Indicators for biodiversity assessment in Costa Rica

Indicators used by the "Harmony with Nature" chapter of the "4th State of the Nation Report" (SOTNR) for monitoring biodiversity in Costa Rica were reviewed in order to assess its value as a monitoring tool. They were compared with the framework and indicators proposed by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity of which Costa Rica is a party. The SOTNR included state, pressure and use-response indicators for four different types of ecosystems: forest, marine-coastal, freshwater and agricultural systems. However, very few indicators related to species and genetic level were available. More information and indicators for forest and agricultural systems existed than for other types of ecosystems. Some indicators – ecosystems quantity, population density or infrastructure – were not desegregated by type of ecosystem. A main limitation of the report was the non-availability of ecosystem quality indicators. Suggestions are made for the inclusion of a fuller set of indicators to ensure that impact and sustainability can be monitored comprehensively at different levels of scale.