Is Costa Rican ecotourism under attack?

Read more about: conservation, Costa Rica, ecotourism, government, national parks, real estate, sea turtles, wildlife

Costa Rica, largely known for its gorgeous ecological landscape and its efforts toward sea turtle conservation, is seen by some as being in rather dire circumstances concerning the preservation of its most valuable ecological gems.

In a recent New York Time op-ed piece, Nicholas Kristof draws attention to the conflict over Las Baulas Marine National Park; the park is being “downgraded” by the Costa Rican government from national park (protected) status in order to allow for larger real estate buying volume.

Kristof feels that, although highly lauded for its high educational and environmental sustainability standards, the park’s situation is a blatant disregard of priorities for the country. With heavy migration from the United States, 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.

While a true ecotourism industry guarantees sustainability, the private buying and selling of parkland destroys it.

“This emphasis on the environment hasn’t sabotaged Costa Rica’s economy but has bolstered it,” wrote Kristof. “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.”

Preserving an industry that works

The United States has one of the strongest national and state park systems in the world. If not for this commitment to natural resources, the great American landscape of, say, Yellowstone, could be lost to golf courses, real estate developments and shopping centers.

Environmental sustainability, which is a huge factor in the allure of Costa Rica as a tourism destination, by definition incorporates the needs of the people and be economically viable in the long term.

As is, the Costa Rican government can either choose to deliver its most precious ecological treasures to foreign buyers, or retain the lands as a method to preserve the very treasures that so many are visiting or even relocating to Costa Rica for in the first place.

International travel to Costa Rica is a $1 billion a year industry, creating tourism-related businesses and employment directly benefiting Costa Ricans. Is that worth giving up?

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