Characteristics, Flavor, Taste Profile, and Processing Methods of Costa Rica Guanacaste Region Coffee Beans

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Guanacaste Conservation Area: An Important Natural Habitat

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is an important natural habitat that maintains biodiversity, including the best dryland forest habitats, biomes 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, and the emergence and development of coral colonies and reefs.

Basic Information about Guanacaste Conservation Area

Chinese Name: Guanacaste Conservation Area

English Name: Area de Conservación Guanacaste

Inscription Year: 1999, 2004

Selection Criteria: N (ii) (iv)

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

Heritage Number: 928

Geographic Location and Features

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is located in northwestern Costa Rica, extending from the Pacific coast approximately 12 miles inland, spanning across the Pacific lowlands, crossing over three volcanoes, and then descending to lowlands, covering a total length of about 105 kilometers. In 1999, the Guanacaste Conservation Area was inscribed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. The reserve covers a terrestrial area of 88,000 hectares and a marine area of 43,000 hectares, with these statistics not including an additional 3,000 to 5,000 hectares that were later incorporated into the protected area. The highest elevation in the Guanacaste Conservation Area reaches 1,916 meters.

The Guanacaste Conservation Area includes a series of volcanic regions, with the most prominent being Rincón de la Vieja Volcano. This volcano features three craters and a lagoon, with its most recent observed eruption occurring in the 1970s, though one crater continues to emit gases. Additionally, 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 beach 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.

Natural Geography

The Guanacaste Mountain Range (Cordillera de Guanacaste) is a mountain range in northwestern Costa Rica, forming part of the continental divide. Running northwest to southeast, it extends 113 kilometers (70 miles) with its highest point reaching 2,020 meters (6,627 feet). Arenal Volcano erupted in 1968, with volcanic ash covering the entire region, destroying pastures and causing the death of 100,000 cattle.

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is located in Central America at approximately 10°N latitude and 84°W longitude. 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 and 1,016 kilometers on the Pacific coast). The northern part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area borders Nicaragua (with a 309-kilometer border), and to the southeast it borders Panama (with a 639-kilometer border).

Geological Formation

The Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica features well-developed strata from the pre-Mesozoic to the Mesozoic Triassic period, but lacks Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Cenozoic Tertiary strata. The distribution of strata is roughly divided by the Picao River, with Paleozoic strata in the southeast and Mesozoic Triassic strata predominantly in the northwest.

Large areas of Silurian Maoxian Group's metaclastic rocks are exposed in the southeast, with lithology consisting of gray-green sericite phyllite and silver-gray sandy phyllite interbedded with thin layers of quartzite and thin-layered, lenticular crystalline limestone. Near the Picao 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, while the latter consists of medium-thick layered limestone interbedded with phyllite, carbonaceous phyllite, and crystalline limestone interbedded with sandstone and conglomerate.

In the Sanjiangkou area, Ordovician gray medium-thick layered feldspar quartz sandstone, quartz sandstone, and sandy slate are sporadically exposed. Large areas of Triassic strata are distributed in the northwest, with lithology including feldspar quartz sandstone, slate, carbonaceous phyllite, thin limestone, and fine siltstone. Devonian strata are exposed in the anticline axis, with lithology consisting of carbonaceous phyllite, sandy phyllite interbedded with quartzite, and clastic limestone. In the Dengsheng area, a small amount of Carboniferous-Permian strata is distributed, with lithology predominantly consisting of carbonaceous phyllite and crystalline limestone interbedded with sandstone.

Quaternary loose deposits mainly include fluvial deposits, debris flow deposits, and glacial till. Fluvial deposits are mainly distributed in the Picao River valley and its tributary valleys. Large amounts of debris flow deposits are distributed at the mouths of debris flow gullies such as Huahongshugou, Longyangou, and Daweijiagou. Ancient glacial deposits are distributed in the ancient glacial valleys of Xiangyangping in the upper Picao River and the upper Zhenghe River, while modern glacial deposits are developed in modern glacial valleys.

Main Vegetation

The most important vegetation within the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica is the dryland forest region covering approximately 60,000 hectares, where about twenty different biomes grow in various soil environments and on different slopes. The main vegetation types in the Guanacaste Conservation Area include: (a) dominant mixed deciduous forests along with some fig trees and mahogany; (b) evergreen forests distributed along rivers and floodplains; (c) savannas dominated by Hyparrhenia rufa with sparsely distributed shrubbery; (d) oak forests and savannas containing Quercus species; and (e) mangrove forests. Additionally, there are some beach plants within the reserve.

In the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano area, there are four different vegetation types: the first type consists of tropical Quercus trees, sapodilla trees, and cedar trees growing in barren, severely eroded soils; the second type includes various wetland plants; the third type consists of rainforest plants that vary with topography; and the fourth type consists of dwarf rainforest plants. This forest area is perennially covered by clouds, and due to strong winds and poor soil conditions in the area, trees are generally relatively small. Additionally, eight species of mangroves 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, with well-known mammals including white-tailed deer, white-lipped peccaries, tapirs, 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 speckled quail, crested guan, blue-winged teal, herons, American storks, ibises, and falcons. Small numbers of caimans and American crocodiles have also been discovered in the estuary of 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 and Tourism

The Santa Rosa Hacienda 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 independence at the Santa Rosa Hacienda. The Santa Rosa Hacienda initially focused on raising mules, which were mainly used for transporting goods. Later, the hacienda'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, with visitors often drawn to the historical monuments and the sight of thousands of sea turtles gathering on the beaches. In 1997, the number of visitors to Santa Rosa National Park reached 64,000, with half of the visitors coming from within Costa Rica.

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