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To this end, WFED examined the work of Costa Rica's National Biodiversity Institute (Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad -- INBio), specifically INBio's "biodiversity prospecting" or "bioprospecting" agreement with Merck Pharmaceuticals in 1991. Working in cooperation with INBio, WFED developed a series of pilot educational materials designed for use by INBio in connection with its own rapidly expanding international education and training efforts. INBio has expanded these materials and used them in biodiversity management and bioprospecting workshops for many institutions and countries from around the world. Subsequently, WFED implemented many of its own workshops in Costa Rica for a broad range of students and professionals interested in learning more about INBio's work. For example, in 1996, WFED convened a workshop in Costa Rica that brought together Yellowstone's natural resource managers with Yellowstone's research community to conduct an in-depth exploration of the biodiversity access and benefit-sharing frameworks used by Costa Rica's National Institute of Biodiversity. Braulio Carrillo Environmental Declaration
In 1998, the Costa Rican Network of Private Nature Reserves hired WFED to facilitate a workshop that would help them begin exploring and developing their own bioprospecting program. This project also included supporting Monteverde and the Children's Eternal Rain Forest's development of access and benefit-sharing policies for commercial photo, video, and film projects. Throughout WFED's long working relationship with Costa Rica, WFED has been active with the Guanacaste Conservation Area, particularly in support of the work of WFED Board Member Daniel H. Janzen. WFED has supported the development of species pages for the Guanacaste Conservation Area's website as well as supporting their fundraising efforts to acquire critical land to improve the stability of the biodiversity they protect.
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Costa Rica is a global leader in developing innovative environmental initiatives that are both locally and globally effective. Recognizing the benefits of working in this spectacular country, WFED became involved in international environmental conflict resolution activities and learned from Costa Ricans their methods to promote both conservation and development simultaneously.
Both the US and Costa Rican governments then called on WFED to help foster increased environmental cooperation between the two countries on the occasion of President Bill Clinton's trip to Costa Rica in 1997. Specifically, per the request of both governments, WFED drafted the Braulio Carrillo Environmental Declaration that was signed by both U.S. Deparment of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Costa Rican Minister of Environment and Energy Rene Castro during a signing ceremony that included the participation of both President Clinton and Costa Rican President Figueres. In addition, WFED organized and managed in coordination with INBio and the Costa Rica USA Foundation (CRUSA) a workshop at INBio to foster new partnerships between Costa Rica's National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and the US National Park Service.