Phase 1: meteorological station network across 15 biological field stations in Costa Rica for automated biodiversity monitoring

This project would fund the installation of meteorological stations at 15 biological field stations distributed across the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG) in Costa Rica, a hyperdiverse UNESCO World Heritage site. Each station will continuously record temperature, humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, wind speed, and soil moisture, providing the fine-scale microclimate data needed to understand how tropical biodiversity responds to climate variability. These stations will form the backbone of a larger automated biodiversity monitoring network, with each node designed to integrate cameras for plant phenology and wildlife detection, acoustic recorders for bird, bat, and insect monitoring, and additional environmental sensors. Phase 1 establishes the infrastructure, power, and data transmission systems at each site, generating a real-time, landscape-scale dataset that is currently unavailable for this region. The ACG spans dry, transitional, and rainforest ecosystems as well as mangroves and montane forests, making it an unparalleled natural laboratory. Data will be openly shared with conservation managers, policymakers, and industry partners. Funding is sought for hardware procurement, installation, and the first two years of network operation and maintenance. This investment directly supports carbon market validation, biodiversity credit verification, and ecosystem service monitoring in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.