The BEN is of great importance as a watershed, providing water for hundreds of communities, farms, and hydroelectric projects that produce more than a third of Costa Rica's electricity. It is the nucleus of a larger block of protected areas that attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the world each year and thus indirectly is the economic base for thousands of local families. And it is among the most biodiverse places on the planet in relation to its size.

Although the BEN represents only 0.00015% of the world's land area, it is home to a completely disproportionate amount of flora and fauna - including 2% of orchids, over 3% of butterflies, and almost 5% of the world's birds, to mention just a few examples. The birds that depend on the BEN include almost 100 species that migrate from North America and in some cases spend the entire winter within this reserve, or in other cases pass through during their spring and fall migrations. Hundreds of thousands of birds (really!) pass through the BEN during their migrations. The reserve is also home to numerous endemic and endangered species, as well as Costa Rica's six wild felines including the jaguar.

There are many important protected areas in the world, but very few as biologically diverse as the BEN. Visit and learn about the BEN at the following locations: