| La Selva Biological Station | |
|---|---|
  Map of Costa Rica | |
| Location | Heredia Province, Costa Rica |
| Nearest city | Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí |
| Coordinates | 10°25′19″N 84°00′54″W / 10.422°N 84.015°W[1] |
| Area | 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) |
| Established | 1953 |
| Governing body | National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) |
La Selva Biological Station is a protected area encompassing 1,536 ha of low-land tropical rain forest in northeastern Costa Rica. It is owned and operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies,[2] a consortium of universities and research institutions from the United States, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico.[3] Recognized internationally as one of the most productive field stations in the world for tropical forest research and peer-reviewed publications, La Selva hosts approximately 300 scientists and 100 university courses every year.[4] The primary goal of La Selva Biological Station is to preserve and protect an intact forest, as well as providing laboratory facilities for tropical research and education.[3] The research potential of the area is not only vital to tropical ecology, but it is also an important location in the effort to study relations between local communities and protected areas.[3] In addition, its high diversity and ease of access to the Puerto Viejo-Horquetas highway makes La Selva an important ecotourism destination and environmental education center for tourists and the local community.[3]
- ^ "La Selva Protective Zone". protectedplanet.net.
- ^ Matlock, R., & Hartshorn, G. (1999). La selva biological station (OTS). Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 188-193. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20168346
- ^ a b c d Moorman, R. (2006). Benefits of local residents visiting La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Environmental Conservation, 88-99
- ^ Michener, W., Bildstein, K., McKee, A., Parmenter, R., Hargrove, W., McClearn, D., & Stromberg, M. (2009). Biological field stations: research legacies and sites for serendipity. BioScience, 300-310.