Environmental Groups Push Back Against Proposed New Wildlife Regulation in Costa Rica

Environmental group APREFLOFAS challenges MINAE's proposed wildlife decree, warning of scientific gaps, hybrid macaw legality, and severe 40% SINAC budget cuts.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 16, 2026, 11:17 AM EDT

Source: The Tico Times

Challenging the Scientific Integrity of the New Decree

APREFLOFAS, a prominent Costa Rican conservation group, has raised the alarm over a draft regulation intended to replace Executive Decree 40548-MINAE. The group contends that while the 2017 regulation was built on years of collaboration with universities and veterinary experts, the new proposal prioritizes commercial flexibility over ecological health. A major point of contention is a new management category that would merge rescue centers with non-commercial zoos a move APREFLOFAS claims lacks transparent scientific criteria and could compromise the rehabilitation of injured animals.

The Hybrid Macaw and Captivity Debate

The proposed regulation has undergone multiple revisions following intense public pressure. During a consultation period in late 2025, civil society and researchers submitted approximately 800 observations. One of the most controversial provisions originally sought to allow the possession of five wild parrot species. While MINAE eventually removed the captivity option for those species in the fourth draft, it controversially retained a provision for hybrid macaws. Environmentalists argue that this creates a legal loophole that could inadvertently encourage the trafficking or breeding of non-native or cross-bred species.

Legal Certainty and Binding MEIC Recommendations

The Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Commerce (MEIC) issued a critical report in November 2025, containing 44 binding recommendations. The report found that the draft violated fundamental principles of "regulatory improvement," citing issues with transparency, legal certainty, and inter-institutional cooperation. APREFLOFAS points to these legal failures as evidence that the regulation was rushed through a 10-day public consultation period that was far too short for a measure of such technical complexity.