Costa Rica’s highest court has ruled that government agencies and the national electricity utility failed to adequately protect wildlife from electrocution caused by power lines. The case centers on the Nosara region in northwestern Costa Rica, but conservationists say the landmark ruling could strengthen wildlife protections across the country.
The lawsuit was filed with the Constitutional Court by the law firm Alta Legal on behalf of a coalition of NGOs that argued that local electricity infrastructure was not adequately secured, as required by law.
“Bare electrical wiring is a widespread problem in Costa Rica especially affecting rural areas,” Francisco Sánchez Murillo, a Costa Rican veterinarian who provided information for the case, told Mongabay in an email. He cited exposed wires, poor infrastructure maintenance and inadequate insulation for cables and transformers as key hazards.
“In Nosara, the issue has been especially visible due to the constant wildlife electrocutions in the area,” Murillo said.
Such electrocutions primarily harm tree-dwelling species like sloths and monkeys, and the recent court case largely focused on howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). According to Elena Kukovica with the International Animal Rescue Center, one of the NGOs involved in the lawsuit, howler monkey mothers are frequently electrocuted on power lines.
“That means you get a child that’s with her that becomes orphaned or dies as well,” Kukovica told Mongabay in a video call. She added that male troop leaders are also frequently killed. “And what happens is in the hierarchy of howler monkeys, the next leading male, then, to basically secure his position, he would kill all the offspring of the previous howler monkey lead male. So, then you get a lot of other monkeys dead.”
Beyond animal welfare concerns, howler monkeys serve a vital ecological role as seed dispersers in the area. Their loss therefore “also creates a big consequence for the flora and fauna in that particular region,” Kukovica said.
The Constitutional Court confirmed that bare wiring was being improperly used in the Nosara area and ordered ICE, the national electricity provider, and the Ministry of Environment and Energy to correct the problem within six months. Failure to do so, according to Kukovica, can include “fines or even prison time for them.”
This case focused on the Nosara region because that’s where documentation of the problem existed, but conservationists say the ruling could have a broader national impact.
“We hope it will serve as a platform for other regions facing similar issues,” Murillo said.
Banner image: A howler monkey crossing power lines in Costa Rica. Image by Rhett A. Butler/ Mongabay.
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