The country is aligning its future with the global Kunming-Montreal Framework, yet a 2023 survey reveals its citizens increasingly doubt the government’s commitment.
Costa Rica, a global conservation leader, isn’t just fighting climate change and species loss. It’s now fighting an unexpected internal battle: the growing distrust of its own people. This defines the nation’s green paradox.
On one hand, the country is doubling down on its international commitments, updating its entire national strategy, and attracting new global funds to protect its oceans. On the other, a stark 2023 survey from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) reveals that a majority of Ticos feel their government shows “little or no concern” for the very biodiversity that defines them.
This article explores this dangerous disconnect: a conservation strategy that is advancing at the highest political and scientific levels, while simultaneously failing to connect with and inspire the trust of its own citizens.
The Master Plan: Aligning Costa Rica’s Compass with the World
Costa Rica is currently in the midst of a monumental, and mostly quiet, strategic update. The government is moving to align its entire national policy with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Think of this framework as the “Paris Agreement for Nature.” It’s the world’s most important international agenda for stopping biodiversity loss, setting ambitious targets like the “30×30” goal (protecting 30% of the planet by 2030) and a long-term vision for 2050 of living in harmony with nature.
By updating its own National Biodiversity Strategy to match this, Costa Rica is signaling its commitment to remain a world leader. This isn’t just paperwork; it is the master plan that will define the country’s conservation laws, priorities, and funding for the next decade.
From Policy to the Pacific: The Strategy in Action
As proof that this commitment is more than just words, Costa Rica recently secured new financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
This funding is specifically targeted at the country’s marine and coastal biodiversity. It’s tangible evidence that the national strategy is expanding beyond its traditional focus on forests and moving decisively into the “blue” world. This new funding will help manage marine protected areas, fight illegal fishing, and protect the vital corridors used by sea turtles, sharks, and whales. It is a direct and concrete victory for the country’s high-level conservation goals.
The Scientific Urgency: Why the Plan Can’t Wait
This national strategy isn’t being updated on a whim. It’s being driven by urgent data from the field. The science shows that the threats are evolving, and Costa Rica’s old conservation model is no longer enough.
A perfect, poignant example comes from the Monteverde cloud forest. Recent studies on hummingbirds show that climate change is already wreaking havoc. As temperatures rise, these birds and the specific flowers they depend on are being forced to move to higher, cooler altitudes.
This is the critical new reality: conservation is no longer just about protecting land. The new National Biodiversity Strategy must be a plan for managing adaptation to climate change. The hummingbirds are a living thermometer, and they are telling us that time is running out.
The Disconnect: The People’s Love vs. The Government’s Grade
And here, we land at the core of the paradox.
Just as the government is making these critical, science-backed moves, the 2023 UCR survey reveals a deep public relations crisis. The findings are stunning:
- The Good News: Costa Ricans deeply value their natural world. An overwhelming majority (over 90%) agree that biodiversity is essential for the economy, food security, new medicines, and protection from natural disasters. Most also report taking individual actions, like recycling.
- The Critical Finding: A majority of these same citizens believe the government “cares little or nothing” about protecting biodiversity.
Why does this gap exist? It may be a profound failure of communication; the government is securing GEF funds and updating strategies, but it isn’t effectively telling the public. Or, perhaps, the daily drumbeat of negative news—debates over mining, illegal logging, or water pollution—is drowning out the high-level policy wins, leading to deep-seated cynicism
Closing the Gap to Save a Legacy
This is the situation today: Costa Rica has a world-class strategic plan (the NBS update), new international money to help fund it (the GEF), and a clear scientific mandate to act immediately (the hummingbird study).
But it is missing the trust of its single most important asset: its people.
This is dangerous. No conservation model, no matter how brilliant on paper, can succeed long-term if the public believes it is a low priority for their leaders. The new National Biodiversity Strategy must have a core component of transparent communication and genuine public participation.
Closing this perception gap is now just as important as closing a biological corridor. Costa Rica must reconnect its people to its policies, proving that its green legacy remains a truly national project.
