Costa Rica Celebrates World Environment Day

 by The Costa Rica News

June 5 marked the World Environment Day; a special date that recognizes the value of natural resources. This day has becomes a global call to preserve natural environment around the world.

Costa Rica is one of the most amazing places in the world, with 5% of the Earth’s biodiversity. Acting as a migrational land bridge between Central America and South America, Costa Rica is truly one of the world’s riches natural environments
.
A study by the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) of Mexico, the rate of animal density per 1,000 square kilometers in Costa Rica is 256.2, that is, by far the highest Central America, followed by El Salvador with a rate of 201.

In addition, a status report on the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Region of the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio) states that Costa Rica has 135 species of freshwater fish, 226 reptiles, 239 mammals, 857 birds and 183 different types of amphibians.

Approximately 50% Costa Rica is covered with tropical jungles, divided into 116 protected areas or bio-reserves.

Unfortunately it’s not all positive news for the number of species that live in Costa Rica. The total number of plant and animals threatened or endangered is1,828.

There is already concern the golden toad (Bufo periglenes) is now extinct. In Central America there are 10 different toad and frog species not seen for over ten years but have not yet been declared extinct.

Their main threats are habitat loss, over exploitation of resources, gaps in conservation and climate change.
Deputy Minister of Environment Ana Lorena Guevara called for more responsibility for both government and individuals saying “We want to make a call to citizens to continue preserving the environment”.

Read the full story on the Costa Rica News

What sets Costa Rica Apart?

Costa Rica has created a unique and holistic approach to its economic development and the environment, based around a system which pays for use of the environment.
More than 5% of the world’s biodiversity (an incredible one in twenty of every living thing on the planet) lives in Costa Rica and Costa Rica first recognized the value of this natural asset in the 1990’s when it set about forming a plan to protect it.

In most countries the environment ministry is effectively the “poor relation” – sidelined and hidden away. But Costa Rica did what no country had done before - it integrated the environment ministry with the ministry of energy, creating a department which looks after the environment, mining, energy and water.

As a result the ministry took a long term view on the country’s energy strategy. The result was that Costa Rica chose to invest in renewable energy sources. These were not the cheapest option at that time; however the ministry determined that over a longer term 25-50 years they would provide the best value. As a direct result more than 95% of Costa Rica’s energy now comes from renewable sources – hydroelectric, wind and geo-thermal.

Further recognising the true value of its environment Costa Rica was one of the first countries worldwide to impose a tax on fossil fuels. First introduced in 1997, the revenue generated by this 3.5% tax funds the National Forest Fund to pay indigenous communities for protection of the surrounding forests. As a direct result of this fund, deforestation in Costa Rica has been reversed with the land area under forest now more than double that of twenty years ago.

So what sets Costa Rica Apart? – it truly recognizes the value of its environment!