Costa Rica News – Have you noticed fewer monkeys around Costa Rica? It is probably because there are actually less.
I’m sure you have read about or heard about the troubled populations of primates, tapirs and toucans in Costa Rica.
Their numbers are on the decline for various reasons, including poaching and illegal trade as well as the loss of their natural habitats.
These animals typically eat the fruits of trees thus dispersing seeds and leading to new tree growth. As there are not as many of the animals as there used to be there are also fewer seeds being dispersed and fewer new trees arising.
The animals affect the plants and the plants affect the environment. It’s a cycle. Without new trees appearing at the normal rate there is less carbon dioxide being stored in trees, which in turn worsens the effects of climate change.
Hardwood tree trunks in tropical ecosystems are responsible for capturing 40% of the carbon in the whole world. Their seed dispersion being reduced alters the balance nature is intended to have.