Costa Rica's renowned biodiversity has made it a go-to destination for field biologists from around the world. Despite its relatively small population of just 5 million, the country has also been successful at nurturing a growing number of Costa Rican scientists who have returned home to launch their careers. It's a trend the government has encouraged, in part by filling open slots at universities with Ph.D.-level scholars promised jobs before they were sent abroad for advanced schooling. The result is a new generation of Costa Rican tropical scientists that is better trained and more ambitious than in the past. The blossoming has a downside, however: The country is struggling to absorb all of the researchers it is producing.

哥斯达黎加着名的生物多样性使其成为世界各地田野生物学家的首选之地。尽管该国人口相对较少，只有500万，但该国还成功地培育了越来越多的哥斯达黎加科学家，他们返回家乡开始事业。政府鼓励这种趋势，部分原因是在大学里给博士学位水平的学者答应了工作，然后才将他们送到国外接受高级教育。结果是新一代哥斯达黎加的热带科学家比过去受到了更好的训练，而且更有野心。但是，开花结果有一个缺点：该国正努力吸收其正在培养的所有研究人员。