Green Atlas identifies benefits of nature in urban areas of Costa Rica to improve quality of life of its inhabitants

The Atlas of Ecosystem Services of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) of Costa Rica provides relevant inputs for the analysis and construction of policies and actions that ensure the well-being and joint harmony of nature and the inhabitants of the GAM, where more than 60% of the country's population is concentrated.  

To facilitate the development of planning strategies around green urban spaces, the tool helps to identify those sites where the presence of nature generates benefits for the inhabitants, such as recreational spaces, food production, and a more pleasant microclimate. In turn, it helps to identify regions with poor links to ecosystem services with a view towards seeking future green and blue infrastructure solutions through nature-based solutions. For example, the selection of priority sites for urban tree planting as a means of counteracting heat islands, or the implementation of green roofs and walls to promote ecological connectivity.  

"Through Altas we have been able to identify certain points in the GAM where there are places that have reached up to 57 degrees Celsius. With this tool it is possible to know where the problem is, a few clicks and it gives us all the information necessary for urban planners to make timely decisions," Claus Kruse, director of the Biodiver_City project stated.  

The Atlas is the result of an extensive inter-institutional collaboration led by the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), in coordination with GIZ, the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), the National Center for Geoenvironmental Information, the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and with technical advice from the Helmholtz Institute for Environmental Studies UFZ Leipzig in the framework of the implementation of the Biodiver_City project.  

The Green Atlas is part of the implementation of Ciudad Verde, an initiative developed by MINAE, SINAC and GIZ. The Atlas of Ecosystem Services of the Greater Metropolitan Area is a free and open-use tool, accessible through www.atlas-verde.org.