Rich Collection of Costa
Rican Flora Hits The
Web
(AFP) – Costa Rica's
National Herbarium
announced Thursday it
had launched a website
with information on 95
percent of the country's
plant species -- some
220,000 specimens.
The site collects
scientific data on 5,600
types of fungi, 2,000
lichens and tens of
thousands of other
larger plants and moss,
ferns and algae.
The encyclopedic
collection is the
product of over 120
years of research, said
the institute in a
statement.
The site represents an
"invaluable wealth of
information on the
biological riches of the
country," said the
Herbarium, which began
collecting and
identifying Costa Rican
flora in 1887, when the
country's National
Museum was created.
A key component of the
site is the historic
collection, which
showcases specimens
collected and identified
between 1887 and 1910.
The 9,624 specimens are
of particular interest,
and "huge cultural and
historical value," said
the Herbarium, because
they highlight the
original flora in areas
that are currently under
great environmental
strain, including
deforestation.
Biologist Armando
Estrada, from the
Herbarium, said the
institute's objective
was to contribute to the
public's knowledge of
the country's rich
biodiversity, and to
promote conservation in
the central American
nation. |
