Image for Costa Rica doubles its forest cover in 30 years

Costa Rica doubles its forest cover in 30 years

Forest now accounts for 52 per cent of the country’s land surface area, up from 26 per cent in 1983

Forest now accounts for 52 per cent of the country’s land surface area, up from 26 per cent in 1983

Following decades of deforestation, Costa Rica has doubled its forest cover in the last 30 years. Half of the country’s land surface is now covered with trees, creating a huge carbon sink and a big draw for tourists.

In the 1940s, more than 75 per cent of Costa Rica was covered in mostly tropical rainforests and other indigenous woodland.

But extensive logging meant that by 1983, only 26 per cent of the country still had forest cover. Through a sustained focus by policymakers, today forest cover has increased to 52 per cent: double the 1983 levels.

Image: Isabella Jusková

Fed up with negative news? Can you help us?

The negativity bias in the media is holding society back. While it’s important to report problems and hold power to account, we believe there is also a need for rigorous reporting on progress, possibility and solutions. We call this ‘constructive journalism’, and to keep doing it we need your help.

We know you want Positive News to benefit as many people as possible, so we haven’t put up a paywall. We don’t answer to and rely on a wealthy proprietor because, instead, we are owned co-operatively by 1,500 of our readers who joined our crowdfund in 2015. And we’re not beholden to advertisers either, because we know that you only want to hear about companies that have a positive impact.

So, instead, we depend on you. Positive News is more than a magazine, it’s a community of people who see and share the good in the world. We need your support to continue publishing our inspiring journalism and to set the example for other media to follow. It’s quick and easy to contribute and you can support Positive News from just £1. Every contribution makes a vital difference. Thank you for helping us to change the news for good.

Help make 2024 a year of solutions

When you become a Positive News supporter, you join an amazing community of people who believe that what we focus on in life makes a difference to what happens next.

Will you get behind what’s going right this year?