Costa Rica

Question 1

• Describe Costa Rica.
• How much of the world’s biodiversity is it home to?
• How many tourists does it attract per year?
• Name 6 ecosystems that Costa Rica has.

Answer 1

• It’s a small country in Central America.
• 6%.
• Over 2 million.
• Tropical rainforests; cloud forests (high altitude rainforests); dry forests (in areas with lower rainfall); mangrove swamps (on the coast); beaches; and coral reefs (offshore). Volcanoes also influence surrounding ecosystems.

Question 2

• What happened in the 1960s?
• What were the two main reasons for this?
• What happened between 1970 and 1990?
• What did the government do in response?

Answer 2

• Costa Rica began to experience rapid deforestation.
• Cattle ranching and agricultural development.
• Deforestation in Costa Rica reached one of the highest rates in the world, with 32000 hectares cut down each year.
• They recognised the problem, establishing protected areas of forest, and passing laws to stop deforestation. They also paid landowners to protect forest.

Question 3

• How many national parks and nature reserves are there in Costa Rica?
• How much of the country’s land area is protected?

Answer 3

• 28.
• 24%.

Question 4

• When did deforestation reach its peak in Costa Rica?
• What has happened since then?

Answer 4

• 1985.
• Deforestation has declined to almost zero.

Question 5

• What is agroforestry?
• What is selective logging?
• What is afforestation?
• What is monitoring?

Answer 5

• When trees and crops are grown together, where trees provide shelter and prevent soil erosion. The crops also benefit from nutrients in the leaf litter.
• When trees are only felled once they reach a certain height. This lets young trees mature, and maintains the height of the canopy.
• When trees are replanted to replace the original primary forest that has been lost. However, this lacks the biodiversity of the original forest because species need time to re-establish.
• When satellites and photos are used to make sure no illegal activities are taking place and the landowners are following sustainability guidelines.

Question 6

• What is the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor?
• What’s its aim?

Answer 6

• An effort to create a continuous wildlife corridor from Mexico to Panama.
• To provide forest routes for animals to migrate, rather than being stuck in isolated parts of forest.