How a Nation Famous for Conservation Is Fueling Its Own Destruction

How a Nation Famous for Conservation Is Fueling Its Own Destruction

Costa Rica’s fuel subsidies are funding widespread poaching and overfishing in supposedly protected waters.By Johnny SturgeonIn April 2022, a blue and white fishing boat sliced through the protected waters surrounding Costa Rica’s Isla San José at high speed. Its 75-horsepower engine churned the turquoise surface of the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site teeming with manta rays and bottlenose dolphins.