Deforestation
Costa Rica was once covered by a massive forest. But most of
it is gone. Since the 1950's, more than 50 percent of the trees
have been cut to make way for the demands of a growing population
that needs new land for agriculture, cattle ranching and mining.
For tourists travelling north from San Jose to traditional wildlife
attractions such as the monteverde Cloud forest, the impact is
dramatic. Reserves and parks stand out like islands of green -
smaller and smaller habitats for the country's wildlife.
Impact on migratory birds
These forests are crucial life-zones for wildlife such as birds
both Costa Rican and for many found in the US and Canada that
migrate each year. And they are being depleted right across the
Caribbean and Latin America. For example, nearly two-thirds of
the bird species found in the United States and Canada are migratory.
They depend upon Latin American and Caribbean habitats during
the winter months. Loss of habitat in the Latin American and Caribbean
have been a major factor in the sharp reduction in migratory birds.
Many of migratory song birds are in serious decline with an overall
50% decline in the volume of annual flights over and around the
Gulf of Mexico in the last twenty years.
