The Costa Rican government has announced that Japan has donated $9 million to help preserve the countries national parks and wild-life areas.

The country’s institute of tourism and ministry of the environment will manage the donation that will fund the ‘Forest Conservation Program’ and the ‘Widlife Refuge Isla San Lucas’. 

The donation will allow Costa Rica, which relies heavily on eco-tourism, to invest in new technologies to fight forest fires and build information centers in the Manuel Antonio National Park and the Wildlife Refuge Isla San Lucas.

The majority of Costa Rican tourists come to the country to partake in ecotourism activities like hiking and animal watching. According to the Costa Rica News, nearly 60 percent of tourists say ‘they have visited a national park, biological reserve or protected area.’