The fragmentation and isolation of tropical forests in Costa Rica increases due to the expansion of the urban pattern and monocultures for export.

A new article in which several LET researchers have participated studies the role of shade coffee plantations with respect to biodiversity and ecological connectivity.

Scheme of different coffee systems in Costa Rica (from rustic agroforestry and coffee polyculture to shade cultivation and coffee monoculture).

The study also shows that, although deforestation has reversed past trends, the increase in monocultures and urban expansion have fragmented and isolated tropical forests in Costa Rica between 1986 and 2014. On the other hand, the article discusses how these trends are related with the increase in the deficit of the physical trade balance of Costar Rica since the increase in tropical exports is faster than the increase in imports of basic foods, which is generating a loss of organic matter in the soil due to the use of intensive use of imported agrochemicals in these crops.

Differences in the ecological connectivity index (1986-2014) in forest areas (ECIF) and in the entire land matrix (ECIA) of the central valley.

For more details about this research, you can find the paper here.