The protection of Costa Rican wildlife and preservation of our world-renowned biodiversity wins in a land slide vote. The Costa Rica government lawmakers took steps this week to be the first Latin America country to ban hunting as a sport. The final vote was 41 in favor and 5 against.
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) reported that 2.1 million visitors came to Costa Rica in 2011, and a large portion of them visit in order to experience the many national parks, bio-reserves, rainforests and eco-friendly resorts.
Depsite its small size, Costa Rica is one of the most bio-rich and bio-diverse countries in the world, with 4.5% of the planet's bio-diversity.
The new law seeks to protect animals such jaguars, pumas, and sea turtles that are hunted for trophies in Costa Rica.
While the ban would protect Costa Rica’s wildlife, it will not apply to hunting by indigenous groups for survival or scientific research.
A second vote on the new preservation law will occur in the coming week, but it is expected to pass into law.