{"id":67054,"date":"2024-05-22T10:19:12","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T08:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=67054"},"modified":"2025-07-02T09:34:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:34:07","slug":"biodiversity-costa-ricas-remarkable-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/67054\/biodiversity-costa-ricas-remarkable-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Biodiversity: Costa Rica’s Remarkable Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every year on the International Day for Biological Diversity, the urgency of protecting our planet’s ecosystems becomes increasingly apparent. Global deforestation continues<\/a> at an alarming rate, with approximately ten million hectares lost annually<\/a>, equivalent to the size of Cuba<\/a> or South Korea.<\/a> At the heart of this devastation lies a rigged financial system with governments and greedy banks funnelling trillions of dollars towards the big corporations<\/a> that work in sectors synonymous with nature\u2019s destruction.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

In a year when elections are taking place in more than 60 countries – the biggest election year in history<\/a> – it is more important than ever that people hold their governments to account and use their vote to decide the future of the planet. <\/p>\n\n

Reducing funds to corporate destruction of nature<\/h2>\n\n

Whether these trillions take the form of government subsidies or credit and investment from banks, it is time for our elected leaders to stop ignoring this massive problem and instead focus on their core mission of serving the public. Governments need to cut the strings with their corporate puppeteers who work hard to maintain a status quo that feeds their obsessive focus on profit and economic growth at the expense of the planet.<\/p>\n\n

However, despite all this terrible news, stories of hope do emerge, highlighting the interconnectedness of human wellbeing and ecosystem stability. In Central America, one country stands out for its lush rainforests and unwavering commitment to conservation. Despite its small size, Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse places in the world<\/a> and hosts over 12,000 plant species, 1,200 butterflies, 800 birds, and 650 mammals<\/a>, reptiles, and amphibians.<\/p>\n\n

\"Red
Views of Costa Rican rainforest and wildlife produced by Markus Mauthe for the ‘Raender der Welt’ (Edges of the World) Project in cooperation with Greenpeace Germany.\nPictured: Red eyed tree-frog<\/figcaption>
\u00a9 Markus Mauthe \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Deforestation rates<\/h2>\n\n

Costa Rica’s journey as a guardian of biodiversity has faced significant challenges, including rampant deforestation between the 1960s and 1980s, with rates approaching 4 percent annually<\/a>. The wanton clearance of forests was primarily driven by the huge expansion of pastureland<\/a> for cattle ranching as well as agriculture and logging<\/a>. In 1987 the Rainforest Action Network succeeded in getting Burger King to cancel a $35 million contract<\/a> with Costa Rica, which was reported at one point to be supplying a reported 60 percent of its beef<\/a> to Burger King.<\/p>\n\n

Pioneering Change<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Inspired by the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Costa Rica pioneered a system of incentives rewarding landowners for safeguarding and nurturing forests, giving hope to those fighting for environmental protection and restoration.<\/p>\n\n

\"Slide
Slide from Carlos Manuel Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s 2016 presentation on Repurposing Environmentally Harmful Subsidies
\u00a9 Conservaci\u00f3n Internacional<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Ending subsidies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

However, in a recent presentation<\/a> on Repurposing Environmentally Harmful Subsidies, conservationist and Global Environment Facility CEO, Carlos Manuel Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> – himself a Costa Rican and the former Environment and Energy Minister – explained that it was the elimination of perverse subsidies that had encouraged practices such as cattle ranching that played the biggest role in Costa Rica’s conservation efforts, resulting in an 80% reduction in deforestation rates<\/a> by discouraging forest conversion and encouraging environmentally friendly alternatives.<\/p>\n\n

Global scale of subsidies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Subsidies are intended to keep prices low, but it cannot be said enough that subsidies and incentives to big corporations are an important underlying driver of environmental destruction. In addition, we also have the external costs that are not included in the corporate balance sheets but are passed onto society and citizens. These include the enormous cost of things such as climate change, air pollution, and traffic congestion. <\/p>\n\n

The latest IMF figures suggest these subsidies and external costs amount to a total of more than $7 trillion for fossil fuels alone – or 7.1%<\/a> of global gross domestic product. Reforms of harmful subsidies and incentives and alignment of positive policies are essential for reducing the money flows to companies that destroy nature.<\/p>\n\n

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Trillions of dollars in subsidies & investments continue to finance the destruction of natural ecosystems.

How our financial system is bankrolling extinction and what governments need to do to restore nature

A blog by @crmazzet<\/a> & @syahrul_fitra<\/a> \u2935\ufe0fhttps:\/\/t.co\/bS6dFnhinc<\/a><\/p>— Greenpeace International (@Greenpeace) November 2, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>