Read the following passage from an article about Costa Rica's conservation efforts:
Costa Rica has become a global leader in environmental sustainability, largely due to its innovative Payment for Environmental Services (PES) program. Launched in the 1990s, this initiative financially compensates landowners who preserve their forests or plant new trees, recognizing the crucial role that healthy ecosystems play in carbon sequestration, water filtration, and biodiversity conservation. Rather than relying solely on government regulations, the program harnesses economic incentives to encourage conservation on private lands, which make up a significant portion of the country's territory. Consequently, forest cover in Costa Rica has doubled over the past three decades, reversing years of severe deforestation and boosting the nation's eco-tourism sector. Despite this success, the program faces ongoing challenges, such as securing stable long-term funding and ensuring that smallholder farmers have equitable access to the benefits. Critics argue that the bureaucracy involved in applying for PES funds can be prohibitive for low-income landowners, potentially centralizing resources in the hands of larger estates. Nonetheless, the Costa Rican model offers a valuable blueprint for other developing nations striving to balance economic growth with environmental protection.
Based on the passage, which of the following statements best identifies the main idea?
- Costa Rica's Payment for Environmental Services program has successfully doubled forest cover through economic incentives, although it continues to face funding and equitable access challenges.Answer
- BThe Payment for Environmental Services program has successfully reversed deforestation and significantly boosted Costa Rica's eco-tourism sector.
- CLow-income landowners in Costa Rica generally prefer direct government regulations to market-based economic incentives for forest conservation.
- DThe Payment for Environmental Services program is the only viable model for developing nations to balance economic growth and environmental protection.