CAÑO NEGRO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

The refuge in the north of Alajuela province was created in 1984 over 10,171 hectares. It consists of a seasonal lake and surrounding marshland. Caño Negro Lake, which covers 800 ha and is three meters deep, is, in fact, a pool of the River Eric, which flows into Arenal Lake. In the dry season, between February and May, the lake almost completely disappears, being reduced to small pools, channels and the arm of the river itself. The area is included on the List of Wetlands of International Importance of the Ramsar Convention. There are five main habitats. The vegetation growing along the edges of the lagoon and along the channels is mainly herbaceous, such as gamalote grass (Paspafum fasciculatum) and dormitona (Mimosa pigra) dotted with small trees like the abundant ice cream bean (Inga edu/is), provision tree (Pachira aquatica) and the coral bean (Erythrina fusca). At the edges of the lagoon there is lots of marsh vegetation with abundant juncus (Juncus spp).

In the permanently or semi-permanently flooded places, primary flooded forest grows, which features a great variety of tree species such as emery (Vochysia guatemalensis) cotonron (Luehea seemannii) and tamarind (Dialium guianense). Camibar forest also grows in flooded areas although it is Less rich in species the predominant ones being copaiba (Copaifera aromatica) and crabwood (Carapa guianensis). The marillales areas have very homogenous vegetation, including Santa Maria (Calophyllum brasiliense), mang tree (Pterocarpus officinalis) and royal palm (Attalea butyracea).

Finally, the stands of raffia palm (Raphfa taedigera) also contain American oil palm (Elaeis oleifera) and coquillo palm (Astrocaryum alatum). The presence of varied and important birdlife was the reason the area was set up a wildlife refuge. Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), white ibis (Eudocirnus albus), northern jacana (Jacana spinosa), wood stork (Mycteria americana), black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) and the threatened jabiru (Jabiru myctemia) are a few of the species that occur in large numbers. In ornithological terms, it is worth noting that the nesting colony of neotropic cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) here the largest in Costa Rica, and the Nicaraguan grackle, (Quiscalus nicaraguensis), an endemic species of the basin of Lake Nicaragua, occurs here in the only permanent population in the country.

Among the threatened mammals living here are Baird’s tapir (Iapirus bairdii), jaguar (Panthers onca), puma (Felis concolor) and ocelot (Felis pardalis). The river and

channels are home to fish such as tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus), a living fossil, and a large population of caiman (Caiman crocodylus).

 PRACTICAL INFORMATION
• Location: on the Los Guatusos Plain, in the north of Alajuela province, very near the border with Nicaragua.
• Access: two routes lead to this important wetland San José-Alajuela-Cañas-San Rafael-Upala-Caño Negro (252 km) and San José-Alajuela-Ciudad Quesada-Los Chiles-Caño Negro (201 km). Both roads are asphalted except for the final kilometers. There are bus services San Jose-Caño Negro and Los Chiles-Caño Negro.
• Services: in the refuge there is a wetland research center with laboratories and rooms. In Cano Negro it is possible to hire boats to travel along the river, the channels and the lagoon.