Land Conservation
Costa Rica is known for its commitment to conservation of the many important tropical ecosystems within its borders. About 12% of the country is in strictly protected areas. Conservation in the Monteverde area began with the Quaker settlers who arrived in 1951. They set aside 1/3 of the original land they purchased to protect their water supply. This land is now protected by the Tropical Science Center (owners of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve) under a 99 year lease signed in 1974. The Preserve has since been expanded to include over 10,000 hectares. Other private conservation organizations have also purchased and protected significant tracts of forested lands in the Monteverde area.

Reforestation
A number reforestation efforts are currently underway in the Monteverde Zone, including a project that is planting trees on the Pacific slope to provide food and shelter for endangered Resplendent Quetzals and Three-wattled Bellbirds. These efforts are supported both by local people and concerned scientists from around the world.

Biological Corridors
The importance of biological corridors has become clear in recent decades. These connecting strips of forest are used by animals to move between larger protected forest fragments, thus allowing migrations and intermixing of otherwise separate populations. It is hoped that continuous corridors may eventually be created to link the Monteverde forests to the Pacific Coast (important for migrations of many fruit-eating birds) and to other protected areas within Costa Rica. One way this is being done is by working with local landowners to develop conservation easements, thus assuring that portions of their land will always be protected from clearing. For more information about the importance of biological corridors, please visit the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor website.

Research
Continued research by biologists in cloud forests throughout Central America is vital to effective conservation programs. For example, it is only because of research conducted in the last 15 years that we know the migratory patterns of endangered Resplendent Quetzals and Three-wattled Bellbirds. Without this information, we would not know the extent of the forest that must be protected to save these species from extinction. Other scientists are currently working hard to understand what caused the dramatic amphibian and reptile population crash that occurred in 1987, so that they may be able to take steps to prevent further loss of biodiversity in the future.

Environmental Education
Finally, one of the most important things that can be done to help conservation efforts is to educate the public. This is being done on a local scale in Monteverde by the Cloud Forest Preserve and several other organizations. This website is attempting to bring this education to a global scale. By allowing people around the world to see the incredible beauty and diversity of cloud forests, we hope to increase worldwide interest in conservation of these unique ecosystems. To learn how you personally can help this effort, please see the "Get Involved" section of the Cloud Forest Alive website.