Carara
The Reserve is located in the Pacific, in the margins of the Rio Grande of Tárcoles, al southeastern of the city of Orotina, province of Puntarenas. Its creation hit upon the Executive Decree Not. 8491-Á of April 27, 1978. Counts on an extension of 4.700 hectares.
Carara is located in the zone transnationals between the humid and dry forests of the Peaceful region of Costa Rica and can be told that no other wild area of the country protects the resources of plants and present animals in said region climatically.
The Reserve was created to facilitate investigations and scientific studies, as well as to favor the environmental education. This wild area is respected an excellent living laboratory, where the structure can be studied and the operation of the tropical ecosystems and the relations among them.
Carara possesses various ecosystems as marshes, a gap and forests of gallery, secondary and primary. The marshes are formed for the seasonal floods of the Rio Grande of Tárcoles, in an area located al northeastern of the reserve. These zones are rich in species of wading birds, amphibious and associated reptiles to those environments. The gap occupies an extensive meander abandoned of the Rio Grande of Tárcoles, measures some 600 meters long, 40 meters of wide and two meters of depth. Practically is covered with choreja or lily of water and of other aquatic plants.
In this environment they are abundant diverse species of reptiles as the crocodiles that measure to three meters of long and of water birds like the pink herons, the ducks needle, the gallitos of water, the zambullidores piquipintos and the martin rock. The crocodiles are also abundant and easy to observe in the Rio Grande of Tárcoles.
The forests of gallery are found in the margins of the rivers, they are dense, high and of little diversity in species. The espavel is the characteristic species in this habitat. The secondary forests are located on lands that previously they were dedicated to activities agribusiness, they have a smaller floral diversity that the primary forests and present more species caducifolias. The palm viscoyol, very thorny, is found forming almost pure rosebushes in this type of forest. The primary forests occupy most of the reserve. They situated on lands from 20 to 60 percent of slope, they present high diversity, various strata and abundance of liana and flat epífitas. Some of the trees that call more the attention by their size are the espavel, the kapok tree, the guanacaste, the vulture, the guácimo red, the higuerón, the guayabón and the javillo. Other species of trees are the milky one, the of nazareth that produces a precious wood of purple color; the christopher, the garlic, the oilcloth, the pochote, the blackberry, the golden fruit and the ron ron.
The fauna is abundant in spite of the isolation of the reserve. The most outstanding one is: the saíno, the dull horse, hammers it, the blonde one, the coatimundi, the raccoon, the manigordo, the cute one carablanca, the lazy one of two fingers, the tolomuco, the deer and the fox four eyes. A very conspicuous bird by its beautiful plumage and because pràcticamente has disappeared of the Pacific Dry, is the red limpet. Other species of birds are: the trogón violáceo, the peacock, al hummingbird, the tucancillo the guaco and the chocuaco. Some of the species animal before cited they are found in danger of extinction or with populations reduced.
The Reserve Biological Carara counts on numerous traces of pre-Colombian native occupations. The archaeological studies carried out have permitted the location up to now of fifteen archaeological places that correspond to two epochs of occupation: the Phase Turkeys (300 years to.C. - 300 years d.C.) and the Phase Carthage (800 years - 1500 years d.C.), with agriculture as base of subsistence. Of the second epoch of occupation various places excel, like Carara that corresponds to a rectangular basement (6×4 m), built in stone of river and calcareous rocks, and Hills Burial, an extensive village with housing zones and funeral homes in the top of some hills located front al I laugh Tárcoles. Hills Burial was a main settlement during the pre-Colombian epoch and exercised an economic and political control in the low zone of the river Tárcoles.
The forest fires, the furtive shooting and the limitation in cuatno to financial resources and humans to face the growing tourist demand by the attractions that protects the reserve, are the main problems that faces the reserve.