Costa Rica has made a name for itself in recent decades by creating vast national parks to protect its land-based biodiversity. When it comes to marine conservation, though, experts have given the country a failing grade. For years, industrial and small-scale fishing has decimated the country’s marine resources due to scant oversight of the industry and lax enforcement of the few fishery-conservation laws that are on the books. Most marine-protection programs in Costa Rica are run by private, nonprofit groups working with limited government support. Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla aims to change this state of affairs. On July 17, she unveiled a so-called “blue agenda” featuring the creation of a cabinet-level commission charged with formulating marine-protection policies... [Log in to read more]