Overview of Conservation in Costa Rica Jim Barborak

Costa Rica quick facts Size 51,000 km (think Denmark or West Virginia) Population: about 4 million Independent since 1821 Just two levels of government: central and municipal Abolished army in 1948 and has had peaceful democratic transitions of government ever since

Basic info about Costa Rica Considered to have among the highest standard of living in Latin America, including high literacy, near universal access to health care, potable water, phones, electricity Bordered by Caribbean to the east, Pacific to the west, Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south and east One of the rainiest and most biologically diverse countries on earth: four percent of global biodiversity in.05% of planet

Conservation Pros and Cons Pros Successful efforts to reduce average family size, make family planning and contraception widely available Near elimination of old growth forestry and promotion of plantation forestry using fast growing trees Lots of use of agroforestry systems such as shade coffee and cacao, living fences, silvopastoral systems High levels of environmental awareness at all levels of society

Pros Ecologically representative system of PAs with around 15% of country publicly owned IUCN category I and II areas Pioneer in corridor and buffer zone management and gap analysis National system of payments for environmental services Global leader in ecological research and conservation training Nature based tourism one of largest sectors of economy Almost all electricity produced from renewable sources

Conservation in Costa Rica Cons Water pollution and solid waste disposal are huge problems Huge increase in vehicle fleet in last 25 years, congestion, contamination and no investment in mass transit or new roads Overfishing is a big problem nearshore and MPA system tiny Local governments unwilling or unable to control burgeoning coastal development Government preaches “peace with nature” but has just authorized new open pit mining and is reopening oil exploration

Cons Inadequate reinvestment of tourism revenues in parks and conservation Concern over biofuels, pineapple boom, uncontrolled urban growth, pesticide use Little use of comanagement, concessions and community conserved areas Poaching in parks is rampant and leading to “empty forests” Most parks and reserves are too small and isolated to maintain viable populations of endangered species

Look, listen, discuss and learn…. What has this country achieved that my country, agency or park might learn from regarding protected area management and conservation in general? What errors has Costa Rica made that we should not repeat in our countries, agencies or parks? What can we learn from one another, comparing and contrasting our collective experience and the lessons observed and learned from Costa Rica, to improve conservation programs we are involved in? Talk to your colleagues in the seminar, listen to and discuss with local specialists, and observe first hand what has been tried here and has worked or failed!