Weed species (hearty, adaptive, fast-proliferating species such as deer, rats, kudzu) thrive in diverse environments and can overwhelm indigenous species if the conditions are right. Reduced habitat, pollution, and strained resources — the hallmarks of unsustainable industrial development — can pitch a delicately balanced ecosystem into a precipitous decline where the weeds proliferate. It's still life, but homogenized life where the web will become just a few common strands that can be found nearly anywhere, replacing and sometimes completely extinguishing thousands of species, forever.
 
While Costa Rica is internationally recognized for its efforts to ensure biodiversity and protect natural resources, the country has experienced significant resource degradation linked to population growth, industry, and development — all of which threaten to ruin this tropical paradise, and in turn, economic opportunities. The country supports more than 5% of the world's biodiversity and boasts 230 different protected areas (about 25% of the country). The cloud forests, rainforests, volcanoes, and mountain plains here shelter as many as 6,000 plant species, including at least 1,000 varieties of orchids alone. More than 500 species of butterflies and over 800 bird species, such as quetzals, toucans, hummingbirds, and scarlet macaws, are found in the wet and/or dry forests. The magnificent beaches bordering both coasts are among the world's largest-known nesting grounds for sea turtles.

Costa Rica now faces a struggle common to developing countries in a global economy: preserving beautiful (and ecologically and economically valuable) natural resources while increasing its prosperity and allowing for sustainable development. A particular challenge is maintaining biodiversity in the face of competing land use, such as urban growth, foreign investment in resorts and big hotels, agriculture driven by export products, and ensuring that Costa Rica's world-famous parks benefit surrounding communities as well as ecotourism development.