“It is remarkable,” Stewart Maginnis, global director of the nature-based solutions group at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), reported to CNN.

Deforestation is a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystems in Costa Rica.The country has a rich biodiversity with some 12,000 species of plants, 1,239 species of butterflies, 838 species of birds, 440 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 232 species of mammals, which have been under threat from deforestation. [3] The deforestation of Costa Rica's tropical rain forests as in other countries is a threat to life worldwide with a profound effect on the global climate. "There were no paved roads, no access to drinking water. During the 2000 tourist season, 70.7% of those who visited the country went to some protected area (national parks, wildlife refuges or others). CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap the heat, which we receive through the sun. (CNN)It took less than five minutes for a weekend bachelor party in Costa Rica to turn into a tragedy that claimed the lives of four men, including the groom's brother. “In the 1970s and 1980s Costa Rica had one of the highest deforestation rates in Latin America, but it managed to turn that around in a relatively short period of time.” The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure. [3], As logging companies enter these forests to exploit them, they require access roads to transport the timber. Soon after this all-time low, the government took a series of radical actions to convert the country back into a natural paradise. Ecotourism is another important forest-related economic activity.

Endangered great green macaws, with wingspans of up to 90 centimeters, raucously fly through the canopies. All protected areas were grouped in eleven regionally based administrative units and were labeled as conservation areas. [3] The problem was worsened because during the 1960s, the United States offered Costa Rican cattle ranchers millions of dollars in loans to produce beef. Other countries do not necessarily lack environmental will. In the 1940s, 75% of Costa Rica was cloaked in lush rainforests. coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber, agriculture: 8.6%, industry: 28.3%, services: 63.1% (2005 est. [3], Pesticides used to grow bananas and other fruits such as mangoes and citrus fruit may enter the hydrological systems and contaminate the water. [8] In the mid-nineties the Costa Rican government started to decentralize management and decision-making of all protected areas in the country to promote locally based biodiversity conservation governance. While there is ongoing debate about the extent of reduction, it is thought that between a half and a third of forest cover had been destroyed by 1987. When Costa Rica lost its trees In the 1940s, 75% of Costa Rica was cloaked in lush rainforests. For example one of the country's protected areas is a strip of forest which runs for 40 miles (64 km) through nine ecological zones from sea level to 12,500 feet (3,800 m). "People come to see the mountains, the nature, the forests, and when they are stunned by a monkey or a sloth in the tree, communities realize what they have here, and they realize they should care for it," she tells CNN. A Warner Media Company. During the late 20th century, Costa Rica suffered from rampant deforestation, losing between a half and a third of its forest cover. In recent years, important bills have been formulated to decentralize power to the municipal governments, and there is growing awareness of the need to stimulate local participation in natural resource management. Garcia is one of many Costa Ricans who have powered a mass conservation movement across the tiny Central American country. It banned deforestation in 1996 and introduced a pioneering payment system that rewards farmers for improving nature and replanting trees. All area figures are in hectares (ha) Year: Primary forest Tree cover (30%) 2000: 3,924,442: 2001: 1,485,836 : 2010: 1,477,048: 3,881,314: 2018: 1,462,373: 3,776,808: Primary/Total tree cover 2018: 39%: Tree cover/Total land area 2018: 73.5% . [1] In 1995, the government introduced further protected areas, and a further 13% of the country was put under protection through privately owned preserves, particularly those with high biodiversity. Causes and effects. The incentive system introduced the Payment for Environmental Services (PSA) system.