Nature Air

A recent Op-Ed piece by Nicholas Kristof in the NY Times, and a letter written to us by a loyal ecotourist to Costa Rica, highlight the crux of the conflict relating to Las Baulas Marine National Park. It is not simply about the passage of Expediente No. 17.383 to downgrade the park to a wildlife [...]

The most compelling case to be made on behalf of retaining Las Baulas de Guanacaste Marine National Park in its present status comes from a report initiated by the same government now choosing to ignore its findings. In 2008, at the request of the Arias government, a group of experts was brought together as the [...]

It would appear that the major accomplishment of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 held in Copenhagen is consensus that global warming is indeed a serious challenge and we must do something about it. While this observation is somewhat sarcastic, it is likely closer to the mark than measuring how far it actually went [...]

Environmental eyes are all on Copenhagen over the next several weeks. If you are reading this, you likely know that is the location for COP 15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference. In spite of recent scandals attempting to debunk the science of global warming, there is a growing international will to finally do something [...]

The debate over Proyecto de Ley 17.383,which proposes to downgrade Las Baulas National Park to a wildlife refuge, revolves around three areas: legal precedent, expropriation, and science. The legal debate is actually quite one sided. First, Las Baulas was declared a national park by executive decree 20518 in 1991, followed by law number 7524 authorizing [...]

The government of Costa Rica has no legal precedent or scientific evidence to justify its desire to downgrade Las Baulas National Park to a wildlife refuge, thereby guaranteeing the extinction of the critically endangered Leatherback sea turtle. It would appear that their position is based on the cost of expropriating current landowners and developers, married [...]

The New York Times has just published a story, entitled “Turtles Are Casualties of Warming in Costa Rica” and we strongly encourage you to read it. The primary focus is on the destruction already being done to turtle habitat from rising temperatures and sea levels, damaging their eggs and encroaching on their delicate nesting grounds. At [...]

Frank Paladino Ph.D. has devoted years to the study of Leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica and all over the world. He now adds his voice to the many conservationists strongly opposed to downgrading Las Baulas National Park and threatening the survival of these magnificent creatures. Frank is a distinguished professor in the Department of [...]