On the # International Day of Rural Women we recognize the women who take care of water 💧 , till the land and plant the seeds that feed entire nations. 🌱🍃 Lourdes Frasser Rojas tells us how with her hard work and her own hands she has closed gaps and built a better path for their family and women of the Boruca Indigenous community.
Rural Women play a vital role in the Sustainable Development of the country, for their families and communities. 💚💙 The story of Marciana Mora Leiva brings us a little closer to her day-to-day life and her transformative role in the Boruca Indigenous community #DíaInternacionalDeLasMujeresRurales
Event was developed within the framework of the + Women+ Natura Program
Historic Tribute to the two pioneers of the Nations Park: Luisa Alfaro Bermúdez, First Deputy Director of the National Park Service and Gladys de Marco González, First Director of the La Amistad Conservation Area – Pacific.
On the occasion of the Commemoration of the National Day of National Parks ,, and with the aim of recognizing, making visible and strengthening the leading role of women in conservation, the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with the support of the Office of the First Vice President of the Republic, carry out the First Virtual Meeting of Women Park Rangers in Costa Rica ..
The event had the technical and financial support of the Finance for Biodiversity initiative (BIOFIN) and brought together more than 70 women park rangers and officials of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), who shared with the heads of the entities organizers, including the First Vice President of the Republic, Epsy Campbell Barr.
Pamela Castillo Barahona, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, highlighted that in this meeting “for the first time the valuable work that women park rangers have been doing at the national level is visible, recognized and analyzed, where to date their experiences had not been systematized, the complex situations they have had in their work. It also represents a recognition of the contribution of women in the history of the conservation and protection of our National Parks and the natural resources of our country ”.
For his part, José Vicente Troya Rodríguez, UNDP Resident Representative, highlighted the work of park rangers, guards of National Parks as essential conservation agents.
«They carry out a large number of activities that reveal a break in the relationship of domination over nature, a break with that age-old sexual division of labor; they protect and safeguard natural resources, reforest, educate communities, and have a particular mystique, knowledge and specific knowledge that enhance the sustainable use and management of biodiversity, “said Troya-Rodríguez.
National Parks offer us essential nature-based solutions to face the loss of biodiversity and the climate crisis, in them, it is necessary to highlight and recognize the guardians of their protection: women park rangers. Elena Vargas Ramírez, Mirna Cortés Obando, Andrea Cruz Siles, Dulce María Varela, and Yeimy Cedeño Solís, narrate their daily work, personal motivation for their work and the challenges they face through five video stories.
TRIBUTE TO WOMEN PARK RANGERS IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST GENDER PREJUDICE
At the meeting, he paid a historic tribute to the two pioneers of the Nations Park: Luisa Alfaro First Deputy Director of the National Park Service and Gladys de Marco, First Director of the La Amistad Conservation Area – Pacific.
“You don’t realize that you have opened a gap, until you hear everything that is said,” said Marco who thanked for the space of sisterhood and empowerment of women in conservation.
Grettel Vega Arce, Executive Director of SINAC, the presence of so many participants in the virtual event allows us to contribute our experience and perspective to the current and future challenges of our park rangers. “Without a doubt it has been very important since it is the first meeting that is called, to enhance the work of women in the protection of the Natural Heritage of the State. We have realized what we have done and our role as facilitators for the operational and comprehensive exercise of the park rangers, in their control, protection, research and tourism tasks ”, highlighted Vega Arce.
Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister of Environment and Energy, referred to the role of park rangers and their contribution, on a day-to-day basis, to preserving nature. “From the Environmental Administration this meeting is a milestone, because for the first time, we have brought together all our collaborators, not only to exchange experiences in their professional performance but also to thank their role within the conservation and protection process, because the women have demonstrated their ability to develop in different areas, including that of park rangers ”, concluded Rodríguez.
Throughout the activity, five life stories of women park rangers from the Isla del Coco Marine Conservation Area, Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge, Amistad Caribe Conservation Area, Tortuguero Conservation Area and Ostional National Wildlife Refuge were highlighted. The videos can be found at the following link and the recording of the activity here.
LIFE STORIES
About + Women+ Natura Program
This event was developed within the framework of the + Mujeres + Natura Program, an initiative led by MINAE, UNDP and the Office of the First Vice President of the Republic. t also has the support of the National Institute for Women (INAMU), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the National Forest Financing Fund (FONAFIFO), the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), the National Commission for the Biodiversity Management (CONAGEBIO), the Joint Institute for Social Aid (IMAS), Fundecooperación para el Desarrollo Sostenible, Euroclima, the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Regional REDD + Program.
About UNDP
The United Nations Development Program is the leading United Nations agency dedicated to ending the injustice of poverty, inequality and climate change. We work with our extensive network of experts and partners in 170 countries to help nations build integrated and lasting solutions for people and the planet
These short videos show the stories of women park rangers from Costa Rica. These are five female officials of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), who perform important functions of conservation and management of natural resources of protected wild areas, specifically:
-Ostional National Wildlife Refuge.
-Cocos Island National Park.
-Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge.
-Cahuita National Park.
-Tortuguero National Park.
In these stories by Yeimy Cedeño Solís, Dulce María Varela Quirós, Andrea Cruz Siles, Mirna Cortés Obando and Elena Vargas Ramírez, the personal and professional motivations that led her to take on this great challenge are reflected, and they also talk about the challenges and main tasks they do in this important work. This initiative arises within the framework of the More Women More Nature Program and as a way to commemorate the necessary and important work carried out by women park rangers in Cosa Rica.
Initiative proposesan economy based on knowledge, green and resilient, decarbonized and competitive.
It is a framework to integrate public and private proposals, align investments, develop and enhance incentives, articulating the productive and the environmental.
From an innovation, inclusion and sustainability perspective, the strategy seeks to position the country in the face of the challenges that the world economy faces due to COVID-19.
It is a joint effort of MINAE, MAG and MEIC, led by MICITT.
San José, Friday, August 7, 2020. Productive systems face a fourfold challenge in the face of a global economic contraction exacerbated by COVID 19: produce more efficiently or reinvent themselves, maintain value chains that support jobs and livelihoods, while ensuring the sustainable use and rehabilitation of nature facing climate change.
In this context and with the objective of establishing a Costa Rica as an economy based on knowledge, with sustainable production of high added value in all its regions and the fair and equitable use of its biodiversity, the Government of the Republic announced this Friday the National Bioeconomy Strategy.
It is an effort of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (MICITT), as the leader of the initiative. The formulation process had the support of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for its development, with the financial support of the cooperation program with the Federal Republic of Germany (CEPAL-BMZ / GIZ Program) and the contribution from various sectors and experts from the areas of science and technology, both public and private.
The National Bioeconomy Strategy is a framework for integrating public and private proposals, aligning incentives and public investments, and guiding private initiative, articulating various areas related to production and the environment.
The purpose is to make the bioeconomy one of the pillars of the productive transformation of Costa Rica, by promoting innovation, value addition, diversification and sophistication of its economy, applying the principles of the circular bioeconomy and seeking the decarbonization of production and consumption processes.
“The bioeconomy represents a great opportunity to promote regional development, since it serves as a complement to existing productive activities, diversifying them, promoting added value and making them more sustainable, by making responsible use of natural resources and even locally generated waste” , explained the Minister of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, Paola Vega Castillo.
The President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, affirmed that “the strategy seeks to build a Costa Rica with sustainable production of high added value, based on the fair and equitable use of its biodiversity, increase biotechnological efforts, which allows a productive transformation, based on in knowledge ”.
The president recalled that the promotion of the bioeconomy and the search for best practices in this matter, was part of the agenda during his trip to Germany in May 2019, where he met with the German Federal Chancellor, Angela Merkel. In addition, President Alvarado thanked Germany for deciding cooperation in building this strategy.
“In a context of pandemic as a country, it challenges us to accelerate the step towards the bioeconomy that will allow us to influence the development of our regions and their productivity,” the president stressed.
The National Bioeconomy Strategy is based on global policy frameworks adopted by the country: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification and the instruments of national policy that implement this Framework.
It has a 10-year vision and is planned to be implemented in three phases: impulse (2020-2022); scaling (2022-2026) and consolidation (2026-2030). Through these three phases, the use of Costa Rica’s biological wealth and capabilities in the scientific field will be enhanced, based on knowledge and the sustainable use of the country’s biological assets.
In this Friday’s activity, a MICITT-UNDP Agreement of Understanding was signed, with the aim of promoting the mobilization of technical and financial resources to encourage the development of bio-businesses within the framework of the National Bioeconomy Strategy and the Finance Initiative for the Biodiversity (BIOFIN).
ational BioEconomy Strategy, MICITT, Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, August 7, 2020. Photo: Roberto Carlos Sánchez @rosanchezphoto
Costa Rica reaffirms environmental leadership
“Costa Rica demonstrates, once again, its global leadership in the forefront of economic and commercial opportunities from an innovation, inclusion and sustainability perspective that will also translate into economic reactivation.” José Vicente Troya Rodríguez, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Costa Rica.
“As a leading country in terms of environmental sustainability, we have earned the privilege of putting environmental issues at the center of development. Many countries take Costa Rica as a reference, because we have shown that the protection of nature is not a brake on development and, on the contrary, has generated a series of important economic opportunities. We have been a decade ahead of many countries on issues of conservation and national parks due to historical conditions of social development and better governance ”. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister of MINAE.
“From the agricultural sector, we see this strategy as an option to achieve a greater development of agricultural, livestock, fishing and aquaculture activities in a sustainable way. We want to promote the addition of value, the use of biomass for energy production and the diversification that makes the producers more competitive, since greater opportunities are generated for them to access various markets with new products and services and new sources are created. of equitable economic and social growth ”, Renato Alvarado, MAG minister.
“It is a reference framework to complement the 2030 National Entrepreneurship Policy, which also constitutes a guiding framework to promote a sustainable economic recovery, which lays solid foundations for the transformations that are needed in a time like the one we live in. It involves challenges of coordinating dialogue and agreement with the private sector, aligning incentives, regulating and simplifying procedures. From the MEIC, we are committed to assuming these challenges so that the business park has opportunities for innovation, new ventures, strengthening value chains, public purchases and information for consumers ”. Victoria Hernández, Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce.
“Agroecological systems, agroindustry, bioprospecting, and agricultural and medical biotechnology are areas in which Costa Rica has capacities to enhance as part of its National Bioeconomy Strategy; These are areas in which two relevant factors are combined in the case of Costa Rica: on the one hand, the biological wealth of the country; and on the other, recognized capacities in the fields of biological and life sciences ”. Mario Cimoli, Deputy Executive Secretary of ECLAC.
From left to right: José Vicente Troya Rodríguez, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program; Juan Luis Bermudez Madriz, Minister of Human Development and Executive President of the Mixed Institute of Social Assistance; Pamela Castillo Barahona, Vice Minister of Natural Resources, Ministry of Environment and Energy; Epsy Campbell Barr, First Vice President of the Republic of Costa Rica; Marianella Feoli Peña, Director of Fundecooperación para el Desarrollo Sostenible; Patricia Mora Castellanos, Minister for the Status of Women, National Institute for Women.
Initiative “+ Mujeres + Natura” will make available three financial instruments to mitigate the economic impacts generated by COVID-19.
Biodiversity managers, agricultural producers, ecotourism entrepreneurs, scientists and researchers will be able to access credits with favorable conditions to finance their activities.
“It is a unique program in Latin America and the Caribbean, which makes Costa Rica a world benchmark for concrete actions that guarantee the linking of nature, gender equality and the empowerment of women,” said Vice President Epsy Campbell.
Within the framework of the International Day for Biological Diversity and as a strategy to mitigate the socio-economic impacts generated by the global pandemic by COVID-19, the Government of Costa Rica launched this Friday the + Mujeres + Natura program, aimed at environmental managers.
The initiative, led by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Office of the First Vice President of the Republic, aims to strengthen the economic autonomy of women, face gender gaps in nature management and progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At a press conference in the auditorium of the Presidential House, Vice President Epsy Campbell Barr reported that + Mujeres + Natura is a unique program in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is why Costa Rica becomes a world benchmark in the search for concrete actions to guarantee the link between nature, gender equality and the empowerment of women.
He stressed that Costa Rica “has understood that the conservation of natural resources is vital for human progress. While uncontrolled logging occurred in the world in the 70s, in our country ambitious environmental protection policies were applied, which have resulted in solutions based on nature. Today the forest cover reaches 52% of the national territory ”.
In the announcement of the + Mujeres + Natura program, the Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion, Juan Luis Bermúdez; the Minister of the Condition of Women, Patricia Mora; the Deputy Minister of the Environment, Pamela Castillo; the UNDP resident representative, José Vicente Troya; and the director of Fundecooperación, Mariella Feoli.
Vice Minister Castillo explained that, as one of the first actions of the initiative, three financial mechanisms will be made available to inject resources into women that contribute to safeguarding Costa Rican natural capital, at a crucial moment like the one we are living in.
Castillo presented the first actions of the + Mujeres + Natura program:
FONAFIFO credit by your side, to promote economic development and improve the quality of life of rural women.
It is a financing line of up to five million colones with fiduciary guarantee, a term of ten years and a fixed rate of 4% per year for productive development, working capital, infrastructure, equipment and innovative projects related to the forest.
There are also other credit lines for higher amounts with another type of guarantee (mortgage, security or pledge).
With simple requirements, women who want to apply for this credit should call 2545-3500 or visit the website www.fonafifo.go.cr .
WOMEN NATURA Credit , to integrate the gender perspective, equality and the empowerment of women in the management of biodiversity.
This is a financing line granted by Fundecooperación, of up to ten million colones, with a maximum term of five years.
Those who do not have a mortgage, security, pledge or trust guarantee can request the FIDEIMAS guarantee.
Women who want to apply for this credit should call 2225-4507, write a WhatsApp at 8615-2112 or visit the website www.fundecooperacion.org
Payment of Environmental Services to women .. Starting this Monday, FONAFIFO will prioritize the Payment of Environmental Services (PES), to women owners of forests and forest plantations.
The PSA consists of a financial recognition by the State for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, protecting biodiversity and water, as well as the scenic beauty service provided by forests.
Women who want to apply for the PSA should call 2545-3500 or visit the website www.fonafifo.go.cr .
“With the + Mujeres + Natura Program, we want the biodiversity sector to be a cornerstone to strengthen the enterprises carried out by women, move many of them to formality, as well as give them more opportunities and decent working conditions,” said the vice minister Castillo.
The Minister for the Status of Women, Patricia Mora, highlighted that this initiative will facilitate the framework of the National Policy on Gender Equality in the biodiversity sector.
“Rural women use 26 more hours of time associated with unpaid domestic work, which makes it difficult for them to participate in spaces of environmental leadership. That must change and that is why we believe that the + Mujeres + Natura Program will make a substantive change, ”said Mora.
● This preparatory meeting for the Conference of the Parties (COP) on climate changewill be the first to prioritize therole of women as agents of change in climate action and the importance of having gender-responsive climate policies and strategies.
● Women leaders from Latin America and the world will share their experiencesin environmental initiatives.
● Evidence shows that women are one of the groups most affected by the climate crisis.
San José, October 8, 2019.- The promotion of effective climate actions based on the principles of inclusion, respect for human rights and gender equality is one of the transversal axes of PreCOP25 that is carried out from 8 to 10 October in San José, Costa Rica.
This event takes place at the National Convention Center and functions as a prelude to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Chile between December 2 and 13, 2019.
The promotion of the participation of women in the management and development of innovative environmental solutions is one of the main points of this space that will have the participation of around 1,500 people of which 700 are nationals and 800 foreigners, representatives of different spaces such as governments, international organizations and civil society.
“Costa Rica is the first country to raise the level of political discussion on issues related to gender, inclusion and human rights in a climate conference of this nature. This country is a faithful believer in the value of the active integration of the human being in the climate agenda and in the actions it undertakes. Not only do we believe that impossible is possible, but we continue to demonstrate it in our actions and the decisive impulse that we give to these very important issues on the national and international climate agenda ”, indicated Mrs. Lorena Aguilar Revelo, Vice Chancellor of the Republic.
Women and girls represent 49.58 per cent of the world’s population and their empowerment has been shown to accelerate social justice, equality, productivity and economic growth.
In addition to the efforts of the host country, the efforts of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Agency for Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Environment Agency ( UN Environment) who have highlighted the local, regional and global progress made in the implementation of the gender mandates of the Framework Convention related to mitigation, adaptation, financing, technology transfer and capacity development.
“We have to make changes so drastic that it is not enough to reduce emissions, it is imperative that we heed the urgent call of young people and that we recognize, once and for all, the leading role that women have as leaders and agents of transformation in the actions for the climate for communities and nations, ”said José Vicente Troya Rodríguez, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Costa Rica (UNDP).
“We celebrate the importance that the Government of Costa Rica is giving, in this Preparatory Meeting, to gender equality and the empowerment of women at the highest level,” added Troya.
For her part, the Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean, María Noel Vaeza pointed out that “The participation and leadership of women must be supported in all decision-making processes related to climate, from the local to the global one, also taking into account indigenous populations. ”
Vaeza also highlighted that gender-sensitive climate approaches require timely and sex-disaggregated data. “Increasing the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data would contribute to the development of gender-sensitive climate policies and programs, allowing women and girls to fully benefit from them, while ensuring that such policies do not exacerbate inequalities. existing ”.
Finally, Leo Heileman, UN Environment Regional Director for Latin America explained that “Gender equality and the empowerment of women are human rights priorities and are prerequisites for sustainable development. Delving into the nexus between climate change and gender is crucial to understand social and environmental inequalities, and to promote low-carbon and resilient development in which women play a fundamental role ”.
An unconventional PreCOP
PreCOP25 is an event characterized by the presentation of actions such as national and local policies for mitigation and adaptation to the gender-responsive climate crisis, local knowledge of women and good practices at the community level.
On the other hand, it also seeks to promote the promotion of greater participation of women in climate negotiations and actions, as well as their empowerment and inclusion in sectors related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM for its acronym in English) , fundamental to achieve sustainable development and guarantee the fulfillment of human rights.
To this end, PreCOP 25 allocates a space to discuss how to increase the countries’ commitments in this line and how to strengthen the Gender Action Plan of the Convention and the Lima work program on gender; and integrates, in a strategic way, events and conferences focused on gender equality issues.
Some of these spaces are:
Workshop on the Gender Action Plan. Led by the Vice Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Lorena Aguilar, the representation of the Netherlands and UN Women; this space will run from Tuesday to Thursday between 2: 00-6: 00 pm.
Adaptation in emblematic cities and sustainable mobility with a focus on gender, equity and inclusion in local contexts. Organized by UNESCO, the Citizen Consultative Council on Climate Change (5C) and the Green Building Council Association (GBC) of Costa Rica, it will be held on Wednesday 8 from 8:00 am to 9:30 am.
From words to action: projects with innovative solutions to face climate change and promote gender equality. Space of UNDP, UN Women and UN Environment, will be held on Wednesday 9 from 1:30 to 2:30 pm.
Governance and territorial climate action for adaptation to climate change: the role of women’s organizations and the gender approach. Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and 5C, it takes place on Wednesday 9 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm.
Workshop on the Improvement of Safety and mobility of women in public transport as a mitigation measure in the transport sector. Event of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), the National Institute of Women (INAMU) and GIZ, on Thursday, October 10 at 8:00 am
Women as agents of change
Despite being a sector of the population most vulnerable to the climate crisis, women are agents of change in their communities, indispensable to face this imminent situation.
As explained by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in relation to adaptation and mitigation actions, women generally have unique and different knowledge of the social and environmental environment of their communities, and contribute in a different way to the climate initiatives associated with various sectors.
For example, globally, women represent 32% of those working in renewable energy compared to 22% in the energy sector overall.
Another case is that of Peru, where as part of the NAMA for universal access to sustainable energy, the Energy School for Women, “eMujer”, is established, whose objective is to provide opportunities for women to: develop capacities in the use, management and sustainability of sustainable energy technologies.
In the forestry sector, women and men depend on forests in a different way, obtain different products and receive different benefits from forests and have different knowledge, access and control of forests; women contribute in a unique way to the protection and sustainable management of forests and the sustainability and effectiveness of nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.
For more details on the Preparatory Meeting for the 25th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (PreCop25) visit: https://www.precop25costarica.com/
About the organizations that promote the transversal gender axis
The UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis , and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for all. With a presence in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer a global perspective and a local vision to help empower lives and build resilient nations. www.undp.org @PNUD
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a global advocacy organization for women and girls, UN Women was created to accelerate progress in meeting their needs around the world. lac.unwomen.org @onumujeres
ONU Environment is the world’s leading environmental authority. It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the consistent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development in the United Nations system, and acts as an authoritative advocate for the environment. UN Environment’s work includes assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends; develop international and national environmental instruments; and the strengthening of institutions for the rational management of the environment.
San José, May 28 (elmundo.cr) – The Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), presented on Monday the results of the Sixth National Report on the State of Biodiversity (6IN), in compliance with the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international agreement ratified by 196 Parties.
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez highlighted the relevance of the 6IN as it is an exhaustive analysis of the state of the country’s biodiversity that, in addition, allows reporting on the progress in the National Biodiversity Strategy 2016-2025 and the Aichi Goals that set 20 international commitments on biodiversity.
Minister Rodríguez indicated that “Costa Rica has already committed to the Convention on Biological Diversity to reach a goal that we call 30/30, which means 30% under the system of protected areas to protect terrestrial ecosystems and 30% of marine and coastal ecosystems. under a protected area or other mechanisms for the sustainable use of biodiversity ”.
“However, this is not enough, therefore, Costa Rica aspires to reach 60% under forest cover, a goal articulated with our De-carbonization Plan and which represents the restoration of 400,000 hectares of forest,” he added.
Main results of the state of biodiversity in Costa Rica
Coverage of protected areas and dry forests increases
Among the findings of the 6IN, it stands out that the country increased to 26.51% the protected land area and 2.75% its marine area with the creation of two new marine protected areas in 2017 and 2018. This 27.41% of national space conserves 74% of the key areas for biodiversity identified worldwide and are habitats for more than 120 thousand species known to the country – about 6.5% of the world’s biodiversity.
Despite the fact that the country made progress in the recovery of dry forests, while maintaining the coverage and distribution of montane forests, such as páramos, compared to what was reported in the previous period, the challenge of restoring one million hectares of ecosystems persists. terrestrial for 2020. In the period 2014-2018, it has advanced by 35%.
“The National Biodiversity Strategy of Costa Rica and the Strategic Plan for Biological Diversity reflect an average advance of 30% according to the indicators proposed at the national level, a sustained effort in the consolidation of the System of Conservation Areas and in the generation incentives and productive activities such as sustainable tourism among many others; However, this progress is important but requires an increase in actions to counteract the loss and deterioration of biodiversity, as well as its ecosystem services, according to the warning signs presented in this Report, essential for our well-being and sustainable development in Costa Rica. ”, Indicated Pamela Castillo, Vice Minister of Environment.
“The results of the Sixth Report are a very important basis for decision-making, and for taking appropriate action to meet the goals set for the country,” added the vice minister.
For his part, José Vicente Troya, UNDP Resident Representative congratulated Costa Rica for presenting its state of biodiversity to the world.
“Healthy ecosystems provide immensely valuable cultural, regulatory, support, and provisioning services for countries, including mitigating climate risks and vulnerabilities. It is estimated that, globally, nature provides services worth approximately $ 125 trillion a year. This day is an unprecedented day at the global level because Costa Rica is presenting its report on the state and conservation of biodiversity. We are honored to support these efforts, ”said Troya.
Mangroves, tropical rainforest, reefs and seagrass decline
According to the 6IN, the state of the mangroves, the tropical humid forest and the coastal marine part show loss of coverage or deterioration.
The mangrove and humid forest ecosystems report a decrease in their conservation status and coverage, and the most affected areas are Guanacaste, Huetar Norte and Tortuguero, the report details.
In the coastal marine environment, mangroves, reefs and seagrasses show a decrease in coverage. The swamps and lagoons report a deterioration trend. An opportunity that presents itself in this regard is the conservation and monitoring of groups of species such as corals, cartilaginous fish, amphibians, birds and mammals.
Similarly, it is considered essential to strengthen the actions indicated by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), which Costa Rica joined in 2016, to promote coral restoration throughout the country.
The challenge persists due to the increase in the use of pesticides
The only national goal that reports a decline is the one that refers to the decrease in the use of agrochemicals, since rather the remnant of pesticides in the country increased by 8%, warns the Sixth National Report on the Status of Biodiversity.
The foregoing is associated with the chronic lack of regulatory plans in the different cantons of the country, which favors a wide lack of protection of the elements of biodiversity and a discretion and legal insecurity in the different activities that take place in a territory, says the report .
Indigenous participation and gender equity integrated into the Sixth Report
In the process of preparing the Sixth Report, 184 people participated, of which 51% were women from government institutions, the academic sector, civil society, and 46 leaders (20 women and 26 men) from 18 territories and 6 indigenous peoples were also involved. Likewise, the participatory process included 7 training sessions on gender and biodiversity.
Costa Rica has been a pioneer in matters of indigenous peoples and biodiversity. A milestone is that, since 2018, the country has had the General Mechanism for Consultation with Indigenous Peoples, the first in Latin America developed under the standard of “consultation on consultation”, originated in recommendations of the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples of the UN.
It is also important to highlight that the Sixth Report contains the gender analysis for each of the 23 global goals of the National Biodiversity Strategy (ENB), and systematizes 23 identified case studies that contribute to understanding and making visible the route for the integration of gender in biodiversity management.
