Nature Air

Costa Rica’s government is poised to undo the country’s exceptional national park system, which is at the heart of of their incredibly successful tourism industry, not to mention being the most effective way to preserve hundreds of species that call these pristine sanctuaries home.

“Peace with Nature is an invitation to all the countries of the world to unite in a joint effort to strengthen their actions and political commitment in order to reverse the trends of environmental degradation caused by the impact of human activities on the planet’s ecosystems. “ Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez

“If we permit the precedent of reducing and downgrading a national park, we will stand at the threshold of the collapse of the entire system of national parks, allowing our environment to undergo further deterioration.” Alvaro Ugalde, Mario Boza, Karen Olsen Beck de Figueres

On May 14^th, Law 17383 was introduced to Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly to essentially dismember Las Baulas National Park. The proposed law will create a mixed refuge that would allow the construction of “one-family residences, multi-family residences, either individually or in condominium; tourist recreational residences, recreational installations, tourist developments including ecotourism; and public and private infrastructure for offering public services”, quoting from the bill.

It would eliminate the concentrated authority necessary for protected areas by turning jurisdiction over to municipalities, ICT, the Ministry of Housing and groups of landowners. In addition, it would reduce even more the availability of drinking water for small neighboring communities and it would certainly contaminate underground water sources due to the shallow nature of the aquifers.

The National Marine Park Las Baulas de Guanacoste was established in 1991 and legally consolidated in 1995. It is the most important nesting site for leatherback turtles in the Eastern Pacific. The leatherback sea turtle is the largest in the world, swimming in these waters for well over 100 million years. According to The Leatherback Trust, females have declined in population to less than 5,000, with under 1,000 in the Eastern Pacific, and most nesting on Playa Grande, Playa Ventanas and Playa Langosta, all within Las Baulas. Development on nearby Playa Tamarindo and Playa Flamingo has eliminated nesting on those beaches. Less than ten years ago, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the leatherback sea turtle on the Red List of Threatened Species.

The government’s justification for the dissolution of Las Baulas is about money, whether the cost of nationalization of the park or on a more sinister level, the money to be made by private interests with its commercial development. Espousing Peace With Nature is free, but living it is not. Needless to say, there is a tremendous disparity between the administration’s valuation and those on the side of the park’s preservation, which is not the core issue. While it may be about cost, it is the ultimate cost to Costa Ricans if the integrity of the park system is devalued. 

Costa Rica recently made headlines by scoring number one in the “Happy Planet Index”, developed by a British research group. Its goal is to build a new economy, “centered on people and the environment.” The country’s billion-dollar tourist industry is based on the perception that it is totally committed to the preservation of its environment.

It is in the long-term best interest of Costa Rica to preserve its rainforests, beaches and the countless flora and fauna that are at the mercy of public policy. Let me share one more quote from “In Support of the Natural Heritage of The Costa Rican People and All Humanity,” authored by the three conservationists cited at the top.

“Our duty and that of all Costa Ricans is to protect the national parks, because they represent the heritage belonging to all of us, but especially to our descendants and their descendants.”

Las Baulas National Park must be preserved. A dialogue needs to be created and a solution found. Affordability is a shallow rationale versus the dire consequences of dismembering a national park. This is a pivotal time in Costa Rica’s future and we strongly encourage other voices to speak out on behalf of a true Peace With Nature.

Please feel free to contact us at larryf@naturelandings.com.

In addition, you can express your support on behalf of Las Baulas National Park by contacting the following:

Señora Hannia M. Durán, Jefa de Area

Comisión Permanente Especial de Ambiente

Asamblea Legislativa

San José, Costa Rica

Expediente No. 17.383

“Rectificación de Límites del Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas y Creacióndel Refugio de Vida Silvestre Las Baulas de Propiedad Mixta”

Fax:  (506) 2243-2436

Tel. (506) 2243-2433/2243-2434

hduran@asamblea.go.cr

�