Page 36 - NORTHERN PLAINS TOURIST GUIDE

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Caño Negro
National Wildlife Refuge
Located in the lower part of the Frio River basin, in the Northern lowlands, it is about 21 km southwest of the community of Los
Chiles and 36 km southeast of the community of Upala, in the cantons of the same name in the province of Alajuela. To enter the protected area, depending on the time of year, consider renting a canoe or boat tour to navigate the rivers and streams.
The Caño Negro Mixed National Wildlife Refuge is of a mixed type, which means that part of the territory it covers belongs to the State and another percentage is in private hands.
Before its creation as a refuge, it was a system of wetlands used ancestrally by the Guatuso (Maleku) Indians as a fishing area and for tribal rites and worship.
It is a wetland with an area of approximately 10,000 hectares that is home to migratory birds, many mammals, reptiles like the caiman, some endemic freshwater fish, like
the tropical gar and many endangered species. Marshes, lagoons, and swamps are found throughout the reserve. In fact, its main attraction is the lagoon and wetland covering more than 880 ha.
The Caño Negro Refuge was created in March 1984 through by executive decree No. 15120-MAG, with an area of 9969 hectares. In December 1991 it was declared a Wetland of International Importance, especially as a habitat for waterfowl, becoming part of the RAMSAR Convention. The Caño Negro Refuge is also within the Malecu-Medio Queso Biological Corridor and is a core zone of the Agua y Paz Biosphere Reserve, declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2007.
The avifauna is one of the most diverse and important zoological groups in the area. According to 7 bird counts carried out in as many years in Caño Negro, 377 species of birds can be found, of which more than 100 are migratory.