Lichens Used to Determine Air Quality in Heredia

A group of science students from the National University of Distant Studies (UNED) in Costa Rica conducted a study to determine the air quality in the province of Heredia by analyzing lichens.

The students went about the main towns of Heredia in search lichen-covered trees due to the ability this organism has to reflect air quality. According to the students, lichens are quite sensitive to sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the environment which is caused by the burning of carbon and fuel.

According to the researchers, if a determined area has at least 50% of its lichens in good health, the area may be considered healthy. Less than 20% of healthy lichens mean that the area’s air quality is in poor.

The study revealed that the cities of San Pablo, San Joaquin, Barva and San Rafael in the highlands contain healthy environmental conditions while San Antonio and Santo Domingo show poor air quality.

The color of the lichen reveals the quality of the air. If the lichen is within the whiteer shade, air quality is good, if the color is more to the mossy-green shade, air quality is contaminated.

The higher areas in Heredia are less populated and still exhibit great dense vegetation from its cloud forests. Costa Rica hotels in this area within the mountain lodge category and are great for romantic getaways and nature lovers. Bird watching, hiking and horse back riding are among the main activities in the area.