News

Increasing mountain forest cover in Costa Rica

28.07.2016

Costa Rica, a country with an area of only 51 100 sq km, contains a wealth of species, approximately 3.6 percent of the expected biodiversity of the planet (between 13 and 14 million species). The country has an approximate record of 94 753 known species, i.e., about 5 percent of the biodiversity known worldwide (SINAC, 2014).

It is important to point out that, in the period of 1800-1950, forest cover decreased from 91.3 percent to 64 percent of the territory, while from 1950-1987, it went from 64 percent to 25 percent. In other words, in 150 years Costa Rica lost 27.3 percent of its forest cover, whereas another 39 percent was lost in the follow-up 37 years (MINA-SINAC, 2000).

In response to this alarming situation, the first Forestry Law No. 4465 and the Forestry Department were created in 1969, followed by the National Park Service and the Wildlife Department in the 1970s.

It must be highlighted that the Ministry of the Environment and Energy is the leader of environmental issues in the country. From 1995 onwards, due to national structural and environmental policy changes, a series of regulations to strengthen the country's efforts on environmental issues have been enforced. Therefore, the Organic Environmental Law No. 7554, the Forestry Law No. 7575, the Wildlife Conservation Law No. 7317 and the Biodiversity Law No. 7788 have all been passed. Also, the Conservation Areas National System (SINAC) was created, which is in charge of all the duties concerning forestry, wildlife and protected areas, the National Forestry Financing Fund (FONAFIFO) and the National Commission for Biodiversity Management (CONAGEBIO).

In order to promote the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and natural resources, which include mountain ecosystems, the country designed a series of strategies and actions, including:

1. From the 1970s to 1996, a series of incentives for reforestation and conservation and management of forests, either fiscal, financial or non-financial were designed and implemented, such as the income tax and land tax (now property tax) deduction, protection against squatting, credits and Forestry Bond Certicates (CAF). All these efforts were worthwhile, encouraging forest cover by nearly 183.481 hectares.

2. The country has developed great efforts and invested a significant amount of resources for more than half a century in the establishment of Wild Protected Areas (ASP), which now amount to some 166 in eight management categories, covering 26.5 percent (1 354 488 ha) of the national land area and 17.19 percent of the national sea surface if taken into account only inland waters and the waters heritage. However, if all of the country's Exclusive Economic Zone is included, the ASP national system accounts for only 3.21 percent of the national area, both terrestrial and marine. It is estimated that 88.5 percent of the land declared as either a National Park, Biological Reserve, Absolute Nature Reserve or National Monument (629 015.29 ha) has already been acquired by the State.

3. Payment for Environmental Services Program (PSA) is a financial recognition by the State, through FONAFIFO, to owners and holders of forests and forest plantations, for the environmental services they provide, which directly affect the protection and improvement of the environment.

4. Under the Forestry Law No. 7575, Costa Rica recognizes the following environmental services:

4.1. Mitigation of emissions of greenhouse gases (fixation, reduction, sequestration, storage and absorption).
4.2. Protection of water for urban, rural or hydroelectric use.
4.3. Protection of natural biodiversity.
4.4. Scenic beauty for tourism and scientific purposes.

5. Some impacts of PSA from 1997 to 2014 are:

5.1. Some 1 052 867.40 ha have been protected, managed and restored as well as reforested, and more than six million trees in agroforestry systems (SAF).
5.2. Costa Rica has invested more than US$300 million in protection and recovery of forest cover.
5.3. In some indigenous territories in vulnerable areas more than US$1.2 million have been invested.
5.4. In private farms within Biological Corridors defined by SINAC, US$123.6 million have been allocated aimed at protecting connectivities for threatened or endangered species.
5.5. FONAFIFO has formalized 14 648 contracts, 699 of them in protected wilderness areas and 114 defined as "conservation gaps" sites.

6. Since around 1999, the country starts reaching momentum in building and strengthening biological corridors, in order to provide connectivity between landscapes, ecosystems and habitats, natural or modified, to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity and ecological and evolutionary processes. Currently, there are a total of 36 biological corridors, covering approximately 32 percent of the national territory.

All these measures and others undertaken by the country have currently allowed the recovery of forest cover in approximately 52.4 percent of the national territory, according to the results of the Forest Inventory of Costa Rica from 2013 to 2014. (SINAC and REDD-CCAD-GIZ Program, 2015), with the participation and support of civil society, the private sector, NGOs, academia and instances of national and international cooperation.

Bibliography

MINAE-SINAC. 2000. El Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación: Evolución y Perspectivas. SINAC, San José, Costa Rica. Pág. 3 y 4

Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación SINAC. 2014. V Informe Nacional al Convenio sobre la Diversidad Biológica, Costa Rica. GEF-PNUD, San José, Costa Rica. 192 p.

Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación (SINAC) y Programa REDD-CCAD-GIZ. 2015. Cartografía base para el Inventario Forestal Nacional de Costa Rica 2013-2014. Preparado por Ortiz, E. et al. como consultor para el Inventario Forestal Nacional de Costa Rica, dentro del marco del Programa REDD/CCAD/GIZ. San José, Costa Rica. 52 p.

News by: Sonia Lobo Valverde and Wilber Sequeira Vindas of SINAC, Costa Rica

Photo: Mariano Espinoza