panama. The main objective of this initiative is to
provide the park with basic information about the ecology of the park
and a start of biodiversity mapping.
This work was based on data
and samples collected by seven multidisciplinary and international
expeditions in the most remote areas of La Amistad; thus, scientists
have collected, determined or deposited in the national collections of
Costa Rica and Panama:
7500 species of plants;
17 000 beetles;
380 reptiles and amphibians.
New species for science:
In 3
years (7 expeditions), they have discovered;
12 species of plants;
a kind of dung beetle;
fifteen amphibians;
three species of
reptiles.