Cerro de la Muerte Biological Station

Located at 3,200 m elevation (approximately 10,500 feet) on the southeastern slope of the Cerro Bellavista (one of the highest points in the Cordillera de Talamanca), this is the biological station located at the highest elevation in Costa Rica and perhaps[citation needed] in all of Central America.

Mr. Federico Valverde, the owner of the station is a former herpetologist from the University of Costa Rica who decided to protect these lands and offer them to the scientific community.

This offers an opportunity for scientists that are interested in studying the higher oak forests ranging from 3,100 – 3,400 m (approximately 10,000-11,000 feet) as well as the páramo ecosystem above the tree line.

The mission of the station is to protect the natural beauty of the páramo, to conduct long-term research on natural systems as part of a global effort to understand and preserve the Earth's biodiversity, and to increase appreciation of this effort through innovative, field-based educational programs for student of all levels.

Currently there is data listing mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, algae, myxomycetes[2] and plants.