7.4 Case Study - Costa Rica

• Threats to the Tropical Rainforest


  • Subsistence agriculture
  • Cattle ranching
  • Logging companies
  • Building large dams
  • Palm oil demand
• Subsistence agriculture

  Rely on farming to provide food and earn a living, often by cutting down trees to make room for their crops and may practice slash and burn
• Cattle ranching


  The demand for beef to supply large companies like Burger King leads to areas of rainforest being cleared to make room to produce cattle
• Logging companies


  Cut down trees to sell timber, some have permission from the government while others practice illegally
• Building large dams

  Used to supply electricity, however they mean large areas of rainforest are flooded to create reservoirs and habitats are destroyed
• Palm oil demand


  High as it is a popular product found in many household items, leading to rainforest being cleared and replaced with a single crop type
• Selective logging

  Trees are only cut when they reach a certain height meaning it allows younger trees a guaranteed life span. The forest will regain full maturity after 30-50 years meaning the canopy is protected but money can still be made

  • Strategy ensures it is not cut down at a rate that will outstrip the natural growth cycle
  • Roots maintain a healthy topsoil
  • Parent trees still drop their seeds to forest floor to start a new cycle
• Agroforestry


  • Integrated trees with crops/plants
  • Highly sustainable as it does not require trees to be cut down to make way for farmland
  • Reduced the need for additional fertilizers for crops as leaf fall and leaf litter help maintain the natural fertility of the soil
  • Reduces the costs for farmers and maximizes cost due to reasons above
  • Allows for fruit trees (avocado, cocoa, guava, Guaba) to grow year after year without the need for replanting
• Forest Reserves


  • Preserves large parts of untouched rainforest for the future
  • Home to many different species
• Biosphere reserves


  • Core area is the ecosystem that needs protection (no human activity is allowed)
  • Buffer zone is next to the core and has education, training and tourism activities
  • Transition zone – where research and local people interact as conservation of the ecosystem needs cooperation from local communities and so they are part of the decision making as it is more likely to be successful this way
• Afforestation


  • After trees are cut down, they are replanted to maintain the canopy
  • e.g Brazilian state of Para has a global goal to replant 1 billion trees that have been lost to logging in the previous decades
  • Replanting of trees will reduce greenhouse gases
• Satellite monitoring


  • Used satellite technology to ensure that any logging activities taking place are legal and follow the guidelines of sustainability
  • GIS software used to analyze changes in forest over time and identify where deforestation rates are accelerating so then appropriate action can take place
  • Useful as allowed a large area to be quickly assessed using live data
• Sustainable Management Strategies

  • Selective logging
  • Set up small scale forestry schemes to allow some areas of the forest to regenerate naturally
  • 25% of land has been set aside for conservation
  • Created over 30 national parks
  • Government invested in education surrounding the rainforest and how we can protect it
  • Ecotourism providing local people with jobs while tourism is playing a huge role in the economic development of costa Rica