Issue 6 December 2007 NEWSLETTER INSIDE THIS ISSUE: LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Osa Botany 2 Dear Friends, strong conservation constituency in the Osa. Many thousands of people visit or live in the Big Predators 3 Osa, but how many of them are active con- 2007 has been a productive year for Friends servation supporters? Endemic 4 of the Osa (FOO) and a good year for the

Osa in most regards. The inclusion of sup- In our last issue of the year, we’ve decided to Sea Turtles 5 port for the Osa in the large debt swap that feature primarily photographs of the flora and was finally signed this past September will Evergreen Fellows 6 fauna, and the people who are working to provide some long term support for con- understand and conserve them. If you’re one servation activities, although exactly what Bamboo Workshops 7 of those people who think that the Osa is an sorts of projects will get funding has yet to important place to conserve, I hope these be determined. In addition, the government Osa Photo Gallery 8 images will help motivate you to support one committed to retaining the MINAE staff of the projects, people, or simply our organi- that was hired by the large Moore Founda- Friends of the Osa is a non- zation. I’m hoping 2008 will be an even more tion grant to the Nature Conservancy. The profit organization commit- productive year for conservation on the Osa. ill-conceived tuna ranching farm for Golfo ted to conserving the terres- trial and marine biodiversity Dulce has been put on hold and the Osa of Costa Rica’s Osa Penin- Pointe mega development project has not Adrian Forsyth, Ph.D. sula. Our programs focus on materialized. President, Friends of the Osa protection of the Osa’s wild- life and ecosystems, provid- ing environmental education In addition, studies by FOO researchers and training, conducting eco- have made some promising discoveries. logical research, and support- Aida Bustamante, for example, has revealed ing sustainable livelihoods astoundingly high densities of cats in the for the Osa’s communities. Matapalo-Corcovado corridor (see page 3). Gioconda Retana has reported strong sea turtle nesting activity (p. 5). FOO- Evergreen fellows have made exciting ad- vances (p. 6). However, at the same time, President Arias announced plans to pro- ceed with development of an international airport at Palmar Sur, and there is every expectation that this will increase develop- ment pressure on the Osa, especially on coastlines. More than ever it is important to build the capacity to make intelligent con- servation decisions to manage land in ways that are compatible with the needs of Osa’s flora and fauna, and to continue to under- stand exactly what species depend on the The elusive turquoise is one of four endangered Osa. Moreover, there is the need to build a species we are working to protect (see page 4). www.osaconservation.org Photo by Daniel Lebbin

Page 2 FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER OSA BOTANY

An orchid bee visits Martinella obovata flowers (photo by R. Aguilar) Reinaldo Aguilar (photo by Roy Toft)

Tree nursery at the Osa Biodiversity Center

A paper wasp pollinates a passion fruit flower (Passiflora talamancensis) (photo by R. Aguilar)

The Osa is fortunate in having one of Costa Rica’s finest field botanists as a resident, Reinaldo Aguilar, who lives in Los Charcos de Osa (www.osaresearch.org). Reinaldo’s wife Cath- erine is known as an extremely talented botanical illustrator, and together they are making many new discoveries about the Los Charcos de Osa (www.osaresearch.org) importance of the Osa’s incredibly diverse flora. Reinaldo has joined forces with Scott Mori, a renowned botanist at the New York Botanical Garden, to document exhaustively what plants can be found in the Osa. With the support of Beneficia Foun- dation and private donors, Reinaldo is entering a new phase of plant collection and photographic documentation. He is col- lecting seeds of especially rare and interesting plants for propa- gation at the Osa Biodiversity Center and at Los Charcos. Friends of the Osa is interested in speaking with land owners who would like to have rare and important tree species for their own personal reforestation efforts.

Right: Map of where specimens of endemic plants in the Osa have been registered. Most of the 1 km square cells have no collections registered, and in fact the heavily collected areas reflect where Reinaldo has lived and worked over the past decade. Our goal is to survey every cell in the grid.

Page 3 FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER BIG PREDATOR UPDATE

Aida Bustamante prepares a camera trap (photo by S. Menke) A puma pair caught on film! (Photo by Bustamante & Moreno)

Jaguars are important keystone predators, and their presence in the corri- dor is promising news for conservation (Photo by A. Bustamante) Aida and Ricardo have found an astonishingly high density of ocelots in the area (Photo by Bustamante & Moreno) It’s well known that Costa Rica’s national parks are virtually all too small to adequately support such as jaguars and harpy eagles that require extensive areas. Friends of the Osa researcher Aida Bustamante, working with Ricardo Moreno, has been using an ambitious camera trapping grid in the area between Matapalo and Corcovado. They have shown how extremely important this private land is to the cats of the Osa. They have recorded at least 4 jaguars, 19 puma, and 18 ocelots, along with margay and jaguarundi, in the corridor. We would like to thank all of the landowners who have assisted in allowing placement of camera traps on their properties. Any landowners who would like to engage in a camera trapping survey and are willing to purchase and install cameras on their property are invited to contact us for details on how to collaborate. Aida and Ricardo’s cam- era traps record not just the presence of cats, but also other wildlife, and we are pleased to report that populations of Collared peccaries are smaller in size and travel in smaller groups than peccary, large game birds, and other wildlife that have been their white-lipped cousins. They are important prey for large cats. (Photo by Bustamante & Moreno) heavily hunted in the past appear to be recovering.

FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER Page 4 M ATE CHOICE BY TUNGARA FROGS Our lab is interested in understanding the sensory neurobiology of communi- cation. Currently, our research is focused on examining the neural bases of elaborate male traits in the túngara frog (Physalaemus pustulosus) among other projects.

My own research is focused towards understanding the neuro-endocrine mechanisms that influence female mate choice decisions in the túngara frogs. I study the effect of steroid hormones such as estradiol in influencing neural pathways that may influence female auditory responses towards conspecific calls.

Mukta Chakraborty, M.S., University of North Carolina

P ROTECTING OSA’S ENDEMIC BIRDS Friends of the Osa, with support from American Bird Con- servancy and USFWS, is working to protect several endan- gered bird species that are endemic to Costa Rica’s south Pacific coast and adjacent Panama. These include the Man- grove Hummingbird, Yellow-billed Cotinga, Turquoise Cotinga, and Black-cheeked Ant-Tanager. Recently, Dr. Daniel Lebbin visited the Bosque del Río Tigre Lodge (www.osaadventures.com). There, he introduced lodge owners and naturalists, Elizabeth Jones and Abraham Gallo, to basic bird monitoring techniques. These included marking and mapping trails, territory mapping, and data entry according to eBird protocols. They conducted pre- liminary surveys at several sites across the Gulfo Dulce and Osa Peninsula, recording valuable data for all four species. Ongoing work will continue to assess the populations and distributions of these birds, and identify further conserva- tion actions. More information about the spectacular birds The black-cheeked ant-tanager is one of four endangered species endemic of the Osa Peninsula and their conservation will be posted to the region (photo by Daniel Lebbin) soon at the Friends of the Osa website. FOO WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR Friends of the Osa has a new director based in our Puerto Jimenez office. Gerardo Solorzano is a well known Costa Rican conserva- tionist who has worked in other areas such as Guanacaste. He can be frequently found in the field, as well as in San Jose. Gerardo is fluently bilingual and is experienced at working with different groups of stakeholders and communities. We expect he will build strong relationships with local communities and residents of the Osa. Gerardo welcomes input from people interested in conserva- tion on the Osa, and you can contact him at our Puerto Jimenez office: Tel +506 735-5754, [email protected]

FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER Page 5 S EA TURTLE NESTING SEASON DRAWS TO CLOSE This year our sea turtle pro- gram, led by Program Man- ager Gioconda Retana, was housed in the beach “house” of FOO board member Bill Abraham (former residence of Osa conservation pioneer, Manuel Alonso). This tem- porary base allowed us to have a presence on the beach every day and every night of the turtle nesting season. As a result, we be- Local school children learn more about the importance One of our sea turtle volunteers releases a baby turtle lieve the poaching rate from of conserving Osa’s sea turtles from the hatchery Matapalo to Rio Piro has been reduced to almost zero for this year’s nesting season. However, coati (pizote) pre- dation of eggs has been very high, and we are considering whether we need to actively manage their predation levels by relocating most eggs to our new turtle hatchery. The turtle conservation efforts depend heavily on volunteer labor. In order to attract vol- Our sea turtle hatchery protects eggs from poachers The sun rises above tracks left by an Olive Ridley sea unteers, we need to ade- and predation, and provides important scientific data turtle that laid her eggs during the night quately house and feed them. Your support in helping us construct a permanent turtle conservation station would be much appreciated. Thanks to the many generous volunteers and donors who have made this nesting season a success. OSA BIODIVERSITY CENTER

Although several groups are already booked, the Osa Biodiversity Center still has plenty of capacity for next year. Users re- port it to be a very pleasant facility. For example, Sean Menke of NC State University writes “the station is in a really wonder- ful place and I think you have something special”. We can accommodate researchers in groups for $45 a day, including 3 meals, full linen service, and access to extensive trail systems.

FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER Page 6 E VERGREEN FELLOWS UPDATE

With support from Evergreen Foundation and Friends of the Osa, sev- eral researchers recently completed projects.

Top right. Mike Boston and his crocodile research team, with the sup- port of Don Tuttle of Island Conservation Society, has been continu- ing his surveys of crocodile populations in the area, and reports that these are among the healthiest remaining in Central America. There is some evidence of poaching or killing of large individuals, especially in the Sierpe region. A high priority for FOO is to establish a conserva- tion presence in Sierpe, which is the most significant mangrove left on the Pacific coast of Central America. (Photo by Roy Toft) Middle right. Lenin Oviedo and colleagues from Vida Marina Founda- tion recently presented their research at an international conference in Venezuela. They are studying the role of humpback whales as an um- brella species to conserve marine ecosystems. (Photo by Sierra Goodman) Bottom right. Claudine Sierra and colleagues, supported also by The Na- ture Conservancy, found several invasive species that may be displacing and threatening native species, especially tilapia and guapote fish that escape from aquaculture farms into local rivers and lakes. They also encourage Osa residents to plant native heliconia flowers in place of exotic ornamental gingers which may be invasive. (Photo by Claudine Si- erra) Below. Thomas Poirut recently completed his thesis studying biological and cultural aspects of artisanal fishing in the Zancudo region of Golfo Dulce. His work highlights the crucial dependence of local communi- ties on Osa’s natural resources, which may be threatened by excessive commercial and sport fishing. (Photo by Thomas Poirut)

DUNG BEETLES AS A CONSERVATION TOOL The Osa supports a rich diversity of insects distributed across its broad mo- saic of habitats and land-use types. Dung beetles, which depend on large mammals, are important in the ecosystem for dispersing seeds, recycling nutrients and reducing parasites. Friends of the Osa researchers Alejandro Lopera, Trond Larsen, and Adrian Forsyth examined patterns of dung bee- tle diversity in the region. We found 39 total species, and intact primary forest was the most species-rich. Beetle diversity increased with increasing maturity of regenerating forest. Gmelina and teak tree plantations supported few species, while cattle pastures contained practically none. Although many species are lost when forest is converted, it is encouraging that biodi- versity can recover when the vegetation is left to regenerate naturally. Pro- tecting and restoring corridors of forest is also essential for protecting mammals and other species that play important roles in the food web.

Page 7 FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER C OMMUNITY BAMBOO WORKSHOPS

As any resident of the Osa knows, most commercial logging on the Osa has ceased. Prices for timber in Costa Rica continue to rise. In response to this situa- tion, Friends of the Osa has worked with a group of farm-owners in the La Palma area to develop bamboo as an alternative low cost and sustainably produced source of building materials. Alfredo Quintero, Dennis Vasquez and Steve Bell organized a series of work- shops with technical expertise from a multi-national group of experts including Japanese, German, Costa Rican and Colombian backgrounds. These workshops covered framing techniques, handicrafts, and furniture making, and a bamboo barn was also built (pictured above). These well attended workshops were consid- ered a great success. In the coming year, we have plans to greatly expand the amount of bamboo being grown on the Osa and to continue the technical training work- shops. If you feel that taking pressure off of natural forests and providing Osa residents with an alternative source of income generation and green building materi- als is a valuable undertaking, we welcome your support in expanding this program to other areas of the Osa.

Page 8 FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER OSA PHOTO GALLERY

To be featured in the next Friends of the Osa newsletter, please send photos to [email protected] by February 28, 2008.

A few examples of Osa’s astounding biodiversity.

Top left. Female black-throated trogons (Trogon rufus) differ markedly from males in their coloration Top right. Poison arrow frogs (Dendrobates auratus) advertise their toxicity with bright coloration Middle right. Broad buttresses of Tachigalia trees provide extra stability Bottom left. Toucans and coatis love to eat papayas, and often get to them before they can be harvested

Trogon photo by Sean Menke, others by Trond Larsen

FRIENDS OF THE OSA NEWSLETTER Page 9

Friends of the Osa H OW YOU CAN HELP 1731 Connecticut Ave NW P ROTECT THE OSA Third Floor Washington, DC 20009 There are many ways you can help protect the (202) 374-8245 Osa and preserve its biodiversity for Amigos de Osa future generations! Apdo. 54-8203 Puerto Jimenez, Golfito, Costa Rica You’ve heard in the previous pages about +506 735 - 5754 some of our projects that can use your sup- port. www.osaconservation.org

Friends of the Osa’s One source of support we need that’s useful Board of Directors for all our programs would be to replace our decrepit twelve year old truck. We cannot Adrian Forsyth, PhD. operate over the far flung and rugged terrain Founder & President, Friends of the Osa; Vice President, Programs, Blue without adequate transportation. Any help Moon Fund you can give us in acquiring a new pickup truck will be invaluable and of assistance to Manuel Ramirez, MSc. all of our programs. Contributions of any size Vice President, Friends of the Osa; Senior Director, Conservation are welcome. International’s Mesoamerican program Above. This large terrestrial bromeliad (Chevaliera Friends of the Osa will ultimately thrive or die magdalenae) is locally known as “Piro” and gives it’s Alvaro Ugalde, PhD. based on the level of support and commit- name to the river running beside the Osa Biodiver- Director, Nectandra Institute ment that exists amongst the people who live sity Center. The huge red flower bracts attract hummingbirds. Below. Spectacled caiman (Photos Tom Lovejoy, PhD. on the Osa or who care about the Osa. by Trond Larsen) President, H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and Environment We welcome your suggestions as to what are the most vital issues confronting the Osa and Dan M. Martin, PhD. Freelance conservation adviser and the best solutions for the challenges that lie member of the CR-USA Foundation ahead. Please drop by our office in Puerto advisory board Jimenez or email us if you have suggestions, questions or concerns. Deborah Sliter Vice President, Programs, National Environmental Education & Training If extra cash for conservation is not some- Foundation thing you have, but you have time, energy and Erika Harms commitment, we can always use volunteers Executive Director, Sustainable on our projects. Development, United Nations Foundation

Dan Janzen, PhD. Friends of the Osa is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, and contributions to our Professor of Biology, U. of work are tax-deductible in the United States. Pennsylvania

Javier Mateo-Vega Director, Environmental Leadership Your donation supports the conservation of land and wildlife, scientific study of the Osa’s & Training Initiative, Yale School of ecosystems, environmental education and outreach, and sustainable livelihoods for local Forestry & Environmental Studies communities. and STRI

Bill Abraham We strive to be an efficient and effective organization where 90 cents of every dollar do- Former General Manager, Intel, nated goes directly to program activities. Donations can be submitted via our website Costa Rica (www.osaconservation.org) or by mail to our Washington, DC address.