Costa Rica: lessons from 30 years of forest and environmental policy

Abstract

As well as its recent success in World Cup football, Costa Rica is known for its mountains, beaches, forests and other natural landscapes and its 4.7 million people are considered the happiest people on the planet. The country is regarded as a world leader in policies to conserve, protect and sustainably manage forests. Despite its small size, it has high levels of biodiversity, particularly in its forests. High rates of deforestation and land degradation in the 1960s and 70s have been reversed to achieve an increase in forest cover over the last two decades to about 52% of the land area. How has this been achieved and what can other countries learn from the Costa Rican experience?.