Costa Rica has expanded its Protected Marine Areas and other conservation lands by 92,000 hectares (227,160 acres) to protect sea turtles, coral reefs, whale migration routes, shore birds and biological corridors, a non-governmental organization said in a report.
Despite “difficulties and lack” of resources, “important advances” were made in conservation and land protection, the Asociacion Costa Rica por Siempre (Costa Rica Forever Association) said in its 2017 annual report.
Costa Rica’s government added 82,093 hectares (202,698 acres) to the Protected Marine Areas program in Cabo Blanco, located in the northern Pacific region’s Nicoya Peninsula, the environmental group said.
Officials also listed 10,000 hectares (24,691 acres) for conservation additions to several existing national parks and wildlife refuges at a cost of US$303,000.
