Costa Rica has had a hard time cracking down on environmental crime because it lacks economic resources, specialized courts and solid government regulations, acknowledge two top officials. Environment minister Elizabeth Odio and Environmental Comptroller Guillermo Porras told the Costa Rican newspaper 'La Nación' that the authorities cannot adequately protect the country's biodiversity due to the lack of technical and financial resources.

Porras said that Costa Rica, home to four percent of the total number of different species on the planet, is ''on the verge of impunity when it comes to environmental crimes.''

Illegal logging and pollution from solid and industrial waste are among the nation's leading crimes against the environment.