More than half of Costa Rica's land area is occupied by forests, a share that has been annually increasing since 2010. In 2016, forests accounted for 54.6 percent of the country's approximate 51 thousand square kilometers of surface area. Meanwhile, around eleven percent of Costa Rica's land area was covered by arable and croplands that year.
Distribution of land use in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2016, by type
The source provides the following definitions:
"Forest refers to land spanning more than 0.5 hectare (0.005 km²) and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. This includes land from which forests have been cleared but that will be reforested in the foreseeable future. It excludes woodland or forest predominantly under agricultural or urban land use and used only for recreation purposes. Permanent meadows and pastures refer to land used for five years or more to grow herbaceous forage crops, either cultivated or growing wild (wild prairie or grazing land). Arable refers to all land generally under rotation, whether for temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted only once) or meadows, or left fallow (less than five years). These data are not meant to indicate the amount of land that is potentially cultivable. Permanent crops are those that occupy land for a long period and do not have to be planted for several years after each harvest (e.g. cocoa, coffee, rubber). Land under vines and trees and shrubs producing fruits, nuts and flowers, such as roses and jasmine, is so classified, as are nurseries (except those for forest trees, which should be classified under "forests and other wooded land"). Other areas include built-up and related land, wet open land, and dry open land, with or without vegetation cover. Areas under inland water bodies (rivers and lakes) are excluded."
The source does not specify the date of publication. The release date given is the last updated date provided by the source.
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OECD. (February 15, 2019). Distribution of land use in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2016, by type [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 03, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113520/land-area-use-distribution-costa-rica/
OECD. "Distribution of land use in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2016, by type." Chart. February 15, 2019. Statista. Accessed November 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113520/land-area-use-distribution-costa-rica/
OECD. (2019). Distribution of land use in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2016, by type. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 03, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113520/land-area-use-distribution-costa-rica/
OECD. "Distribution of Land Use in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2016, by Type." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Feb 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113520/land-area-use-distribution-costa-rica/
OECD, Distribution of land use in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2016, by type Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113520/land-area-use-distribution-costa-rica/ (last visited November 03, 2024)
Distribution of land use in Costa Rica from 2010 to 2016, by type [Graph], OECD, February 15, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1113520/land-area-use-distribution-costa-rica/