Cocori Complete Costa Rica - Nature's Cathedral, Rain Forests

Nature's Cathedral, Rain Forests
by Michael L. Smith
Cocori Complete Costa Rica

It's quiet. Very quiet. But it isn't silent and it's far from dead. Listen closely--a faint rustle of leaves high overhead, a bird calls, some strange insect punctuates the air with an alien sound. And the colors! So many greens and browns; with an exclamation of velvety red or yellow or white scattered around; just enough to keep it interesting. The air is warm, humid, sometimes stifling; it stirs very little here. Looking more closely, one realizes that there is tremendous activity all around. This is a unique environment; highly fragile in the hands of man and extremely important to the survival of man.

One hundred years from now, historians may be compelled to refer to the second half of the 20th century as that brief period of time when much of the earth's biological diversity was eradicated in the name of survival, progress and profits. Paleontologists speak of the end of the dinosaur age as a period of massive extinctions, yet during that period--despite the assistance of asteroids and volcanic dust clouds--the planet lost an average of only one species every 1,000 years. Today, human activities are exterminating plant and animal species at a rate of 1,000 each year. By the end of this century, this rate is predicted to reach 10,000 species per year--more than one species every hour!

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