Rainforests+of+Costa+Rica

Rainforests of Costa Rica -

[|Over] a quarter of Costa Rica’s land is Rainforest. These rainforests hold around 10, 000 species. It holds a different mix of insects, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and birds [|Two]-thirds of costa Rican rainforests are protected. It also has around 12,000 species of plants. In 1995, the government proposed a plan to protect 18 percent of the country in national parks and another 13 percent in privately owned pieces of land.

In the 1990s, Costa Rica had one of the worst deforestation percentage in central America. Costa Rica used to be 99 percent forested, but forest cover has diminished from 85 percent in 1940 to around 35 percent today. In the 70s and 80s farmers cleared mass amounts of rainforests for cattle fields. Now the national parks and the government are doing everything they can to preserve these forests.