Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
No place on earth is as intensely vibrant with life as the tropical rainforest. Here every square inch of surface is part of an amazing web where animals, plants and fungi constantly interact with each other in an unending process of creation and destruction. The result of this cycle of life and death is the perpetual rejuvenation of a mechanism that has functioned in perfect balance for millions of years without the need of man’s intervention. However, due to human overpopulation and inadequate use of natural resources, tropical rainforests all over the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. The extinction of these habitats could unleash a chain reaction which could threaten the survival not only of the human race but of all life in the planet. And yet there is still hope. In the small country of Costa Rica for the past three decades great efforts have been made in the conservation of these forests. The example set by the people and the government of this small nation should encourage other countries to do likewise.
This morning we visited Corcovado National Park, one of the most pristine forests in the country and one of the most beautiful corners on our planet. A tropical rain fell upon us as we were having breakfast. We feared this could prevent us from landing on what for some of us would be the highlight of our journey through Costa Rica and Panama. Fortunately, the rain receded and Captain Ramos authorized disembarkation. Once on land we went into the forest. Walking into this natural sanctuary felt like going into some gothic cathedral where trees served as columns and light gaps were like stained glass windows. The songs of birds, the noises of mammals, the sweet smell of flowers and the steam rising from the ground completed this metaphor. After lunch we went horseback riding through another forest and took a long repositioning hike along the beach. By the end of the day our bodies were exhausted but deep inside we could feel life permeating into us. And that is what a walk through the forest can do for us.
No place on earth is as intensely vibrant with life as the tropical rainforest. Here every square inch of surface is part of an amazing web where animals, plants and fungi constantly interact with each other in an unending process of creation and destruction. The result of this cycle of life and death is the perpetual rejuvenation of a mechanism that has functioned in perfect balance for millions of years without the need of man’s intervention. However, due to human overpopulation and inadequate use of natural resources, tropical rainforests all over the world are disappearing at an alarming rate. The extinction of these habitats could unleash a chain reaction which could threaten the survival not only of the human race but of all life in the planet. And yet there is still hope. In the small country of Costa Rica for the past three decades great efforts have been made in the conservation of these forests. The example set by the people and the government of this small nation should encourage other countries to do likewise.
This morning we visited Corcovado National Park, one of the most pristine forests in the country and one of the most beautiful corners on our planet. A tropical rain fell upon us as we were having breakfast. We feared this could prevent us from landing on what for some of us would be the highlight of our journey through Costa Rica and Panama. Fortunately, the rain receded and Captain Ramos authorized disembarkation. Once on land we went into the forest. Walking into this natural sanctuary felt like going into some gothic cathedral where trees served as columns and light gaps were like stained glass windows. The songs of birds, the noises of mammals, the sweet smell of flowers and the steam rising from the ground completed this metaphor. After lunch we went horseback riding through another forest and took a long repositioning hike along the beach. By the end of the day our bodies were exhausted but deep inside we could feel life permeating into us. And that is what a walk through the forest can do for us.
