Round River Conservation Studies Fondo de Biodiversidad Sostenible Preliminary Report Salt Lake City, U.S.A. August 2017 Index Background………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Objectives………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Methods……………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Rapid Biodiversity Inventories (RBIs)………………………………………………... 4 Interviews………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Results………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Property Summaries…………………………………………………………………… 8 RBIs…………………………………………………………………………………….. 14 Birds………………………………………………………………………………... 14 Herpetofauna……………………………………………………………………… 16 Mammals……………………………………………………………..…………… 16 Forest Condition…………………………………………………………………. 19 Interviews………………………………………………………………………………. 19 Threats……………………………………………………………………………...….. 23 Conclusions and Recommendations……………………………………………………. 23 References..………………………………………………………………………………... 25 Appendix 1. Bird Species Richness……………………………………………………… 27 Appendix 2. Herpetofauna Diversity……………………………………………………. 32 Appendix 3. RRCS Costa Rica staff……………………………………………………… 33 2 Background Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is an innovative market mechanism aimed at conserving wildlands. Its targets range from biodiversity conservation to climate change mitigation to watershed management and other ecosystem services. While it is impossible to quantify the “true” value of biodiversity or other ecosystem services, PES offers direct, monetary incentives towards conservation on private lands. Fomented by a growing number of programs and institutions, PES is of increasing application in diverse situations around the globe. Costa Rica has established itself as an international leader in PES, introducing its first program (Pagos por Servicios Ambientales) at the national scale in 1997. Fondo de Biodiversidad Sostenible (FBS) is a subsidiary of the Fondo Nacional de Financiamiento Forestal (FONAFIFO), which is the Costa Rican agency responsible for administering PES throughout the country. FBS has as its counterpart the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, whose role is to manage funds that finance the project. FBS is unique among PES programs in its targeting of biodiversity as its core ecosystem service, as well as its combining of forest conservation with sustainable development objectives. These are achieved through an “accompaniment” (acompañamiento) component which complements monetary payments made on a per hectare (ha) basis. Round River Conservation Studies (RRCS) is a U.S.-based 501c3 organization that employs the principles of conservation biology to formulate strategies that provide our partner communities, organizations and governments with a well-founded, scientific basis for their long-term conservation efforts. RRCS has operated a student-based conservation program in Costa Rica since 2016, with efforts focused primarily on the Osa Peninsula. RRCS-FBS Partnership: Facilitated by Pax Natura’s president Randall Tolpinrud, initial discussions between RRCS and FBS began in 2016 and resulted in a series of in-person meetings in San José, Costa Rica in January, 2017. These were attended by Mateo Pomilia (RRCS), Doug Milek (RRCS), Silvia Rojas Fernandez (FBS), Lucía Valverde (FBS), and staff from Westminster College (Salt Lake City). During these meetings, a need for on-ground support for FBS’s biodiversity conservation program was identified, particularly in the realm of biological data generation and micro-tourism development. 3 Objectives Main Objective • Conserve biodiversity in Costa Rica’s forests using a sustainable PES model. Focused Objectives • Estimate biodiversity levels, and identify threatened and endangered species on FBS-enrolled fincas; • Characterize threats to biodiversity; and • Provide support for alternative livelihood development among FBS beneficiaries. Methods Facilitated by FBS, RRCS conducted fieldwork on four FBS properties on the Osa Peninsula (Figure 1) between March 14th and April 8th, 2017. Efforts were led by two RRCS conservation scientists (Christopher Smith and Elizabeth Brunner) and five undergraduate students. Four to six days (depending on property size and accessibility) were spent on each property employing the methodologies detailed below (Table 1). Table 1. Overview of RRCS’s fieldwork Property Sampling Camera Trap Bird Property Owner Size (ha) Days Days Surveys Alcides Parajeles 259.4 5 15 4 José Tobías Sibaja 27.5 4 13 4 Juana Jiménez 83.8 5 19 4 Xinia Sánchez y hrmos. 202.3 6 21 5 TOTALS 573 20 68 17 Rapid Biodiversity Inventories (RBIs) Even in one of the most researched regions in probably the most researched country in Central America, there is a scarcity of species-specific data on the Osa Peninsula. In order to most efficiently gather data on FBS properties in a short period of time, RRCS utilized a RBI approach. RBIs give a snapshot of biodiversity at a given place and time 4 by employing sampling methodologies that target specific taxonomic groups and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List threatened species. At each property, we spent the first day exploring and identifying appropriate locations for bird transects, camera trap stations, and herpetofauna surveys. Our goal was to cover as many habitats and as large a portion of the property as possible. Figure 1. Map of the Osa Peninsula and locations of FBS fincas that were part of this study Birds Our goal on each property was to generate baseline data on bird species richness and abundance. During the first day, we walked the property and established bird transects of at least 500 m, spaced at least 300 m apart to avoid double-counting. We walked 5 these transects between 5:30 - 9:00 on subsequent mornings, at the time of day when birds are most active. On each transect, we recorded species and number of individuals for all birds seen and heard, and recorded coordinates for breeding leks of Manakins or hummingbirds. Small birds found within 100 m of the property’s edge were included because their home range most likely includes part of the property. High-flying birds such as raptors and parrots were included when seen within 500 m of the property because their territories are larger. Water-associated birds like herons and shorebirds seen flying overhead were not counted because they were most likely flying between wetland habitats, as they do not typically utilize upland forest habitats. On each finca we walked 4-5 bird transects, and the lists from each day were used to create species accumulation curves to estimate the total number of species on each property. Additionally, we recorded all other species encountered opportunistically while in the field. Visual sightings were required to confirm species presence initially; subsequent sightings of the same species could be either visual or by call. All observations presented here have been posted on eBird.org, which we hope will garner interest from guides and birders. Herpetofauna Amphibians are excellent indicators of ecosystem health because their skin is extremely permeable to contaminants such as pesticides, which affect them faster than most species (Ghose et al. 2014). Additionally, amphibian populations are in rapid decline due to a combination of chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), habitat loss and degradation, UV-B radiation, climate change, and other causes, creating a strong need for monitoring (Whitfield et al. 2016). Amphibian monitoring is typically carried out during the wet season when species tend to breed and are most active (Savage 2002). However, due to time constraints, we conducted our surveys during the dry season; therefore, our results should be considered underestimates of the diversity present. We actively searched for frogs in upland habitats and conducted stream transects each night (when amphibians are most active), documenting each species we found. Whenever handling frogs for identification purposes, we used plastic bags to prevent the spread of chytrid fungus and other diseases. We only reused bags after they had been washed and completely dried for at least 10 minutes. All frogs were photographed and identified using The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica (Savage 6 2002) and Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica (Muñoz-Chacón et al. 2013), and with help from PhD student Michelle Thompson (Florida International University). Mammals On each property, we set out 4-5 camera traps for the duration of our stay at locations recommended by the property owner(s) based on their knowledge of animal activity. If the landowners did not spend significant time on the property or did not have recommended locations, we placed cameras where we judged there to be a high likelihood of animals passing, i.e. wallows or game trails. We recorded the GPS location for each camera station that we set up. After retrieving cameras, we reviewed photos and recorded each animal sighting, compiling the number of observations of each species using a 30-minute filter (i.e only recording one incident per 30-minute window). Camera traps are a useful tool for observing shy and nocturnal animals, but they have limitations – many sampling days are needed to fully document species diversity. Due to the short duration of this study, we supplemented camera trapping data for mammals with other sources of information, including interviews and track surveys. Forest and Stream Condition FBS makes payments to beneficiaries whose properties contain either primary or secondary forest, and usually both. While both forest types have closed canopies, they provide dramatically different habitat and ecosystem