Rebecca Manzi Costa Rica has faced massive deforestation, but has reversed the negative trend through targeted conservation policies
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Costa Rica remains a global success story in environmental conservation-one which all nations should emulate. The nation has managed to completely reverse its deforestation tendencies and, in turn, created millions of dollars to protect its forests. This transformation started during the 1980s when heavy agricultural and livestock expansion saw vast areas of this Central American country being heavily deforested.
However, a shift in attitude, coupled with fresh legislation and conservation policies that started in the 1990s, arrested this adverse trend. For this, Costa Rica has enlarged its forest cover from 40 percent in 1986 to 59 percent today.
The payment for environmental services program
Among the enablers of the success that Costa Rica has been reaping in environmental sustainability is its Payment for Environmental Services or PES program, which remunerates landowners for conserving their forests. The program has been funded chiefly through a tax on gas, but the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic slowdown have created some speedbumps. Decreased fuel consumption and budget cutbacks have minimized the funds coming into the PES program and protected areas, placing the latter in a deficit position of approximately $1.5 million in 2020.
International agreements for financing
There are international agreements signed by Costa Rica in a bid to respond to these challenges related to financing forest conservation. For instance, the LEAF Coalition and the Norwegian government pledged to provide $20 m for avoiding deforestation whereas the Green Climate Fund awarded the country $54.1 m given the fact that it reduced CO2 emissions between 2014 and 2015. Similarly, the World Bank has pledged $60 m on similar projects.
In addition to these agreements, Costa Rica has tried “debt-for-nature swaps“, in which foreign debt is swapped for conservation money. One of the most successful was with the United States, which turned more than $50 million toward the protection of forested areas.
In addition, the Earthshot Prize, promoted by the British royal family, awarded an award to Costa Rica for reforestation, with a prize amounting to $1.3 million. Accomplices represent some of the most robust environmental policies and firm international commitment; demonstrating how effective the integration of conservation in sustainable development can be.
