A probabilistic map of Costa Rican peatlands based on vegetation, ecosystem, and soil inventories

There are the GIS files that accompany a peer-reviewed article.

This is the first published effort aimed at developing a peatland map for Costa Rica. A probabilistic approach using vegetation, ecosystem, and soil datasets was used to predict the distribution and extent of peatlands below 700 m in elevation. High-elevation sites found in the Talamanca Mountains were visually identified using satellite imagery; those peatlands are small in size (< 0.05 km2). Our analysis produced an estimated low-elevation peatland extent of 1433 km2 and a high-elevation peatland extent of 23.08 km2, yielding an estimated total extent of 1456 km2 for Costa Rica. This figure is in line with previously published extent estimates for this country (577-2670 km2). As for all maps, we stress that the accuracy of this product is ultimately limited by data availability and quality, as well as ground-referencing information. Still, the new map can provide guidance for land management, policymaking, and future science endeavors.