Threatened or endangered species in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is considered one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In just 51,100 km² of land area, it harbors around 5% of the planet’s total species. Thanks to national legislation, 25.5% of its terrestrial territory and 30.3% of its marine territory are under some category of protection.

Currently, it is a global leader in conservation, which allows it to stand out internationally as a key player in ecotourism. However, a wide variety of species are threatened or endangered due to human activities.

An example of this is the Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii), which, according to the classification established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is considered an endangered species.

Bibliographic reference
UCR Foundation (2024). Contribution to the efficient management of biodiversity and its ecosystem services within the framework of the 30×30 Strategy (Costa Rica is Biodiversity 30×30). https://fundacionucr.ac.cr/images/Contratacion/Estrategia%2030×30.pdf