Costa Rican Plants in Danger of Extinction

San Jose, June 13. -A total of 27 plant species from the mountainous region shared by Costa Rica and Panama have been declared endangered.

The warning is the result of an investigation by the National Biodiversity Institute (INBio), which assessed the conservation status of 200 species in the area of La Amistad International Park.

According to biologist Frank Gonzalez, who is the head of the herbarium of INBio, nine of the 27 species listed are exclusive to Costa Rica and the Cordillera de Talamanca.

Gonzalez said that danger threaten trees, shrubs and creeping herbs, but a few have common names like cedro macho (Brunellia costaricensis), poor umbrella (Gunnera talamancana), Batambo (Chusquea costaricensis), and black oak (Quercus costaricensis).

The categorization of these 27 species as endangered took into account geographical criteria and reduction of the size of the population, said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez attributed habitat degradation to two factors related to human activity: deforestation and agricultural activities.

The investigation also involved the National Environmental Authority of Panama, and the Natural History Museum in London. (Prensa Latina)