Costa Rican naturalists have worked hard to preserve the last vestiges of the dry forests that were so much a part of the environment in pre-Columbian days. Their chief success has been the establishment and maintenance of the Reserva Biologica Lomas Barbudal, where the native woodland habitat supports a thriving range of wildlife.

Palo Verde adjoins two contiguous wilderness regions,. To the north is the remote and infrequently visited Refugio de Vida Silvestre Dr Rafael Lucas Rodriguez Caballero, which offers the same array of wetland and dry habitats and their associated wildlife. The refuge extends north to Reserva Biologica Lomas Barbudal, protecting precious remnants of the dry deciduous forest that once encompassed most of the Tempisque Basin.