Samenvatting

Tropical deforestation is one of the main causes for habitat destruction and fragmentation for bird communities worldwide, but Costa Rica is one of the few countries where forest cover increased. Biodiversity in Costa Rica is astonishing, especially in the isolated cloud forests of the ecoregion ‘Talamancan Montane Forests’, which contain high endemism. Reforestation and natural regeneration of forests are one of the solutions to tackle the loss of bird diversity by creating different forest succession stages, which provide important habitat for many forest-depending species. Cloudbridge Nature Reserve actively engages in reforestation projects and the natural regeneration of disturbed forests and although their forest is relatively well protected, the isolated position and short-term human impact and climatic variations still makes them vulnerable. This study aims to gather information if different succession stages affect local bird diversity in order to get a better understanding of the protection and restoration of cloud forests.