Conservation in Costa Rica

Tapantí National Park

Although the conservation movement developed in Europe in the 18th century, Costa Rica as a country has been heralded its champion in the current times.[1] Costa Rica hosts an astonishing number of species, given its size, having more animal and plant species than the US and Canada combined[2] hosting over 500,000 species of plants and animals. Despite this, Costa Rica is only 250 miles long and 150 miles wide. A widely accepted theory for the origin of this unusual density of species is the free mixing of species from both North and South America occurring on this "inter-oceanic" and "inter-continental" landscape.[2] Preserving the natural environment of this fragile landscape, therefore, has drawn the attention of many international scholars and scientists.

MINAE (Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications) and its responsible for many conservation efforts in Costa Rica it achieves through its many agencies, including SINAC (National System of Conservation Areas), FONAFIFO (national forest fund), and CONAGEBIO (National Commission for Biodiversity Management).

Costa Rica has made conservation a national priority, and has been at the forefront of preserving its natural environment with 28% of its land protected in the form of national parks, reserves, and wildlife refuges, which is under the administrative control of SINAC (National System of Conservation Areas) [3] a division of MINAE (Ministry of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications). SINAC has subdivided the country into various zones depending on the ecological diversity of that region - as seen in figure 1. The country has used this ecological diversity to its economic advantage in the form of a thriving ecotourism industry, putting its commitment to nature, on display to visitors from across the globe. The tourism market in Costa Rica is estimated to grow by USD 1.34 billion from 2023 to 2028, growing at a CAGR of 5.76%.

It is also the only country in the world that generates more than 99% of its electricity from renewable sources, relying on hydropower (72%), wind (13%), geothermal energy (15%), biomass and solar (1%). Critics have pointed out however, that in achieving this milestone, the country has built several dams (providing the bulk of its electricity) some of which have negatively impacted indigenous communities as well as the local flora and fauna.[4]

  1. ^ Watts, Jonathan (2010-10-25). "Costa Rica recognised for biodiversity protection". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  2. ^ a b Evans, Sterling (2010-06-28). The Green Republic: A Conservation History of Costa Rica. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292789289.
  3. ^ "Estado de la Biodiversidad en Costa Rica". inbio.ac.cr. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  4. ^ "Costa Rica runs entirely on renewable energy for 300 days this year". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-06-07.