It is located in the province of Guanacaste 22 kilometers (13.67 miles) northeast of the city of Nicoya. Its extension is 2295 hectares, it has an annual rainfall of 1,970 ml and an average temperature of 28 ° C (82.40 F).

 

The following summaries of the research carried out by various authors in the Barra Honda National Park from 2003 to 2014, some of these have not been published but may be published in the future. The purpose of this document is only to present them to the interested reader to inform or to educate the same, it is not therefore sought to profit in any way with the content of this document.

 

 

Abstract: The relative abundance of the deer, based on tracks, was estimated in the Disturbed Zone (Zp) of the PNBH and the zone without disturbance (ZSp). A significantly higher proportion of deer / km2 was found in the ZSp in relation to the Zp (X2 = 13.41, gl = 1, P <0.005). In addition, in-depth interviews and a census were conducted with structured interviews to assess the knowledge that the inhabitants have about the state of the deer in the area. 167 people were interviewed. 68% say they have seen deer. 105 interviewees claimed to have seen deer in crops. Of these 105 90% said that in beans, but 87% that are not pests. 90 respondents mentioned some cause of the decrease of deer in the area. 56.7% of these 90, consider that the cause is hunting, 7.8% burn them, and another 7.8% that do not see them, 6.7% do not know, 5.6% deforestation, another 5.6% that they have left the zone, the remaining 9.8% lacks food and water, that there are few individuals or that there are no disturbances in the vegetation for them to approach.

 

To diagnose the problem of the place, the qualitative and quantitative methodology of social research was used. Farmers tend to see the deer as conflicting because of their food preferences, and because they are common and the neighbors are the garrobo. Fires are the main threat, and water is the main benefit, neighbors recognize the importance of avoiding fires to protect water sources.

 

 

Abstract: The phenology of the tree Sideroxylon capiri (Sapotaceae) in the tropical dry forest in Costa Rica was studied. From March 1996 to February 2000 in the Barra Honda National Park (Costa Rica). Ten trees were chosen at random and their phenology was evaluated monthly during the first two years and every two months thereafter. Weather data was also collected in situ. The trees changed their foliage every year during the rainy season or at the beginning of the dry season. In contrast to other native species in the forest, water deficit in the soil is not responsible for the change of foliage in S.capiri. Among the elements that could affect are; the photoperiod and the influence of herbivores. Also physiological mechanisms of the tree to maintain the foliage during the driest months (March and April). Flowering and fruiting can occur every year and at any time of the year, but especially in the dry season, with a variability between seasons and between individuals.

 

 

Introduction: Barra Honda National Park (PNBH), is one of the protected areas located in the Nicoya Peninsula, which has a dry and windy climate and an altered forest cover, limiting its biodiversity.

 

The main tourist attraction of this park are the caverns. However, the area also has water springs that supply the local villages and serves as a refuge for the scarce of water and supplying fauna of the area. In addition, the PNBH generates a working alternative for some residents who have organized themselves through a touristic guides association.

 

The PNBH has the lowest visitation figures at the level of systems of conservation areas, which is why the closure of this national park has been previously contemplated by MINAE, with the need for the PNBH to readjust its personnel, services and its marketing as a tourist site. As support to the management and administration of the tourist activity associated with the Terciopelo Cavern, the following research work is presented to its administration, related to the carrying capacity, as well as a contribution to the design of a protocol for the use of said cavern.

 

Diego Bogarín & Franco Pupulin Year 2007

Las orquídeas del Parque Nacional Barra Honda, Guanacaste, Costa Rica - The orchids of Barra Honda National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

 

Introduction: The floristic works sources of information are important because among other things, determine the number of species present in a region and allow proper identification (Atwood 1987, Pupulin 1998). The lack of this type of work hinders future research in the various levels of biology, conservation and environmental education. Costa Rica has one of the most worldwide important systems of conservation areas. About 25% of the territory is protected in some 155 wild areas, biological reserves and national parks (Boza 1986). Despite this, the contribution of knowledge of floral studies orchid species living in these areas has been limited and inventories backed herbarium specimens are an exception (Atwood 1987 Pupulin 1998, Gómez-Laurito & R. Ortiz 2004). Most protected areas in Costa Rica lack this information, which is often dispersed in foreign or local herbal records (Jiménez & Grayum 2002, Pupulin 2003).

 

 

 

Abstract: In order to take advantage of the attractions of the Barra Honda National Park, it is sought to implement a night tour looking for the enjoyment of a different experience and the possibility of observing species that are not normally observed during the day.

 

This work was therefore based on sampling, to identify habitat and species of nocturnal mammals that were found in the surroundings of the trails of the Barra Honda National Park, to collaborate with the implementation of the night tour.

 

During the period of one month, techniques were used to identify mammals, such as direct observation, traps of fingerprints, odor, hair, identification of sounds, collection of signs and traces, and potential habitats were identified. It should be taken into account that this work is useful to help guide during the tours, but during the rainy season, since at the dry season it is very likely that there is a slight change in the fauna observation areas due to the absence of the vital liquid.

 

 

Introduction: According to Jiménez and Delibes de Castro (2005), it is known as an indicator species to the one that, by virtue of being present in a certain ecosystem, indicates that it is healthy or deteriorated, from a physical, chemical or biological point of view. It is necessary to measure the diversity of a site and the variations of biodiversity from one area to another to know the real state of the evaluated area and be able to carry out subsequent studies or make management decisions. (Moreno, 2001).

 

It has been demonstrated how the changes in the structure of the forest, either by natural or man-made effects, directly affect the presence of fauna that is found there, but the diversity of this does not disappear completely, but is occupied by species that adapt better to these changes. (Cambronero and Ramírez, 2006). This is how we can affirm that the avifauna found in the monitoring sites chosen in Cerro Barra Honda, become an indicator of the current state of the composition and forest structure of the area.

 

The methods for measuring biodiversity in a given area are not entirely accurate and the changes in behavior and adaptations of many species become more constant, but the different studies show that the degree of representativeness with respect to the habitat-species subject and its inter and intra-specific relationships, is truly high and therefore the data presented can be considered reliable.

 

 

Abstract: In the field of lepidoptera in the Barra Honda National Park during previous years, collections had only been carried out by parataxonomists who took the samples and transferred them to the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio) without leaving any more evidence in the Wild Protected Area.

 

In this case, the Van Someren-Rydon type traps were used for the application of the monitoring, individuals were captured and identified in different areas of interest.

 

As a result of these monitoring, 42 species have been found, in addition it has been observed which are the most abundant species in the park and some requirements that they present in terms of flight height and type of habitat used.

 

There seems to be little variability depending on the type of habitat, the area of public use is the one that differs most in this regard, the most abundant species in these instances are Caligo telamonius memnon, Taygetis laches laches y Smirna blomfilda datis.

 

 

Abstract: The information of the group of bats has been very scarce since the creation of the Barra Honda National Park. Previously, some preliminary inventories were developed that resulted in lists of about 23 bats, maintaining a capture methodology with fog nets in the public use area of the park.

 

Currently, the development of the research of these mammals has been promoted, to know the different species that inhabit the area, their residence, or preference of habitat, feeding and variation of species according to the edge of the park.

 

The current study has increased the list of bats from Barra Honda National Park to 33 species, has also shown us the preference in the activity of the bats for the flight, with a main peak of activity that tilts at 18:00 hours and It extends until 19:30, showing more dispersed in later hours.

 

We have detected variation in activity per site as we are in dry season or rainy season, which seems to be due to the change in the availability of resources and an opening in the density of foliage in dry season, which may allow greater freedom of flight in different sites.

 

 

Abstract: Research in the Barra Honda National Park had been focused on the speleological part since its creation (with the exception of a few preliminary inventories of flora and fauna). The knowledge of the population states of the different species that inhabit the site, therefore, was null. Using trap cameras, we sought to solve this information gap regarding terrestrial mammals. Eleven species of mammals were recorded with this technique during the present year divided into 6 trophic guilds on the Barra Honda hill.

 

Eduardo Artavia, Oscar Cubero, José Mario González, Oscar Rosales, Richard Munday, Anthony Ruiz Year 2012

Ecología de anidación y protección de nidales de la población de Ara macao presente en el Parque Nacional Barra Honda y sus alrededores - Nesting ecology and nesting protection of the population of Ara macao present in the Barra Honda National Park and its surroundings

 

Abstract: In the Barra Honda National Park, a population of Ara macao has been reported and 10 individuals are known in total. They have been seen flying near the offices and their surroundings, in addition it is known of concentrations with a similar number (not exceeding 10) feeding on trees of Hura crepitans (javillo) within the park and Terminalia catappa (Almond beach) in neighboring farms.

 

In a livestock farm, southeast of this Protected Wild Area, two pairs of Ara macao (red limpet) nest in two trees of Albizia niopoides (white Guanacaste). According to the owner of the farm the nests are looted by strangers every year.

 

The creation of the project of management of populations in situ of Ara macao tried to study the ecology of this bird in nesting and also, by means of a surveillance system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the whole breeding season, it was tried the mitigation of looting of nests.

 

During the project the revision inside the nests was a constant; In one of these, 11 red lapa eggs were found, (nest 1). In the second, a hive of bees made it difficult to know this information. Halfway through the project, the effectiveness of two eggs in the first nest was known, of which only one hatched, while in the second nest there was no egg laying but the couple continued to sleep on the site.

 

The project was mainly focused on nest one due to the presence of the only pigeon, it flew 2 months and 22 days after hatching. The behavior of the couple had variants, mainly when they hatched and when they took care of the pigeon, even an adult left the nest two weeks before the juvenile made its first flight.

 

 

Abstract: The objectives of the research in this first stage are focused on developing a diagnosis as a baseline for the knowledge of the population status and the habitat of the ocelot and its prey, identifying their most frequent routes through the use of trap chambers.

 

The research was conducted during the months of June to November 2012, in the Barra Honda National Park. Each of the stations was composed of two trap cameras (arranged facing each other, in this way we will obtain an image of both sides of the animal). The stations were placed with a distance of 1.4 km (0.86 miles) to 600 meters (0,37 miles), this due to the monitoring area, based on data generated by radio telemetry studies on the Island of Barro Colorado, Panama. A piece of fabric with perfume (essence of Calvin Klein) was placed to attract the ocelots to the stations.

The expected results were to determine the presence of ocelots in the macro-area of the Cerro Barra Honda sector, the trails of the public use area were used, after having established a total of 4 trap-camera stations, which were active for 55 days continuous, for a total of 220 trap nights and 5,280 hours / camera, we managed to photo-capture 5 Manigordos, of them 1 female, 2 males and 2 of undefined sex.

 

Of the photographed individuals, two of them are recapture, since one of the males and the female were photographed in 2011, in a general inventory project of mammals developed in the area.

 

 

 

Abstract: Butterflies feed themselves with flowers, pollen, mud, carrion, dung, fruit, fungi, tree sap, fruit juice, blood, sweat and tears. Butterfly traps are used to investigate the puddling behaviour of butterflies. For the research described in this paper the main research question is: With what attractant can you attract a particular butterfly species, and how is the distribution of butterfly species in Barra Honda National Park? The research question is answered using butterfly traps. Two different types of attractant are used namely fish combined with salt and dung from cows. Besides this three different research areas were chosen; near the border of the park, near the public area and into the forest. Comparisons are made between the research areas in order to see the different effects of research areas on the butterfly species.

 

Based on prior research (attractant rotten banana and pineapple) it can be concluded that the dry season knows significantly less number of butterflies compared to the rainy season. Furthermore the research areas, near the border of the park and near the public area, have significantly higher rates of butterflies in comparison with the research area, into the forest. Moreover, the butterfly Smirna blomfilda datis has significant more butterflies in all research areas than other butterfly species.

 

Concluding it can be said that the method of the butterfly trap is working for particular butterfly species such as Smirna blomfilda datis, Taygetis laches laches and Caligo telamonius memnon. Nevertheless the attractants fish combined with salt and dung from cows worked less effective than the attractant rotten banana and pineapple.

 

 

 

Abstract: The preparation of this study will generate knowledge of the richness of amphibian communities that inhabit four sectors of the park, which in turn maintain the most important bodies of water in the place, where it is believed that amphibians are kept before the environmental conditions that this forest presents.

 

The study was conducted during the rainy season (September-November) of 2011, through ecological monitoring in the main streams of the park, La Palma, El Flor, Los Mesones and Las Cascadas. A total of 10 species of amphibians distributed in five different families were recorded. Among the sites studied, the description of habitat shows a small similarity between sites, according to their average DAP measurement, number of plant species, number of plant individuals and average total height. The monitoring indicated that the El Flor sector presented the largest number of individuals, but it was not the most biodiverse, in Las Cascadas sector two amphibian species were found that were not observed in other sites (Dendropsopus microcephalus & Scinax staufferi) and the sites with greater index of wealth according to the index of Margalef and Menhinick were Los Mesones and Las Cascadas.

 

 

Abstract: The present investigation was carried out in the Barra Honda National Park. The purpose of the project was to obtain a general characterization of the water resource of the Protected Wildlife Area and to clarify the information gaps regarding the subject, since this is considered a priority research subject for the PNBH. We analyzed the four main streams known as El Flor, La Palma, Las Cascadas and Los Mesones, at two different points each (at the beginning and end of each stream within the PNBH). Through the collection of water samples, some physical and chemical characteristics of the water resource were determined, which provided basic information on the current state of the water; These were sent to the laboratory for their respective analysis and, subsequently, made the comparison with the parameters previously established and considered normal for the consumption of surface water. Among the characteristics analyzed and / or determined in each of the sampled sites were temperature, oxygen, conductivity, salinity, pH, turbidity, total hardness and calcium hardness. It was evidenced that the indices, both of total hardness and of calcium hardness in the sector of Los Mesones, are higher than in the other sampling points, in addition to presenting almost twice the percentages considered normal in surface waters; but in spite of these results there is no obvious harm to the species that consume it. At the level of oxygenation, being the most relevant characteristic to be evaluated in the water resource, the only sector that was found in a lower range of the parameters considered as normal (60%) was the La Palma creek; This characteristic is fundamental for the development of species such as fish or amphibians, as well as for the realization of the photosynthetic process.

 

 

Abstract: The present work was based on the recognition of the presence of ectoparasites in the bats of the Mormoopidae family, captured in the Barra Honda National Park (PNBH). In order to carry out this process, the methodology that was proposed was to perform two (2) catches per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 20 individuals were caught per night. The first week of capture was carried out in the Pozo Hediondo cavern and the second week in the Taponada cavern. Said captures were subject to the moon phases. Likewise, the days of capture were subject to changes according to the activities that were carried out in the PNBH.

 

With respect to the captured individuals there is a total of 121 bats; of which 56 belong to the genus Pteronotus parnellii, 38 individuals were Pteronotus davyi and 27 to the species Pteronotus gymnonotus. Consequently, of the total individuals captured, 101 individuals presented ectoparasites.

 

It was possible to identify ectoparasites of the family Streblidae, such as, Trichobius caecus and Nycterophilia parnellii, as well as larvae and a mite of the family Trombiculidae.

 

 

Abstract The fauna and flora of Barra Honda are subject to research in few areas. The main research is done on bats. Other projects related to research with fauna are inventories of amphibians, ecology of monkeys and also the scarlet macaws. With respect to the flora there are few projects including the present one, designed to study and safeguard species in danger of extinction. For this, the park has taken the initiative to establish a nursery where several collaborators work using seeds that come only from good parents (those trees in good physical and phytosanitary conditions).

 

 

 

Abstract: The parasitology in Chiroptera is a subject that still needs to be deepened in our country, and where it is necessary to initiate studies that allow to know more about this topic; thus achieving valuable information in the study of these interesting mammals.

The present project has as a starting point to locate and later identify the parasites located in the digestive tract, by means of the fecal depositions of the bats of the species A. jamaicensis and D. phaeotis, both belonging to the family Phyllostomidae, subfamily Stenodermatinae.

 

There were 6 effective captures, with a total of 52 animals captured, of this number only 39 belonged to the species of interest for this project. After analyzing the fecal samples of 15 individuals, it was determined that 6 were positive for endoparasites.

 

In these 6 samples, adults and larvae of nematodes were observed, and it was determined that they possibly belong to nematodes of Order Strongylida, superfamily Trichostrongyloidea; family Trichostrongylidae and to the Order Rhabditida.

 

 

 

Abstract: Two permanent sampling plots of 1 hectare each were established in the Barra Honda National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. As a guide for its establishment and measurement, the Protocol of establishment and measurement of Permanent Plots of Sampling in Natural Forest for the Network of Permanent Plots of Monitoring of Forest Ecosystems (RPPMF) was used.

 

Based on these plots were determined the basic metrics of horizontal structure, vertical structure, floristic composition and diversity, for all tree species with a diameter at chest height greater than or equal to 10 centimeters (3.93 inches). In plot number one, 522 trees were found, belonging to 32 botanical families, 48 genres and 56 species. And in total a basal area of 23.52 square meters (253 square feet) was counted.

 

In plot number two, 578 trees were found, belonging to 28 botanical families, 44 genres and 51 species. And in total a basal area of 16.87 square meters (181 square feet) was counted. Among the most common families present in this secondary forest are Fabaceae- Papilionoideae, Boraginaceae, Myrtaceae, Malvaceae, Anacardiaceae and Burseraceae.

 

 

Abstract: The perch sites are of great importance for bats because that is where they spend most of their time, they can use different types of shelter including caverns, hollow trunks, cracks, human buildings and the foliage of plants and trees. Dermanura phaeotis (Miller, 1902) is an example of the 22 species of bats worldwide that are reported using modified leaves as refuge or perch site.

 

Through field observations in the years 2010 and 2011 in the Cerro Barra Honda (Nicoya, Guanacaste), it was determined that the D. phaeotis use modified Panama leaves (Sterculia apetala) as a perch site, a deciduous species, never made previously reported in the country, because only a couple of South American species use a tree from the same family for such purposes. The D. phaeotis in the cerro barra honda use only trees of less than 3 m (9.84 feet), whose leaves cannot support more than five individuals, but these provide them with a good size refuge against abiotic issues.

 

 

Abstract: The study occurred in Barra Honda National Park, located in Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (10°10'–10°13'N and 85°18'–85°22'W). Observations were made during September 2012, May and December 2013, and May–August 2014. In the first 2 years, only observations of the bats using the G. americana tents were made (number of individuals per tent and location areas) and by 2014 intensive searches around the trails were conducted in order to locate other tents in G. americana and measured them.

 

Twenty-three tents were located in eleven G. americana. Four types of structures were found—boat, boat-apical, apical, and conical. The maximum number of D. phaeotis in any tent was three (only one occasion) while the minimum was one bat. We found four types of structures in leaves of the same species of tree, with similar tree size and height, suggesting that bats are able to select the type of structure they want to build. Unfortunately, we have no observations of D. phaeotis actually constructing these tents.