The green gold of Costa Rica

Costa Rica was a latecomer to the realization of its ecological assets. For decades, the country failed to realize the undeniable natural wealth on which it was sleeping. Costa Rica boasts 6% of the world's plant and animal species, primary forests, two coastlines with unspoilt shores, rugged terrain with active volcanoes, mountains and dense, lush jungles. When the conquistadors arrived, the rainforest covered the entire country, but with Western colonization, the country lost almost half its woodland in just thirty years. By 1950, three quarters of the territory was open to logging due to the rise of large-scale agriculture. By 1953, the forest had shrunk by 50%, and by the 1980s, only 30% of the land was covered. This was due to the exponential spread of extensive livestock farming, logging and agricultural plantations, all of which were fatal to the forest and the animal species that lived there. It was only after 1987 that the trend was reversed, thanks in particular to government intervention. On the brink of ecological disaster, the country began in the 1960s to create protected areas (parks, reserves and refuges), which have now become the country's main source of revenue thanks to ecotourism. Costa Rica protects over 25% of its territory through national parks and nature reserves. Swedish ecologist Nils Olof Wessberg and Danish ecologist Karen Morgenson were behind the creation of the first national reserve, Cabo Blanco on the Nicoya Peninsula. The founding of this reserve, the country's first protected area, in 1963, marked the beginning of nature conservation policy. Cabo Blanco even led Costa Rica to conceive and create its current national system of conservation areas.

As the interest of international organizations and national institutions in funding various conservation projects gradually grew, Costa Ricans became ecologically committed and received state subsidies to rehabilitate reforestation areas. Since then, this awareness has grown steadily: today, forest cover represents more than half of the country's surface area, and the country plans to reach 60% forest cover by 2030.
Through this new environmental stance, the country aims to regenerate its biological wealth and adopt the idea of a new concept: the marriage of ecology and economy. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to double the area of its forests while tripling its economy: protecting nature is far from contradictory with the goal of growth.

The tourist bonanza

Tourism was first envisaged in the late 1980s as a way of revitalizing the Costa Rican economy. Costa Rica has not always supported a green policy, but realized early on the richness of its biodiversity and the need to protect it. Already the initiator of numerous ecological projects, the country realized the potential offered by its exceptional biodiversity and decided to reconcile tourism activities with environmental protection. Over the years, a number of modern-day adventurers fell in love with Costa Rica's wildlife, and tourism proved to be a boon that had to be optimized at all costs: in a country where the economy is declining and further decline is on the horizon, the Costa Rican government has made it a priority to protect this biodiversity and make it a pillar of sustainable development. Already aware of the fragility of Central America's biodiversity, tourism offers are diversifying, training courses are being set up to prepare qualified personnel, diversified agriculture favors local products, and infrastructures are being commissioned.

The values of Costa Rican tourism were built on the avant-garde convictions the country had been developing since the 1950s, and the results were soon felt: by the end of the 1980s, thanks in particular to an influx of North American visitors, tourist traffic was exponential. The number of foreign tourists rose from 329,000 in 1988 to 1.03 million in 1999, finally reaching an all-time high of 3 million in 2016 (by 2024, the country was welcoming almost 2.6 million visitors). By 2023, tourism accounted for some 8-9% of the country's GDP. But what is ecotourism all about? Also known as "green tourism", ecotourism is all about biodiversity. It's responsible tourism that contributes to the country's social progress by redistributing economic benefits. It aims to raise awareness and educate tourists to travel "without leaving a trace", to improve the living conditions of local populations and, of course, to preserve the living world. To manage, develop and maintain protected areas, funds are raised from the government, international organizations, private individuals (via a portion deducted from income tax) and tourists (park entrance fees). Finally, since 1997, the Certificación para el Turismo Sostenible (CST) has been a label awarded to companies that meet strict environmental protection specifications, with a guarantee against greenwashing.

Wild Eden and exceptional nature

In Costa Rica, all paths lead to a river, a forest, a lagoon, a beach or the slopes of a volcano. No need to walk for hours to find a preserved paradise! Between tropical forests, hanging bridges and high mountains, Costa Rica is a destination where you can go green and breathe deeply! The largest of all the parks, Santa Rosa, in Guanacaste, covers 45,000 hectares while the most visited park, Manuel Antonio, covers 690 hectares. Among the 30 national parks in the country, the Rincón de la Vieja park, which includes the massif where the Rincón de la Vieja volcano is located, is certainly one of the most majestic. Here, fumaroles, cloud forests, waterfalls and rivers offer a unique tropical landscape. On the east coast, Tortuguero National Park, on the Nicaraguan border, offers an environment of marshes, mangroves and sublime beaches where multiple species of turtles come to lay their eggs. On the other hand, on the Osa Peninsula, the Corcovado Park reveals a wilderness that alone represents 2.5% of the world's biodiversity. Animal lovers will have the chance to observe monkeys, tapirs, snakes and countless birds. Here, the environment is a wealth, a treasure to be preserved, and a philosophy of wonder seems to maintain this constant gratitude towards the living world.

Ticos have developed a unique relationship with nature and combine the vast majority of their activities with the outdoors. From yoga sessions on the beach facing the Pacific Ocean to jungle hikes and exotic bird watching, nature is omnipresent in all its forms. In the humidity of the jungle, we walk towards a refreshing waterfall with howler monkeys in the background... And nobody seems to get tired of so much calm and pleasure! Finally, the people who still have the possibility to live in a traditional way do not artificialize their environment; they know it perfectly and do not damage it. They have been able to survive for thousands of years without compromising the regenerative capacity of ecosystems.

From avant-gardist to spokesperson for biodiversity

"The State must guarantee the right to the greatest well-being for all the country's inhabitants, by organizing and stimulating the production and better distribution of wealth. To this end, it seems legitimate to denounce acts that run counter to this right, and to demand redress. The State must guarantee, defend and preserve this right. The law will determine responsibilities and the corresponding sanctions" (Article 50 of the Political Constitution of Costa Rica). With this article, added to the Constitution on September 14, 2002, the President of the Republic Abel Pacheco emphasizes the right of everyone to enjoy the best possible environment, i.e. one that is healthy and ecologically balanced. After the social guarantees signed in 1943, environmental guarantees became one of the country's priorities. This ecological gamble gave Costa Rica a head start. The country is in perpetual need of revitalizing its biodiversity and is constantly rethinking how to develop its benevolence towards all forms of life: instead of exploiting its environment as an infinite well of resources, which can be used without limit, Costa Rica considers other living beings and has understood that they also depend on it to exist. The country demands that wastewater treatment be ecological, that renewable energies be the main source of energy and that the use of pesticides be virtually non-existent. With the Paz con la naturaleza initiative, Costa Rica has even set itself the goal of becoming the world's first carbon-neutral country. Its green policy extends beyond the country's borders: the isthmus, characterized by an ecological corridor - corredor biologico mesoamericano - is now a vast international nature conservation area. Today, Costa Rica remains a model of nature protection and tourism development. Having become the world's ecological school, the country is constantly rethinking its definition of ecotourism, increasingly anchoring sustainable development in its way of life. It is this exemplary attitude, to say the least, that will ensure the country's continued popularity as a green tourist destination.