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 refuge, it is a basic choice of priorities for the country.

Kristof’s article focuses attention on the typical, well-deserved praise for Costa Rica. The abolition of its army is an extraordinary achievement. High educational standards and an emphasis on environmental sustainability, whatever that actually means, are often mentioned in reference to the country. The recent attention brought about by some happiness indices has put Costa Rica in the spotlight yet again.

One paragraph in the piece stands out because it is at the heart of the dilemma. “This emphasis on the environment hasn’t sabotaged Costa Rica’s economy but has bolstered it. Indeed, Costa Rica is one of the few countries that is seeing migration from the United States: Yankees are moving here to enjoy a low-cost retirement. My hunch is that in 25 years, we’ll see large numbers of English-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast.”

Costa Rica can sell its irreplaceable natural treasures to foreign investors and speculators, or it can retain park ownership and keep inviting visitors to experience these treasures forever. Maintaining the integrity of the national parks and the coastline is the only insurance against the sale of its most precious real estate to outsiders. If the United States didn’t have a strong national and state park system, much of its natural grandeur would be shared with golf courses, real estate developments and shopping centers.

Land sale is a single transaction, with the money most likely leaving the country. The alternative is to keep promoting a $1 billion a year industry with at least the promise of creating tourism related businesses and employment directly benefiting Costa Ricans. Environmental sustainability, which Kristof emphasizes, must incorporate the needs of the people and be economically viable in the long term. A true ecotourism industry guarantees sustainability, while the private buying and selling of parkland destroys it.

Now, imagine you are a very dedicated visitor to Costa Rica and you have been coming for fifteen years with your husband, and now with your children. What draws you back year after year is the incredible natural beauty of the country, its people, its precious wildlife, and knowing it is at least one place in the world that feels like forever. Well, the next time you visit Playa Grande, you are greeted by a world you thought you were getting away from for at least a few weeks. Lee Anne Simmons is your tourist, she and her family are the $ billion tourist industry. Her letter to the Legislative Assembly speaks volumes on behalf of protecting the Leatherback sea turtles and their precious nesting environment.

Dearest Seniors and Senioras,

Please protect Las Baulas National Park.  My husband and I, and now with our young children have been coming to Costa Rica for 15 years for vacation. Our recent trip we visited Las Baulas National park in 2008 and we were devastated to see the development, the developer from Germany had cut all of the trees and subdivided to build 100’s of homes. The museum was gone. There were now bars on the windows with hired security guards where we stayed. This was not how Playa Grande was just 10 years ago. It was very sad and not good for the local Costa Rican people.  The turtles have declined in the last 10 years even more. It does not have to be this way.

As a country, Costa Rica can lead the world in Ocean conservation and biodiversity. Your country has more opportunity than most other countries today. You can have history show your record of protecting the turtles and other marine animals. It will be better for the Costa Rican people as well. Please don’t let foreign developers destroy your national heritage for their own profit. These turtles need your protection.

Please protect the Leatherback Turtles for our children. Please reject this bill and show the world that you can’t be dictated to by citizens of other countries only interested in their personal profit.

Sincerely,

Lee Anne Simmons

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In the interest of promoting a dialogue on the politics of environmental policy, we are providing a brief summary of the Citizen’s Action Party (PAC) position. It appears in the post from Tex Hawkins, with an explanation of its origin.

The Citizen’s Action Party (PAC) has worked since its formation to define and strengthen those principles that guide our political participation.  The model of integrated development, solidarity and sustainability to which we are committed over the long term is based upon the recognition of universal human rights, from which emanate solid proposals and organizing principles of our thought and political action.  We agree that humanity is one and the planet is home to us all.  For this reason, we campaign for citizen action, solidarity, respect, equity, responsibility and ethics in government.

In the PAC party, we work for human development with environmental sustainability and a long-range perspective that integrates the economic as well as the social, cultural and political.  By “human development” we understand those processes that improve the quality of life associated with positive and balanced evolution of the country’s people and institutions through time.  Human development means better options for satisfying needs and providing individual and collective well-being.

The term “sustainability” relates to biodiversity conservation, responsible management of the nation’s natural resources, and ecosystem stability over time, such that human activity will not threaten or irreversibly affect natural cycles, resources, or bio-geophysical processes.  Sustainability is based on human comprehension and respect for the dynamic equilibriums of nature.  Our economic model and socio-political organization are based on the principles summarized above.

I don’t know about you, but I am often intimidated and overwhelmed by thoughts of climate change, conservation and sustainability. What can you do and where can you turn for some inspiration?

Natureair is a great story, and it is one about vision, perseverance and a dedication to conservation and service. Its Founder and CEO, Alex Khajavi, put it all on the line right after September 11^th, when he purchased a bankrupt Costa Rican airline and overcame some very tough odds along the way. Less than eights years later, it is an extraordinary accomplishment for this company to receive the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow award, presented by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

Alex Khajavi accepted the award at the Global Travel and Tourism Summit, held in Florianopolis, Brazil, May 14th-18th. He said, “It is an honor for us to receive this award from WTTC which is one of the only awards decided by the top 100 tourism companies in the world and that includes on-site audits that vet your sustainable projects. The award only inspires us to do more and continue to chase sustainability, and we hope that it also inspires others, most notably other airlines to take up the challenge on climate change and work to reduce and offset their emissions.”

Sustainable practices and fighting climate change can be a personal decision to begin recycling in your home, or it can be about an airline in Costa Rica. It is the intention and not the scale of the effort that matters. Ultimately, individuals make these choices, whether they are CEO’s or single parent householders. So, this is an opportunity to thank individuals like Alex Khajavi for creating a company that makes a difference by operating responsibly with respect for the environment and the community, basic principles of sustainability.

Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC President and CEO summed up their story very well at the awards ceremony. “In 2004, Natureair made a highly ambitious pledge to set new standards for sustainable practices in the airline industry, compensating for 100% of its greenhouse gas emissions through preservation and reforestation of tropical forests in the Osa Peninsula. And it has not only fulfilled this pledge, but has also implemented a whole host of other effective sustainable policies and activities, including community benefit outreach programs.”

The need to travel and explore is basic to our nature. The curiosity to know what is just beyond the horizon, at the top of a mountain or at the bottom of the ocean, has driven us for millennia. The travel and tourism industries have empowered millions of us to experience the elation felt by early explorers when they first came upon the magnificence and abundance of places like the Osa Peninsula. These modern experiences expose us to the crying need to act responsibly, especially in light of the damage done from over development. The recently held summit was a tremendous opportunity for the sharing of ideas and strategies regarding responsible travel.

Alexi Huntley, Commercial Director for Natureair, was also at the gathering and had the following observations, “This event was the pinnacle of strategic thinking and innovation in tackling challenging issues like climate change, the global recession and even the impact of pandemics on our industry. The industry employs over 225 million people worldwide and represents 10% of global GDP. The ambience was electric, and it was a pleasure to see the Minister of Tourism from Botswana on stage with the CEO of Marriott. While strategies might be different, the goals are common to everyone in attendance.”

Businesses in Costa Rica committed to sustainability can now get a boost in their efforts to compete in the lucrative global tourism market.  The Best Management Practices Program, under the leadership of the international conservation group the Rainforest Alliance helps these businesses take advantage of marketing opportunities, capture new clients and benefit local communities and ecosystems. 

Through this initiative, tourism entrepreneurs participate in workshops that explain what steps they can take to reduce operation costs, increase the business’s overall efficiency, maintain positive relationships with local residents and minimize negative impacts on the environment.

The workshops can also help business people qualify for sustainable tourism certification, awarded by one of the member programs of the Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas, like the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) in Costa Rica. This network brings together certification programs, public and private entities that promote certification and other environmental, tourism-related and academic organizations, all aiming to share information, reach out to other relevant programs, identify training needs and define a progressive market strategy. Read on…

On June 12^th, Costa Rica hosted the fourth international meeting of the U.N. Task Force on Sustainable Tourism Development. Members of the task force agreed to extend their stay in order to offer Costa Rica a public seminar to share their information with the local tourism industry.

All of the presentations were geared to identifying ways for the country’s hospitality sector to understand and take advantage of the initiatives being developed by this international group of experts.

Ronald Sanabria, Sustainable Tourism Director for the Rainforest Alliance, introduced the program, Linking Sustainable Tourism Efforts in Costa Rica with International Initiatives.

We strongly encourage you to visit the Rainforest Alliance site, which has recently posted the invaluable presentations given at the June 12th meeting in Costa Rica.