Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Four species of sea turtle —Chelonia mydas, Dermo- chelys coriacea, Eretmochelys imbricata, Caretta caretta — use the black beaches of Cahuita and Puerto Viejo for nesting [ ] 84 Improving environmental legislation Between 2010 and 2013 environmen- tal legislation modified some issues on the management of biodiversity. This affected wildlife law; forest law regulation; the regulation of techni- cal criteria for the identification of wetlands and their recognition as state’s natural heritage; declaration of the first marine management area; and regulation of the characteristics of marine protected areas. Also, insti- tutional administrative modifications were made such as the creation of the Vice-Ministry of Waters and Seas and the constitution of the National Commission of the Sea. The environmental legislation impacts the state of biodiversity, with incentives and the promotion of good practices guided by the waste law, and law for the promotion of rural community tourism. Regarding biodiversity, modifica- tions to the regulatory and institu- tional framework on marine-coastal biodiversity is conspicuous as it has been lacking in previous diagnoses. In 2012, the legislative assembly made additions to the Wildlife Con- servation Law to the effect of: • Elimination of hunting as a sport • Modification of the definition of wildlife with the aim of covering all organisms that are located in terrestrial maritime territory • Inclusion of ecosystems as conser- vation units • Inclusion of the concept of eco- nomic evaluation of environmental damage • Typification of other crimes against wildlife • Homologation of concepts with other environmental laws • Establishment of controls and monitoring of the wild populations of the country. According to the experts on envi- ronmental legal matters, the changes implemented in Costa Rica have been relevant to improve the environ- mental legal framework, especially in the area of water resources and the integral management of waste and biodiversity. In some cases it has been modernized, either through the clarification of competences and the introduction of legal tools and con- cepts or the resolving of an existing regulatory gap. C osta Rica is important internationally in terms of its biodiversity because, in a relatively small territory, it harbours a great wealth of species — approximately 3.6 per cent of the biodiversity expected for the planet, or between 13 and 14 million species. The country has an approximate record of 94,753 known species, that is, approximately 5 per cent of the biodiversity that is known around the world (about two million species known up to the year 2005), a list that increases while the process of research and identification continues in less studied sites and groups. Scarlet macaws Shawn McCready on flickr Costa Rica