EXPERIENCE THE EXTRAORDINARY BEAUTY OF BIODIVERSITY NOW
If you want to experience the beauty of biodiversity firsthand, we’ve curated a list of 10 magnificent places to visit with the highest numbers of diverse species on the planet. Check them out below and put them on your travel bucket list.
1. MONTEVERDE PARK - COSTA RICA
Monteverde Park, which straddles Costa Rica’s continental divide, is home to over 100 mammal species, 400 bird species, and many thousands of insect species. Plant species are numerous here too, including over 400 orchid species.
2. THE DAINTREE - QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
The rainforest meets the reef at the Daintree, in Queensland, Australia. It is home to one of the largest ranges of animals and plants on earth.
3. CLOUD FOREST - ECUADOR
Cloud forests occur on both the eastern and western sides of the Andes Mountain range on mainland Ecuador. These ecosystems contain an exceptional range of biodiversity, especially of birds.
4. THE AMAZON - BRAZIL
Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest. About 60% of it is contained in Brazil, while the rest extends into Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth -- home to ⅓ of all the world’s species.
5. SINHARAJA FOREST - SABARAGAMUWA, SRI LANKA
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka, designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site.
The most common larger mammal is the endemic Purple-faced Langur. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare.
6. CERRADO - BRAZIL
The Cerrado is a savanna, covering 2 million square km (roughly the size of Alaska) in central Brazil. It is one of the world’s oldest and most diverse tropical ecosystems.
Over 10,000 species of vascular plants live here, about half of which are endemic. About 200 species of mammals , 840 species of birds , 180 species of reptiles and 110 species of amphibians call Cerrado home. Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Park serve as their refuge.
7. MOUNT FIELD NATIONAL PARK - TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA.
Mount Field National Park, with ecosystems that range from eucalyptus temperate rainforest to alpine moorland, is dominated by species found nowhere else on the planet. You’ll find giant tree ferns here, along with old-growth trees that are 90 meters tall and 20 meters wide.
8. GUNUNG LEUSER NATIONAL PARK - SUMATRA, INDONESIA
Gunung Leuser National Park is that largest natural reserve in Indonesia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to over 700 different species of animals, including over 175 mammals, 320 birds, 190 reptiles and amphibian species.
The endangered Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran orangutan, and the Sumatran rhinoceros , make their home here, living among the park’s 10.000 plant species, including the spectacular Amorphophallus titanum, the tallest flower in the world.
9. SIAN KA’AN BIOSPHERE RESERVE - MEXICO
The Sian Ka’an Biosphere, located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. Thousands of species of animals live here, including more than 300 species of birds.
Sian Ka'an means 'Origin of the Sky' in the ancient Mayan language.
10. MANÚ NATIONAL PARK - PERU
Manú National Park is a UNESCO listed biospehere reserve in Peru that spans almost 4 million acres (1.5 million hectares), several ecological zones, starting at 150 meters up to 4,200 meters above sea level in the Andes Mountains.
Manú has one of highest levels of biodiversity of any park in the world, with over 15,000 species of plants and over 1000 species of birds, more than the number of bird species found in the United States and Canada combined.
Read more about Beautiful Diversity, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 Beautiful New Books Celebrating the Beauty of Diversity Now, Diversity Makes the World More Beautiful Now, A Beautiful Diverse Palette For Your Palate Now and The Magnificent Art & Beauty of Diversity Now.
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IMAGE CREDITS:
- Image: by Carey James Balboa. Red-eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas), near Playa Jaco in Costa Rica.
- Image: by Roaming The Planet. Hummingbirds. Selvatura Park. Monteverde, Costa Rica.
- Image: by Paul D'Ambra. Daintree Rainforest. The Daintree, in Queensland, Australia.
- Image: by Derek Kverno, of Birding Ecuador. Crimson Rumped Toucanet. Cloud Forest Ecuador.
- Image: by Neil Palmer/CIAT for CIFOR. Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon. Brazil.
- Image: by Elena Logishevskaya. Courtesy of Trip to Map. Sinharaja Forest, Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.
- Image: by Priyal Mahendre | Sri Lanaka. Morning Sun Rays in the Sinharaja Rain Forest. Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.
- Image: by Fabrício Queiroga. Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Park, Mato Grosso Central, Brazil.
- Image: by Dickson. Russell Falls, Mount Field National Park. Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia.
- Image: by Ryan Deboodt. Orangutan vs Macaque Battle Royale! Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Image: by Tim Gage. Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. Mexico.
- Image: by Bill Bouton. Red-and-green Macaw, Ara chloropterus. Manú National Park, Peru.
- Image: by Jason Rothmeyer. Red Howler Monkey. Manú National Park, Peru.
- Image: Courtesy of Wildlife Trails. Leopard at Sinharaja Forest. Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.
- Image: by BN App - Download now!
- Image: Courtesy of Walk in Lanka. Sinharaja Forest, Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.
