Letter from the Director

Dear Friends,

I would like to express my most sincere gratitude for your generous donations to Adopt an Acre® in the Osa Peninsula during the last year.

Your support, together with leveraged funds, has made it possible to acquire and protect more than 3,000 acres in the Piedras Blancas National Park and almost 3,000 additional acres in the Osa Biological Corridor throughout 2008.

Osa's Living Forests

The newly purchased land will greatly contribute to the conservation of the Osa Peninsula’s rich biodiversity. In an area of less than 1,000,000 acres, the Osa hosts an outstanding two and a half percent of all the existing flora and fauna species on Earth.

The Osa Peninsula is home to more than 375 species of birds (18 are endemic), 124 species of mammals, 40 species of freshwater fish, approximately 8,000 species of insects, and 117 species of replies and amphibians. The species recorded represent up to fifty percent of the species known to exist in all of Costa Rica.

Furthermore, the Osa is a natural stronghold to Costa Rica’s largest population of the endangered scarlet macaw, as well as to Central America’s largest population of squirrel monkeys. Large cats such as the jaguar, puma and ocelot roam the mountains and beaches of the Corcovado National Park, as well as mammals like the tapir and the white-lipped peccaries.

Ensuring biological connectivity for the reproduction and proper feeding of these species is critical for the ecosystem’s health, and the Adopt an Acre program and Conservancy Costa Rica Program work to consolidate and protect these lands.

Notwithstanding its critical relevance to the worldwide biodiversity patrimony, the Osa is facing numerous threats such as hunting, illegal poaching, logging, unsustainable agricultural practices and unregulated infrastructure development.

How Your Investment is Helping

Thanks to your contributions, The Nature Conservancy has been able to work with the Costa Rican government and more than 11 local organizations in order to further implement our science based strategies, which have contributed to reducing these hazards to biodiversity. Together, we can do even more.

Some of the strategies we use to protect these critical lands include:

• Elaborating land use and management plans;
• Hiring 67 new staff members for the Osa Conservation Area;
• Constructing four park ranger stations;
• Purchasing equipment for monitoring and patrolling;
• Strengthening local partner organizations; and
• Working with the local marine committee, NGO’s and coastal communities on management initiatives for protection and restoration of the Osa’s freshwater and marine ecosystems.

There is still a lot of work to be done. However, with visionary collaborators like you and passionate and experienced staff on the ground, the Osa is not alone.

Once again, thank you for your trust and commitment to protect this vibrant paradise for future generations.

Sincerely,

Ricardo Kogel
Director
Osa Program Manager

p.s. You can also send e-cards from the Osa Peninsula to all your friends and family. Our beautiful nature e-cards are perfect for any occasion!

Adopt an Acre in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica and help preserve the vibrant habitat of howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, tapirs, jaguars and poison-dart frogs.