34+ resident Costa Ricans from the communities surrounding the ACG are dedicated to the collection, rearing, identification, data-entry, barcoding, and photographing of thousands of species, many of which are undescribed. The parataxonomists work across a system of eleven research stations, often in very remote areas of ACG's tropical forests, with typically 2-3 people per station on a rotating schedule. Many of the parataxonomists pictured here have been working in the ACG for more than ten years and they have developed a keen understanding of the natural history of this region. Several papers have been written about their role in discovering and cataloging the tremendous species richness of the ACG and as a model for science research that is well integrated into the surrounding rural communities.
