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Costa Rica Montezuma - National Parks: Cabo Blanco & Curu Wildlife Refuge

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Cabo Blanco National Park

Cabo Blanco and Cabuya Island Montezuma Costa Rica
occupies the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. It protects an extremely important example of mixed evergreen and deciduous moist tropical forest, the last large tract in the area. It is home to many rare and threatened species, including curassow, crested guan, brocket deer and jaguarundi, along with more common species such as white-faced and howler monkeys, raccoons and kinkajous. There are excellent tide pools along the coast and Isla Cabo Blanco is and important seabird breeding site.Cabo Blanco owes its existence as a protected area to Olaf and Karen Wessberg, who moved from their native Sweden to a small ranch on the peninsula in 1955. Not long after arriving the Wessbergs discovered that the last of Nicoya's once magnificent forest were in danger of distruction from rapidly expanding agricultural settlment and lumbering. They set about collecting the funds necessary to purchase the last large stand of forest, and in 1963 they bought the land that now comprises the Reserve. Thus it is the oldest protected area in Costa Rica. Until the late 1980s Cabo Blanco was called an "absolute" reserve because no visitors were permitted. Now there are trails and visits are allowed. Park directors have closed the reserve om Monday and Thuesday to minimize tourist impact.

Curu Wildlife Refuge

Despite its small size, Curu is an ecological gem. Located on Nicoya peninsula, is an important repository for plants and animals. There is an excellent birding and wildlife watching here, a good network of trails, sand beaches fringed by palm trees and rocky headlands and tide pools. The snorkeling and swimming are good. Plant communities found here include mangrove swamp, litoral good land and semideciduous and deciduous forest. The beach is an important nesting area for leatherback, ridley, and hawksbill turtles. Birders have recorded more than 200 species of birds, but there are probably more
 

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