Curu, Costa Rica

The Refugio de Vida Silvestre, Curu (Curu Wildlife Refuge) is about 1500 hectares (3003 acres) in size, 2/3 of which is covered by tropical dry forest located on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. 80 hectares are protected national beach where sea turtles nest. The remaining land is a mosaic of mangrove swamp, agricultural fields, and cattle pastures. This property is owned and managed by the Schutt family.

 

When Federica Schutt purchased the first 1000 hectares of land that is now Curu in 1933, the land was valued for its hardwoods and was being harvested by a lumber company.  Schutt began reforestation with both indigenous and introduced species. Additional land parcels were acquired throughout the years, as Schutt continued to sustainably harvest hardwoods and cultivate bananas and oil palm. Situations such as fungal disease wiping out crop production and squatters invading land have challenged the Schutt family through the years.

 

Schutt grew attached to the monkeys and began to develop a plan to protect them.  His vision was to make use of some land for economic pursuits in high lands and protect lowlands for animals, where they will not be harmed or driven out.  This was long before the concept of sustainable development was commonly discussed. In the 1980’s the family began to encourage research to aid their conservation efforts and ecotourism as a source of additional income.  A research project example included creating an artificial reef to replace one that had been killed by the accumulation of sediment from erosion after the squatter invasion.

 

232 species of birds have been counted in Curu. Rare species of mammals in Curu include ocelots, pumas, margay cats, collared peccary, coyote, anteaters, and river otters. The easiest to spot are capuchin and howler monkeys; both found around administration and beach areas.  Pacific ridley, hawksbill, green sea turtles are among beach animals found at Curu.  The mangrove swamps are breeding grounds for many Pacific fish and water birds, as well as home to an immense number of small organisms that build the basis of the marine food chain. Over 500 species of plants have been documented at Curu.

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Our research objectives at Curu are to resolve issues of human-nonhuman primate interactions by preventing trash raiding by monkeys and educate tourists visiting the land.