Tropical Biodiversity Institute – Costa Ballena – Photo by Cesar Barrio
César Barrio Amorós was born in Barcelona, Spain. He studied anthropology and music; however, his true passions are herpetology, the tropics, and the discovery of new species.
In 1995, he traveled with his backpack to Mérida, town located in the Venezuelan Andes. Right away, he discovered new species of frogs, and started sorting and classifying them in a catalog. With other naturalists, he founded the Andigena Foundation (www.andigena.org) for research projects. Cesar excelled as a guide, and photographer in the Venezuelan Llanos, vast territories, which during the rainy season are completely flooded, becoming the habitat for a great diversity of amphibians, reptiles, and birds. He also had the opportunity to meet several indigenous groups.
He moved to Costa Rica after working with the Institute of Tropical Biodiversity (IBT) in Venezuela, where he and Susana Garcia from the Five Senses Rural Club at Bahía, created IBT-Costa Rica. Currently established in Costa Ballena; they are the IBT pillars in Costa Rica, she as a biologist specialized in zoology, and Cesar as herpetologist and taxonomist. In the exuberant jungles of Coastal Range of Costa Ballena, he is delighted finding everyday an incredible biodiversity that offers great challenges for protection and research.
The IBT is actively working with communities in the area of research, preservation, sustainability, and environmental education.
INFO: www.biotropical.org / Facebook: IBT Costa Rica / fivesensesrc.com
