Corcovado National Park

Corcovado National Park covers roughly one third of the Osa Peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica and protects the largest remaining tract of primary lowland forest on the American Pacific coast. Its 41,800 hectares are estimated to hold about 2.5 percent of the world's total biodiversity, a concentration attributed to Costa Rica's position as a corridor linking North and South American flora and fauna, spread across thirteen distinct vegetation zones with more than 500 recorded tree species. The park protects endangered animals including Baird's tapir, jaguar, harpy eagle and Central American squirrel monkey, and its beaches serve as nesting grounds for four species of sea turtle, though past logging, gold mining and illegal hunting continue to pressure the ecosystem.