Osa On My Mind
It had never crossed
my mind that one of the reasons that the Osa Peninsula
has remained such pristine terrain is because its isolation has helped it to
remain an entity. This geographical logic comes up early in the text of the
stunning new book “Osa – Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea”, a successful
collage of photographic art and insightful journalistic essays that portray
this unique region in southwest Costa
Rica like no publication that has preceded
it. In fact, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and Harvard Professor Emeritus
Edward O. Wilson proclaimed the work, “the best way to experience (Osa) short
of going there.” High accolades, indeed.
The two hundred
twenty pages are separated into eleven sections with a forward by internationally
renowned biologist, conservationist and nature writer Adrian Forsyth, certainly
lending more credence to this two-man project by highly acclaimed nature photographer
Roy Toft and writer Trond Larsen. Toft’s work has been featured in National Geographic,
Smithsonian, Audubon and Discover Magazine, to name a few. He has been
traveling to the Osa
Peninsula for more than
twenty years. His partner in this book, biologist/conservationist Trond Larsen
received his PhD from Princeton and has been
conducting scientific research on the Osa for more than a decade, has established
a new biological station there and is currently a research fellow with the World
Wildlife Federation and the Smithsonian Institute. These are all lovely
credentials but honestly, the book speaks for itself and in ways that make the
resumes seem inconsequential: it is a masterpiece. The scenery photos are
spectacular and the writing is truly heartfelt. And I think it is the wildlife
photographs that help to put this project head and shoulders above all others
along with the obvious emotion, the care that went into the entire
presentation. Trond told me that it took him nearly two years to find time away
from his research biologist job to put together his half of the project and
that Toft’s photos in the book are a cross section of literally thousands of
shots he has taken in the Osa over the past decade or more.
More than fifty
years ago, botanist Paul Allen wrote of the Osa that “it is difficult to believe
that anyone could view these forests without emotion”. That sentiment emanates
from every page of this publication. The staggering wealth of bio-diversity and
life there is portrayed both in images and the written word, along with the
sense of the delicate balance, the micro-environments and unique situation that
exists at Osa. The inter-relationships, dependences, not unlike a woven fabric,
are astounding. Trond Larsen has done a highly commendable job of making this
information palatable to a lay person, such as me, for example. I have to say
that reading the text in this book also has a certain sobering effect, an
immediate diminishing of human ego.
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| Map of the Osa Peninsula |
The division of
information into chapters is also subtly yet well calculated, beginning with a
nice overview and history of the peninsula. Four of the chapters are dedicated
to the different animal groups in the area: mammals, arthropods, reptiles and
amphibians, and birds. Another chapter focuses strictly on the flora, while
three other chapters each are immersed in a particular ecosystem: watersheds,
the rainforest intersecting with the ocean, and the Golfo Dulce. The final
chapter, “The Human Animal”, looks at how we have and will fit into the history
of this unique area. The book also dedicates, not surprisingly, one chapter to
the importance of conservation. Personally, I think the whole book does a good
job of reminding us about this essential topic.
It is important
to note that a portion of each sale of this book is donated directly to
conservation projects on the Osa
Peninsula. The book is
available at all three Jaime Peligro book shops in Playa Tamarindo, Tilaran and
Quepos, where the customer can view a sample copy of “Osa – Where the
Rainforest Meets the Sea”. jaimepeligro123@hotmail.com
All comments concerning this article are gladly welcome.
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