ABSTRACT
During the 1970s and early 1980s, the small and biologically rich Central American country of Costa Rica experienced high rates of deforestation. But by 1986, when the country's forest cover had declined from over 50 percent to only 29 percent, Costa Rica realized the importance of sustainable development and the economic value of its natural resources. Government policies in general and economic policies in particular, have affected the use of forest resources in Costa Rica. Incentives for forest conservation and management have been redesigned and redirected several times since their introduction, but incrementally they have been successful in promoting reforestation, forest management, and forest protection. The new law's chief environmental components gave the government the responsibility to establish and manage national parks, national forests, and wildlife reserves. A 1998 study discussed the most relevant aspects of the changes in forest cover from 1987 to 1997.
