Costa Rica: environmental and developmental issues and solutions. An analysis of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation practices

I
Introduction
Climate change is threatening to permanently modify both the way we live and 
our very existence. It is caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO
2
), and it 
produces consequences such as species extinction, loss of biodiversity, ocean
acidification, sea level rise and melting of glaciers. Human activities are largely 
responsible for all these changes occurring at a global level. 
As a consequence, places of the Earth known as biodiversity hotspots are 
particularly in danger due to their high levels of species density and natural resources. 
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in major problems affecting this 
areas and the way climate change is altering them. Research has been focussing on 
investigating the most urgent matters and solutions have been proposed and 
implemented to counteract this trend. 
Costa Rica is one of the most virtuous countries in this respect. It has the highest 
rate of biodiversity in the world considering its size, and the progresses it has made to 
contrast global warming-related issues menacing the future of its forest and biodiversity 
richness are worth noting. 
Over the past 40 years, Costa Rica has proved to have faced critical issues that 
could have destroyed it completely with a wide range of solutions.
This investigation was carried out in order to provide an analysis of the multitude 
of measures that Costa Rica has adopted to face possible dangers connected to climate 
change. This nation has proved to be an effective example among tropical countries in 
solving hazardous events occurring since the beginning of the 20
th 
century, and in 
achieving sustainable development through a series of ecological practices that did not 
betray its image of a country which greatly relies on clean sources of energy and 
strongly opposes the kind of development that does not take into account the 
safeguarding of its people and natural resources.
The main purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of how Costa Rica 
has managed to achieve sustainable development while preserving and implementing 
conservation and enhancing tourism, mostly in its declination of what has become 
widely known as ecotourism. 
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods have been adopted in order to 
provide empirical and descriptive data of all the major devices enacted. In addition, case 
studies concerning the most important conservation, biodiversity and ecotourism sites
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have been examined in order to supply essential in-depth information. The main sources 
I have based my work on are taken from books about sustainable development and 
tourism in Costa Rica, as well as Internet sources such as organizations and 
governmental websites and academic scientific articles.
The overall structure of my work has the form of four chapters, plus this 
introduction and the conclusions, with a brief appendix containing detailed maps 
relating to conservation issues. 
In chapter 1, an overview of the country is provided, with information relevant to 
understand the situation of ecotourism and biodiversity, major environmental issues 
affecting it and laws and institutional documents aiding the cause of biodiversity 
conservation.
Chapter 2 examines ecotourism, starting from a general analysis of its evolution 
and leading to the present status of the country, with an in-depth review of certification 
programmes promoted by governmental entities.
Chapter 3 deals with a more specific investigation of ecotourism and related 
issues, with particular attention to host-tourist relationships and their possible 
consequences, stressing the importance of the role of local communities in its 
development and implementation, with a case study regarding the area of La Fortuna. A 
review of tropical forest evaluation is also provided. Finally, an examination of 
ecotourism as a tool for sustainable development is reported, with another case study 
about the areas of La Amistad and La Osa.
In chapter 4 conservation and marketing strategies are investigated. Special 
attention has been drawn to practical projects implemented by both public and private 
organizations, with particular focus on the contribution given by and to private 
landowners. Another case study examines the bioregional approach in one of the most 
outstanding protected areas of the country, i.e. the one comprised in the Osa peninsula.
Finally, the conclusions offer a summary of what has been investigated by 
emphasizing the unique approach to sustainable development adopted by Costa Rica.
1
Chapter 1 – A presentation of the country
1.1. Overview of the country: features and issues
1.1.1. General presentation of Costa Rica
Revealing a boundless environmental sensitivity, Costa Ricans have declared one-
quarter of their territory protected. Costa Rica has earned a reputation in ecotourism as 
one of the richest country as of botanical and wildlife marvels. 
Figure 1. Physical map of Costa Rica (source:http://www.caribbean-on-line.com)
Costa Rica is a democratic republic consisting of 7 provinces, namely Alajuela, 
Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas and San José. It is comprised in the 
isthmus of Central America together with other small nations like Nicaragua and 
Panama, respectively located North and South of the country. It is also bordered on both 
sides by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The area of Costa Rica is 51,100 sq 
km, an area comparable in size to Denmark, with a coastline of 1290 km.
The main mountainous areas are the ones of the Cordillera de Guanacaste, the 
Cordillera Central and the Cordillera de Talamanca. Volcanos are also present, e.g. the
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Volcán Arenal,  the Volcán Irazú, the Volcán Rincón de la Vieja and the Volcán 
Turrialba. Costa Rica is crossed by a great number of rivers as well, like the Sarapiqui 
and the Tempisque, and very few lakes. 
The climate varies from tropical to subtropical depending on the areas considered, 
with a dry season going from December to April and a rainy season lasting from May to 
November. The side exposed to the Pacific ocean has on the whole a more arid climate. 
Despite being a very small country covering only 0.03% of the planet, an 
astonishing feature is the fact that Costa Rica contains 5% of the entire world’s 
biodiversity, and a 25.58% of its territory is safeguarded under some form of protection 
(www.visitcostarica.com). 
The “green turning point”, or a change towards sustainable development started in 
the 1970s in the country when coffee prices on the global market went down due to an 
overproduction, and the economy of Costa Rica crashed relentlessly. The unpredictable 
nature of global markets created an alliance between the people who held economical 
power in their hands and the environmentalists. Exporting did not seem an effective 
way to achieve richness any longer, so the government decided to try and import 
tourists. Thus, in 1985 tourism contributed to the Costa Rican economy with revenues 
hovering around 100 million dollars a year (Weaver, 1994). 
Today Costa Rica attracts about 2 million tourists a year, thus showing that 
environmental protection and development do not necessarily express different trends 
(Ceballos-Lascuráin, 2008).
1.1.2. Status of biodiversity
Costa Rica is inhabited by 4.5 million people, of which 80,000 belong to the 
indigenous ethnic group. They live mostly in 24 territories in Talamanca, which is near 
La Amistad National Park, Costa Rica’s largest protected area.
Costa Rica’s biodiversity is administered by the Sistema Nacional de Áreas de 
Conservación (SINAC), an institutional coordination system connected with the 
Ministry of the Environment and Energy. SINAC was created by the article 22 of the 
Biodiversity Law of 1998, no. 7788 and is entirely in charge of the conservation and the 
sustainable management of natural resources, forestry resources, water system and 
protected areas by means of an active and equitable management.
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From the point of view of territory, SINAC is divided into 11 conservation areas, 
aiming at interrelating both private and state activities. These are: Área de Conservación 
Arenal Huetar Norte (ACAHN), Área de Conservación Arenal Tempisque (ACAT), 
Área de Conservación Cordillera Volcánica Central (ACCVC), Área de Conservación 
Guanacaste (ACG), Área de Conservación La Amistad Caribe (ACLAC), Área de 
Conservación La Amistad-Pacífico (ACLAP), Área de Conservación Marina Isla del 
Coco (ACMIC), Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA), Área de Conservación Pacífico 
Central (ACOPAC), Área de Conservación Tempisque (ACT), Área de Conservación 
Tortuguero (ACTo). (www.sinac.go.cr, official site of SINAC)
Figure 2. Map showing the position of the 11 conservation areas 
(source: www.sinac.go.cr)
SINAC’s primary funding sources are the Central Government, the Forestry Fund 
and the Wildlife Trust, the Wildlife Fund, donations, conventions from national and 
international agencies, 25% of the ecologically adjusted water use fee, National Parks 
funds (including admission fees), revenues from concession services of protected areas 
and royalties and research projects of INBio prospecting (Valerio, 2010).
As already stated, 25.58% of Costa Rica’s territory undergoes protection of some 
kind. Costa Rica’s conservation effort is propelled and implemented with laws, public 
awareness and the creation of additional protected areas thanks to the cooperation with 
the private sector and a strong participatory process involving communities and 
individuals.
Studies and inventories have been provided especially during the last few years. 
New technologies have been tested on the evaluation of benefits originating from