In 1991, Merck & Co., a pharmaceutical company, agreed to pay US$ 1.135 million for samples of plants, insects and micro-organisms collected from Costa Rica's natural forests and classified by the National Biodiversity Institute--Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio)—under the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines. The contract stated that after the agreed period of two years, INBio would be allowed to keep all the laboratory equipment supplied by Merck. In addition, INBio would also receive royalties should the materials collected become ingredients of marketed drugs. INBio in turn gave the Costa Rican government's conservation program US$100,000 and promised to share 50 percent of the royalties, if forthcoming, with the government. The exact royalties between Merck and INBio were not disclosed.

Source: Reid et al., 1993.