Biodiversity protection has become one of the keystones of the 2030 Agenda, promoting the development of initiatives aimed at the sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystems conservation.

This Agenda contemplates very ambitious targets in underwater issues. It is worth highlighting Sustainable Development Goal 15, “Terrestrial ecosystems life"; particularly goal 15.1, which refers to the "Red List Index", associated with the measures adopted to reduce the degradation of natural habitats and halt the loss of biodiversity.

Despite its small size, Costa Rica concentrates 5% of the world's biodiversity. This wealth is managed through conservation measures that must also address the effects of climate change.

The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) was launched at the Intersessional Meeting prior to the Fifteenth Meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Pre-Cop 25), held in Costa Rica in 2019. The HAC seeks to ensure the conservation of 30 percent of the planet's land and ocean area by 2030 (30x30 strategy), as a strategy to increase biodiversity and people´s adaptation to climate change and avoid biodiversity loss. The HAC promotes the conservation of 30% of terrestrial and marine areas from the approach of protected wild areas and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM).

Through its environmental foreign policy, Costa Rica has supported the importance of including nature-based solutions in the context of ecosystem approach. These are conceived as an opportunity to create synergies between climate change and biodiversity objectives. The country has 26 percent of its terrestrial territory, and 30 percent of its marine territory, under some protection category within its National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC). Additionally, there are 51 biological corridors (38% of the country's terrestrial territory), whose purpose is to provide connectivity between landscapes, ecosystems, and habitats to ensure biodiversity maintenance, which have become a national strategy to address biodiversity adaptation to climate change.

The country has a National Biodiversity Policy 2015-2030 and a National Biodiversity Strategy 2016-2025 that constitute the Public Policy framework for the conservation, sustainable use, and equitable distribution of Costa Rica's biodiversity benefits.

However, despite this, there are significant biodiversity threats. Thus, although the country has made progress in the recovery of dry forests, while maintaining the coverage and distribution of montane forests, such as the páramos (MOORS), the challenge of restoring large, degraded areas persists. The state of the mangroves, tropical rainforest, and the marine-coastal zone show loss of coverage or deterioration. The unregulated use of pesticides directly affects biodiversity conservation. Illegal trade of wildlife species threatens their conservation.

To counteract the loss and deterioration of biodiversity and its ecosystem services, increased actions are needed to achieve the 4% remaining in the continental area and comply with the 30x30 strategy. There are a few opportunities for institutional environmental management to achieve efficient biodiversity management to increase its contribution to territorial development through a fair and equitable benefits and costs distribution.

In 2022, a new phase of the EUROCLIMA program has begun with several important innovations, including the biodiversity agenda incorporation into the financed actions, the Caribbean countries integration, and the articulation with the TEIs (Team Europe Initiatives), both national and regional (through the TEI Green Transition). Thus, EUROCLIMALAC, is stablished as a continuity of the current stage; as well as EUROCLIMA Caribbean, for the Caribbean countries.

As a part of the new EUROCLIMA + Program, from 2022 onwards, €25 million are foreseen for the so-called country windows. These funding windows are for countries that do not have a Multiannual Indicative Framework (MIF). Specifically, for the Costa Rica window, €2 million is earmarked for biodiversity safeguarding, and scaling up nature-based solutions.

Within this framework, the European Union Delegation (EUD) in San José contacted the AECID Office in Costa Rica (OTC) to start working on a proposal for the country window. Given the amount of funding available, AECID's track record in the country and its work with the EU, the EU Delegation proposed that the funding be managed exclusively by AECID.

Objectives

This initiative general objective is to contribute to the biodiversity efficient management, as well as the maintenance and restoration of the provided ecosystem services, to increase measures for adaptation to climate change and its contribution to sustainable human development.

The specific objective is to contribute to increase the protected terrestrial territory sustainable management to achieve the 30x30 goal.

Lines of action

1. Gaps filling and other effective conservation measures.

Increase the ecological and spatial representativeness of those terrestrial, inland water, freshwater, freshwater, and coastal marine areas not currently represented in the biodiversity conservation system by addressing the conservation gaps identified by the country through different conservation strategies that may lead to the creation of new Wildlife Protected Areas (WPAs), or through the establishment of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM). To this end, and in accordance with the country's current environmental regulations, a series of systematic steps must be taken that include scientific, legal, and administrative aspects to legitimately consolidate the best options for biodiversity conservation, such as those mentioned above.

The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and entities allied to the institution have formulated a very robust effort, scientifically speaking, and embodied three volumes[1][2][3] on the gaps analysis in the biodiversity representativeness and integrity in terrestrial ecosystems, inland waters, freshwater aquaculture, coastal marine, and serve as a guiding framework to establish conservation strategies in the long term, in order to comply with national and international commitments in this area.

Recently, a legislative bill was presented to the Legislative Assembly to modify Article 32 of the Organic Law of the Environment N°7554 of October 4, 1995, to incorporate two new management categories: Natural Urban Parks (PANU) and National Landscapes. If this law is approved, which is very likely, these new ASP management categories would contribute to increase the ecological and spatial representativeness of areas not currently represented in the biodiversity conservation system.

2.Management of ecosystem services.

At the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Jakarta in November 1995, the ecosystem approach (EA) was adopted as the primary framework for action. It was subsequently expanded and applied in the various work programs of the Convention.[4] The CBD states that the ecosystem approach is a CBD responsibility.

The CBD states that the EA matches a strategy for the integrated land, water, and living resources management, that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable manner. The application of the ES contributes to the balance between the three objectives of the Convention. It is based on the application of appropriate scientific methodologies, focusing on the levels of biological organization that encompass the essential processes, functions and interactions between organisms and their environment. It recognizes that human beings, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of ecosystems.

In Costa Rica, the Biodiversity Law No. 7788 is one of the direct mandates of the country's ratification of the CBD. As part of its provisions, it establishes the maintenance of ecological processes; the identification of ecosystems and their components; the adoption of mitigation, control, restoration, recovery and rehabilitation measures; as well as incorporating them in the preparation, approval and implementation of plans and authorizations for the use and exploitation of mineral resources, incorporating the concept of the ES and its twelve principles in the Regulations to the Biodiversity Law N°7788, Executive Decree N°34433-MINAE.

In this context, it is necessary to strengthen institutional and intersectoral capacities on the ES, biodiversity management and its ecosystem services, its incorporation into strategic planning processes and the consolidation of recognizing ecosystem services mechanism.

3.Biodiversity monitoring.

The CBD is the instrument under which global targets are being negotiated to avoid biodiversity loss by 2030, under a Global Biodiversity Strategy Framework (GBF). It is intended that a monitoring framework with indicators for follow-up will be agreed with the targets.

This monitoring framework for the GBF targets should be accompanied by indicators on the state of biodiversity, so that biodiversity loss can be detailed measured at the local, national, and global levels. Therefore, several countries with transition economies have requested the technology transfer strengthening and the training to be able to design and apply indicators, while systematizing the generated decision-making information.

In Costa Rica, SINAC is the official body in charge of monitoring the state of biodiversity. To carry out this task, the National Ecological Monitoring Program (PRONAMEC) was created to generate and disseminate scientific information on the conservation status of the country's biodiversity and its trends, which is useful for decision-making at the local and national levels, in terrestrial, inland water and marine areas. PRONAMEC has prioritized the establishment of monitoring plans for focal management elements in PWAs and biological corridors, without this priority being a limitation for monitoring outside of PWAs.

PRONAMEC has developed diverse protocols with indicators to measure the ecological integrity of focal marine, terrestrial, and inland water management elements. With its development, SINAC faces challenges related to availability of adequate technological tools for data storage and to perform automated statistical analyses for decision making. It is also important to have equipment and permanent training on monitoring.

4. Ecosystem restoration

Our country has more than 25% of its territory under secondary forest cover, in its different development stages, 80% of which is in private hands, so it is necessary to generate silvicultural management experiences in these forests aimed at improving their quality and composition, which is directly related to improving the quality and diversity of the provided ecosystem services.

The country's current definition of secondary forests is open to new areas incorporation, so the investment of funds in this area could be a catalyst not only for the improvement of forests, but also for the recruitment of new areas.

One of the greatest challenges our country faces to maintain the achieved to date forest cover (52.7%) is its consolidation, adaptation, and the recruitment of new forest and woodland areas. This, in addition to the threat of climate change and an unstable economic situation, exacerbated by the current pandemic that is still having its effects.

Budget and estimated duration

The projected intervention will have a budget of 2 M€ from the EUROCLIMA country window and an estimated duration of 36 months.

Implementation mode

A technical team will be formed with representatives of SINAC, the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (MIDEPLAN), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and AECID for the formulation and negotiation of the project. Its implementation will be the responsibility of SINAC as the Beneficiary Entity of the grant.

The funds will be managed by AECID through delegated cooperation from the EU, and by the Foundation of the University of Costa Rica, as a Collaborating Entity of AECID.

Schedule / next steps

- Week May 9: This concept note is shared with MINAE/SINAC and MIDEPLAN to put on the table the priority lines of action identified by the previous outgoing ministry team.

- By May 20, feedback on the concept note.

- Thursday, May 26, validation meeting.

- By August 26, formulation of the initiative. Support from technical assistance contracted by AECID.

- September/October, negotiation for the signature of the EU - AECID Contribution Agreement.

- Before the end of the year, signature of the Contribution Agreement.

- 2023, effective start of actions on the ground.

Strategic Reference Framework for the EU and AECID

In the framework of Costa Rica's TEI, green recovery and decarbonization have been identified as a priority. Thus, the country is a key partner and driver of the post-2020 International Biodiversity Framework, based on its national experience and policy framework (National BV Policy, 2/7/2020 Biodiversity 2015-2030), and the government has the ambition to harmonize biodiversity conservation with other national development and economic agendas. The country is also a player in international ocean diplomacy, as most of its territory is covered by territorial waters that occupy a key geostrategic position.

Regarding the framework of Spanish cooperation in Costa Rica, this proposal is part of one of the priorities set out in the recent Advanced Cooperation Agreement signed in early 2021, namely: Ecological Transition / Green Recovery and Decarbonization. The Green and Blue Agendas, for the recovery and protection of biodiversity and marine-coastal resources, as well as the Brown Agenda, for soil contamination and waste management, and water resources management, with a clear socio-environmental approach, are fundamental references in this area.

[1] National System of Conservation Areas SINAC Cranes II. Land use planning proposal for the conservation of Costa Rica's biodiversity: Vol 1. Analysis of gaps in the representativeness and integrity of terrestrial biodiversity / SINAC- MINAE. - 1 ed.- San José, C.R. : Asociación Conservación de la Naturaleza, 2007. 100 p.

[2] National System of Conservation Areas SINAC Gruas II. Conservation Gap Analysis in Costa Rica: Vol II. Gap Analysis in the Representativeness and Integrity of the Biodiversity of Inland Water Systems /SINAC-MINAE. - 1 ed. San José, C.R. : Asociación Conservación de la Naturaleza, 2007.102 p..

[3] National System of Conservation Areas SINAC Cranes II. Proposal for land use planning for the conservation of biodiversity in Costa Rica. Conservation Gap Analysis in Costa Rica. Vol III Gap Analysis in the Representativeness and Integrity of Marine and Coastal Biodiversity / SINAC. - 1 ed. - San José, C.R : Asociación Conservación de la Naturaleza, 2009. 60 p.

[Sections withdrawn: paragraphs 6 and 7. Preliminary consideration of the components of biological diversity particularly under threat and action that can be taken under the convention. Link: https://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=7081

About Euroclima

Euroclima is a program funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation. 

The Program's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean by promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience, climate investment and biodiversity. To this end, it is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), AFD Group: Agence Française de Développement (AFD)/ Expertise France (EF), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).