Since 2013, Costa Rica’s dry tropical forests have been under siege from loggers looking to cash in on skyrocketing demand for precious hardwoods, especially cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), also known as tropical rosewood. The illegal logging of cocobolo and other precious hardwoods threatens Costa Rica’s famous but understaffed national parks as loggers look to protected areas as the last untapped source of valuable lumber for export.

Despite declarations from the executive branch that the Costa Rican government will not pursue geothermal electricity development in national parks, the office of governing Citizen Action Party legislator Ottón Solís is working on a bill to allow it in three volcanic protected areas.

According to Costa Rica's National System of Conservation Areas, mudslides and flooding damaged access roads and collapsed sewers in several parks, some of which were forced to close access to visitors. Those closings mostly occurred in the Central Volcanic Range, the La Amistad-Caribe area and Tortuguero National Park.

With nearly 2.5 million visitors in 2013 (the latest statistics available), Costa Rica’s diverse national parks system is the main reason many people travel...

Authorities say the new outposts and patrols will improve police access to some of Costa Rica's most remote areas.

Costa Rican park rangers switched out their muck boots for loafers and converged on San José two weeks ago for the National Congress of...

Writer John McPhaul takes a look at the similarities between battles in the U.S. to keep national parks in the public interest, and Costa Rica’s current dilemma of protecting its own parks.

Lawmaker José María Villalta, a member of the legislative Energy and Environment Commission, called for a national discussion on the geothermal energy issue.

A row is developing between environmental activists and government officials over Costa Rica’s future.

One longtime angler says, “Yes,” and proposes a plan to make it work sustainably.