ABSTRACT
Costa Rica, like many other tropical countries, is at the crossroads of agricultural biotechnology and biodiversity conservation. On the one hand, agricultural expansion has resulted in the last decades in poor natural resource management, using a model based on plentiful use of agrochemicals to maximize production, with potential adverse effects on biodiversity and health (Mateo, 1996; Sittenfeld and Espinoza, 2002). On the other hand, Costa Rica is one of the 20 countries with the greatest biodiversity and has enjoyed a long history of conservation of its natural resources. Its National System of Conservation Areas comprises today over 25 per cent of the national territory and is the main attraction for tourism, which generated US$1,249 million in 2000 (9 per cent of GDP) indicating that protected areas are contributing substantially to the economy (Proyecto Estado de la Nación, 2000). Imports of agrochemicals increased by a factor of ten between 1990 and 1996, and yet there was no significant increase in crop yields per hectare in the last decade. The use of pesticides in Costa Rica has lead to increasing numbers of poisoned field workers. The challenge for Costa Rica is to decide whether to continue with unsustainable agricultural practices, or to explore other alternatives, such as the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops and other biotechnologies that might offer opportunities to reduce the use of agrochemicals and increase yields. However, as with any other new technology, they require a careful consideration of potential environmental effects, including gene flow from GM plants to natural variants. Having a quarter of its territory reserved for wildland protection, and realizing that only 15 per cent of the soils are adequate for agriculture, Costa Rica needs to find ways to take advantage of both biotechnology and its own biodiversity. If Costa Rica is to conserve its biodiversity, it is imperative for the country to design and implement innovative strategies to link conservation and biotechnology, leading to increased agricultural production on less land, with lower pesticide use, and to maximize the benefits of using in an intelligent manner biological/genetic resources from wildlands.
