For Carolina Pinto and Paulina Rodriguez, the story of the Osa Peninsula embodies one of hope. The diverse rainforest ecosystem in Costa Rica, home to plants and animals seen nowhere else on the planet, had been subjected to destruction and deforestation for decades. But since the 1970s, Rodriguez says, the peninsula has seen a slow and gradual recovery. “We had seen destruction a long time ago, and now they’re forests. It’s a great example that it’s possible to have recovery,” Paulina Rodriguez, the conservation technology strategist at the nonprofit Osa Conservation, tells Mongabay in a video interview. Pinto, the organization’s wildlife conservation manager, nods in agreement. The Osa Peninsula is a unique ecosystem where the rainforest meets the Pacific Ocean. A favorite among researchers and tourists alike, this small strip of land, spanning about 1,800 square kilometers (700 square miles), is estimated to be home to 2.5% of global terrestrial biodiversity. In a bid to protect and monitor the ecosystem better, Pinto, Rodriguez and their team members have been working to gather more data that will inform and improve their conservation strategies. Over the years, they’ve used a wide array of technology, ranging from camera traps and acoustic recorders, to thermal drones and GPS tags, to track, trace and monitor animals including sea turtles, tapirs, jaguars and spider monkeys. “It’s not just about using the tech, but also evaluating if it has been successful or not and then seeing how we can improve them,” Pinto says. Osa Conservation uses a…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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