The story behind Barbilla National Park and its creation is an intriguing one. Situated on the rugged Caribbean slopes of the Talamanca Mountain range, it lies 25 km east of the city of Turrialba and approximately 3 kilometers east of Siquirres, along the road to the port city of Limón. Notably, it spans both the provinces of Cartago and Limón.

Barbilla National Park is not only renowned for its biological diversity, known as life zones, in Costa Rica but also for being one of the most ancient geological regions in the entire country. It is also part of the Amistad Biosphere Reserve, encompassing 1.5 million acres and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The fate of the approximately 12,000 hectares of pristine rainforest within the park could have been vastly different. In 1990 and the subsequent years, it faced the imminent threat of logging. In response, a group of conservation-minded individuals, including the families of Barbilla Rainforest Lodge, formed the Nairi Foundation with the sole aim of preserving the area. With financial support from the Swedish ecumenical organization Diakonia, they succeeded in declaring it a biological reserve in 1992.

However, in 1996, a new threat emerged, prompting another lobbying effort by the Nairi Foundation to ensure protection. With significant assistance from the local network of organizations, Foro Emmaus, originating from the Apostolic Vicariate of Limón, and support from the Swedish government and environmental organizations, pressure was exerted on the Costa Rican government to address the situation in the Barbilla area definitively.

Finally, in 1997, the area was designated as a National Park, providing protection for its biodiversity, including the six species of wildcats found there, as well as numerous endemic species.

In 2006, the guidebook "Talamanca Indomita: Chronicles – Field Guide to Barbilla National Park, Costa Rica," was published by the Nairi Foundation in collaboration with the Ecumenical Research Department. The author, Ingemar Hedström, describes the area as the country's main source of endemic species, including many insects, birds, plants, and especially bromeliads – species that are distinct from those found elsewhere in the world.

Furthermore, Hedström and Rodriguez G. discovered a new species of crab, Ptychophallus, and named it barbillaensis. Costa Rican researcher Carolina Sanez, along with other researchers, has published an article describing how the rare Bush dogs (Speothos venaticus) were repeatedly observed in Barbilla National Park in 2019.