Costa Rica Mandates Wildlife Crossings on All New Roads

Costa Rica's lawmakers just voted unanimously to protect the animals that make their country famous.

The Legislative Assembly approved a groundbreaking bill requiring wildlife crossings on roads that affect animal movement or ecological corridors. With 47 votes in favor and zero against, the measure passed its first debate and moves closer to becoming law.

The proposal would change how Costa Rica builds and maintains roads forever. Instead of treating wildlife deaths as an unfortunate side effect, the bill makes animal safety a requirement from day one of any road project.

Under the plan, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation must work with conservation officials to identify where crossings are needed. These could include aerial bridges for monkeys and sloths, underground passages for tapirs and jaguars, or specially designed culverts based on local species.

The bill covers both new construction and existing roads. When older highways need maintenance, expansion, or renovation, engineers would have to add wildlife crossings based on technical studies showing where animals are being hit or blocked from reaching food, water, and mates.

Lawmaker Ariel Robles Barrantes introduced the measure after years of watching Costa Rica promote its biodiversity worldwide while its roads sliced through the very habitats it promised to protect. Roads near national parks, biological corridors, and protected forests would receive special attention.

Conservation officials would get 24 months to map the most dangerous spots on current infrastructure. Scientists would study roadkill patterns and animal movement to design crossings that actually work for each species and location.

Project developers would foot the bill for installing the structures, following designs approved through environmental reviews. The government would then create regulations covering everything from construction standards to long-term monitoring and maintenance.

The Ripple Effect

Costa Rica has experimented with wildlife crossings for over a decade, but this bill would make them mandatory across all public infrastructure. Environmental groups and universities have documented the problem for years, watching development and tourism push deeper into animal territory.

The change matters beyond Costa Rica's borders. As one of the world's most biodiverse countries, Costa Rica influences conservation policy across Latin America and beyond.

When roads fragment habitats, animals lose access to the resources they need to survive and reproduce. Crossing structures reconnect those broken landscapes, helping entire ecosystems function properly again.

The bill needs one more vote before becoming law, but the unanimous support suggests strong momentum. Costa Rica is proving that protecting nature and building infrastructure don't have to be opposing goals.