Located at the convergence of the northern and southern hemispheres -- with two coastlines, lush tropical forests, mountains and volcanoes all squeezed into an area smaller than West Virginia -- Costa Rica packs a wallop of biodiversity.

Spider monkeys, macaws, jaguars and ocelots are at home in its jungles, while migrating whales and sea turtles find refuge along both coasts. Despite a successful track record in protecting many of its natural riches, Costa Rica is facing growing pressure to open its coastlines to oil and gas drilling, clear forests for agro-industry, and recklessly grow its tourism infrastructure on the Pacific Coast, including the Osa Peninsula, the crown jewel of Costa Rica's biodiversity.

Under immediate threat is Las Baulas National Marine Park, where the critically endangered leatherback turtles nest. The turtles return year after year to the park’s beaches to lay their eggs. NRDC and its local partners are urging the government not to downgrade the status of the Park, which would undercut protections for the leatherbacks.

In Costa Rica, NRDC is also working on a series of measures to help advance the country’s goal of becoming the world's first carbon-neutral nation. Finally, we’re collaborating with a local group to revive a rainforest, by planting 30,000 trees in a bare field that will once again become a vibrant sanctuary for monkeys, toucans and other threatened wildlife. The rejuvenated forest, sponsored by our online activists -- more than 1,800 have already paid to plant trees -- will also help fight global warming by capturing carbon pollution.