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The 2008 IPS Biennial was sponsored
by the International Palm Society and hosted by
selected local residents and IPS members living
in Costa Rica. The event was coordinated by
CRT Destination Marketing and Management
Services, our selected agency for the Biennial
and the pre- and post- Biennial extension tours
within Costa Rica, and by Inkaterra for the
official post tour events in the Peruvian
Amazon.
Providing environmental leadership and
sensitivity unparalleled elsewhere, Costa Rica
has set aside nearly a quarter of its land as
protected areas and national parks. This
commitment is further demonstrated by the
scores of private conservancies that have
spawned smartly planned ecotourism sites that
support further unchecked land development,
which impacts ecological habitats in a country
that harbors nearly 5% of the world’s
biodiversity. While Costa Rica is best known as
an invaluable refuge for nature, this nation of
four million is also a haven of peace having
declared its neutrality in 1949.
Located at the nexus of two continents,
Costa Rica is part of a link that forms the
isthmus of Central America. A mere six hours
drive separates the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean
and its borders are defined by Nicaragua to the
North and Panama to the South. Four mountain
chains form its interior giving rise to a
multitude of climate zones from coastal tropical
forests to cloud shrouded rain forests in the high
sierras. Costa Rica is one of Mother Nature's
great bottlenecks where geography constricts a
breathtaking amount of plant and animal life
within 19,563 square miles (50,900 sq. km),
comparable in size to Denmark or West
Virginia. Its biodiversity includes more than
800 species of ferns, 1,000 of orchids, 2,000
kinds of trees, and 200 species of mammals just
to start.
The rainy season lasts from May through
November, and mainly falls on the Caribbean
coast, giving the Pacific a much more arid
climate. Our journeys were concentrated in
elevation sites primarily in the Central Valley
and Pacific coast on day trips from San José.
The area sites were selected on bio-diversity,
traveling distances, road conditions and hotel
accommodations suitable for large attendance.
Unlike New Caledonia and the Dominican
Republic, Costa Rica’s habitats are either
restricted or planned to support the safety of the
ecotourism industry. Our Biennial tour
spanned both National Parks with guides and
private conservancies.
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