Growing Conditions and Flavor Characteristics of Guanacaste Coffee Region in Costa Rica

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Guanacaste Conservation Area

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is an important natural habitat that maintains biological diversity, including the best dry forest habitats, biological communities from Central America to northern Mexico, and major endangered plants and animals. The terrestrial and coastal environments of this area are crucial for ecological activities, including: evolution, continuation and restoration of Pacific tropical dry forests; highland migration, other interactive biological and ecological activities, as well as the emergence and development of coral colonies and reefs.

Basic Information

Chinese Name: Guanacaste Conservation Area

English Name: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste

Inscription Year: 1999, 2004

Selection Criteria: N (ii) (iv)

Geographic Location: N 10°51' W 85°37'

Heritage Number: 928

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is located in northwestern Costa Rica. It extends from a point 12 miles from the Costa Rican Pacific coast, spanning the lowlands along the Pacific coastline inland, crossing three volcanoes, and then descending to the lowlands, with a total length of about 105 kilometers. In 1999, the Guanacaste Conservation Area was inscribed on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage list. The reserve covers 88,000 hectares of terrestrial area and 43,000 hectares of marine area, though these statistics do not include an additional 3,000 to 5,000 hectares that were later incorporated into the protected area. The highest elevation in the Guanacaste Conservation Area is 1,916 meters.

The Guanacaste Conservation Area includes a series of volcanic regions, the most famous of which is Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. This volcano has three craters, a lagoon, with the most recent observed volcanic eruption occurring in the 1970s. However, one crater continues to emit steam, and 32 rivers and 16 hot springs originate in the vicinity of this volcano. The western terrain of the protected area consists of carbonate rocks, while the coastal areas are primarily sedimentary formations, with saline lagoons commonly found in the coastal regions. The climate in the Guanacaste Conservation Area is hot, accompanied by a long rainy season from May to October, with annual precipitation reaching up to 1,528 millimeters and an average annual temperature of 28°C. The hottest months in the reserve are April and May each year.

The Guanacaste Mountain Range (Cordillera de Guanacaste) is a mountain range in northwestern Costa Rica, forming part of the continental divide. It runs northwest-southeast for 113 kilometers (70 miles), with its highest point at 2,020 meters (6,627 feet). Arenal Volcano erupted in 1968, blanketing the entire area with volcanic ash, destroying pastures and causing the death of 100,000 cattle. The mountain range in northwestern Costa Rica extends largely along the border between Guanacaste Province and Alajuela Province, running northwest-southeast for about 113 kilometers. It is primarily composed of andesite. Four active volcanoes are particularly notable, among which Miravalles Volcano at 2,020 meters elevation is the highest peak in the range. Most of the mountain slopes are covered with forest, while intensive agriculture, including coffee and sugarcane cultivation, is practiced near Lake Arenal.

Natural Geography

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is located in Central America at latitude 10°N and longitude 84°W. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east and the North Pacific Ocean to the west, with 1,290 kilometers of coastline (212 kilometers on the Caribbean coast, 1,016 kilometers on the Pacific coast). The northern part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area borders Nicaragua (border length 309 kilometers), while the southeast borders Panama (border length 639 kilometers). The total area is 51,100 square kilometers, of which 50,660 square kilometers are territorial land and 440 square kilometers are territorial waters, slightly smaller than West Virginia in the United States and equivalent to Ireland. Costa Rica's terrain consists of coastal plains with rugged highlands separating the central regions. The country has declared an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and territorial waters of 12 nautical miles. The climate is tropical and subtropical, with some neotropical regions. Costa Rica's climatic conditions are distinctly different, completely overturning the traditional four-season classification. Here there are only two seasons: winter from April to December with high rainfall, and the dry season from late December to April, also known as summer. The average annual temperature in the capital San Jose ranges from a minimum of 15°C to a maximum of 26°C; coastal areas are relatively warmer, with the Caribbean region averaging 21°C at night and 30°C during the day.

The Guanacaste Conservation Area features well-developed strata from the Precambrian to the Mesozoic Triassic period, but lacks Mesozoic Jurassic and Cretaceous as well as Cenozoic Tertiary strata. The stratigraphic distribution is roughly bounded by the Pidao River, with Paleozoic strata in the southeast and Mesozoic Triassic strata predominating in the northwest. Large areas of Silurian Maoxian Group metamorphic clastic rocks are exposed in the southeast, consisting of gray-green sericite phyllite, silver-gray sandy phyllite interbedded with thin-layer quartzite and thin-layered, lenticular crystalline limestone. Near the Pidao River, Devonian and Carboniferous-Permian strata are distributed in strips. The former consists of unmetamorphosed gray and dark gray thin-layered limestone, argillaceous limestone interbedded with carbonaceous slate and sandstone; the latter consists of medium-thick layered limestone interbedded with phyllite, carbonaceous phyllite, crystalline limestone interbedded with sandstone and conglomerate. Ordovician gray medium-thick layered feldspar quartz sandstone, quartz sandstone, and sandy slate are sporadically exposed in the Sanjiangkou area. Large areas of Triassic strata are distributed in the northwest, consisting of feldspar quartz sandstone, slate, carbonaceous phyllite, thin-layer limestone, and fine siltstone, with Devonian strata exposed in the anticline axis, consisting of carbonaceous phyllite, sandy phyllite interbedded with quartzite and clastic limestone. Small amounts of Carboniferous-Permian strata are distributed in the Dengsheng area, mainly consisting of carbonaceous phyllite and crystalline limestone interbedded with sandstone. Quaternary loose deposits mainly include fluvial deposits, debris flow deposits, and glacial moraines. Fluvial deposits are mainly distributed in the Pidao River valley and its tributary valleys. Large debris flow deposits are distributed at the mouths of debris flow gullies such as Huahongshugou, Longyangou, and Daweijiagou. Paleoglacial valleys in the Xiangyangping area of the upper Pidao River and upper Zhenghe River contain paleoglacial deposits, while modern glacial valleys contain modern moraines. Additionally, large areas of Chengjiang-Jinning period diorite and granodiorite are distributed in the northeastern part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area. Yanshanian granite is exposed in the Siguniang Mountain area in the west.

Main Vegetation

The most important vegetation within the protected area is the dry forest region covering approximately 60,000 hectares, where about twenty different biological zones grow in different soil environments and on various slopes. The main vegetation types in the Guanacaste Conservation Area include: (a) dominant mixed deciduous forests with some fig trees and mahogany; (b) evergreen forests distributed along rivers and floodplains; (c) savannas dominated by Hyparrhenia rufa with sparsely distributed shrublands; (d) oak forests and savannas with Quercus species; (e) mangrove forests. Additionally, there are some beach plants within the reserve. In the Rincon de la Vieja volcano area, there are four different vegetation types: the first type includes tropical Quercus trees, Sapotaceae trees, and Cedrela plants growing in poor, severely eroded soils; the second type includes various wetland plants; the third type includes rainforest plants that vary with topography; the fourth type includes dwarf rainforest plants. This forest area is perennially covered by clouds, and because the area experiences strong winds and poor soils, trees are generally relatively small. Additionally, eight species of mangrove trees grow in the mangrove forests within the area, and these mangrove forests are well-preserved.

Main Species

According to records, since 1973, the species of vertebrates, insects, and aquatic animals within the Guanacaste Conservation Area have gradually increased. The protected area hosts various animal species of conservation significance, among which well-known mammals include white-tailed deer, white-lipped peccaries, Baird's tapir, white-faced monkeys, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, anteaters, jaguars, ocelots, and jaguarundis. There are over 500 bird species in the reserve, with the most common species including macaws, American bobwhite quails, crested guans, blue-winged teals, herons, American storks, ibises, and falcons. Small numbers of caimans and American crocodiles have also been discovered in the estuary within the protected area. During the sea turtle mating season (October to December each year), over 250,000 sea turtles inhabit the beaches of the protected area, with most being olive ridley turtles, green turtles, leatherback turtles, and hawksbill turtles. The Guanacaste Conservation Area hosts over 12,000 species of nematode insects, over 20,000 species of beetles, and over 13,000 species of bees.

Historical Significance

La Casona de Santa Rosa was built between 1580 and 1600 and was one of the earliest and largest cattle ranches in the region. In 1856, Santa Rosa was the site of the "Battle of Santa Rosa." In 1966, Costa Rica celebrated its independence at Santa Rosa Ranch. Santa Rosa Ranch initially focused on raising mules, which were mainly used for transporting goods. Later, the ranch's pastures were primarily used for raising cattle, and beef became food for workers from Nicaragua and Guatemala working in local indigo factories. Santa Rosa National Park has become the most popular tourist attraction within the Guanacaste Conservation Area, often attracting visitors with its historical monuments and the gathering of thousands of sea turtles on the beaches. In 1997, visitors to Santa Rosa National Park reached 64,000 people, half of whom were domestic tourists from Costa Rica.

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