Rio Vereh Cloud Forest Reserve

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Andrew Gray

Yesterday Claes and I passed the active Turrialba volcano to join Brian Kubicki on a long hike into the new cloud forest reserve where the next phase of Project Lemur Frog will take place. High in the Costa Rican Talamancan Mountains, located at between 1400-1600 metres, is a pristine area of primary forest that lies within the historical range and at an elevation where the critically endangered Agalychnis lemur once existed … and hopefully, in the future, will once more.

The new reserve belongs to the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Centre, and the next phase of the Lemur frog project proposes to build on the genetic research already conducted. It will facilitate a unique opportunity for conservation biologists and population geneticists to accurately evaluate the first re-introduction of the species.

Lemur Leaf Frog, Agalychnis lemur (c) Brian Kubicki

Although there’s a great deal of proprietary work to be conducted, including infrastructure development and habitat assessment, getting a first-hand impression of what potential this untouched land holds under the management of the CRARC provides great optimism for a frog that is so special in Costa Rica….