Letter to the Tico Times - December 4th, 2009
Key To Protecting Parks
Is Law Enforcement
Dear Tico Times:
This is in reference to the debate regarding
the boundaries of Las Baulas National
Park in Playa Grande, Guanacaste.
Whether the park extends 75 meters out
to sea or inland should be the least of our
concerns.
This is a smoke screen to divert
attention from the real issues.
The park consists of more than Playa
Grande. It includes Tamarindo, Langosta
and the surrounding wetlands as well. This
area extends from the seaward approach to
the coastal area, including estuaries and the
specific type of sand and slope of beach the
leatherback turtles need. They did not randomly
pick this stretch of coastline. It is one
of the few places where they will nest in this
part of the world.
Tamarindo and San Francisco estuaries,
with their ebb and flow of tide, help define
the pathway to these nesting sites. These
estuaries are a critical part of the whole.
I have lived within the area in question
for over 30 years and have spent more than
20,000 hours at sea within a 30-mile radius
of this coastline. My experience tells me
there are two major problems facing the
leatherback turtles.
First and foremost, there is too much
light.
Tamarindo faces west, and Playa
Grande, just north of Tamarindo, faces the
south. The illumination from Tamarindo floods straight onto the beach at Playa
Grande and miles out to sea.
Secondly, the pathway to these nesting
sites has been severely degraded by runoff
and raw sewage being dumped directly into
these estuaries and onto the beach.
All of the damage done by egg poachers
since before Columbus discovered America
is nothing compared to the damage done in
the last 15 years. Uncontrolled, unsustainable
and irresponsible development is the culprit.
In 1990, the Costa Rican Tourism
Board’s regulatory plan for Tamarindo
was enacted as a means of protecting this
area from the Tamarindo estuary to Punto
Madero and 200 meters inland. It is as legally
binding today as it was then.
The 50-meter
line, protected areas and building restrictions
are clearly defined. No building more than
two floors high (tree height) is permitted.
Only 40 percent of a property can be built
upon. The rest must be left to green areas.
The problems of illumination and sewage
contamination were officially dealt with, but
these regulations have been disregarded.
In 1993, Costa Rica signed the Ramsar
Treaty. Along with 159 other countries,
Costa Rica pledged to do its part in protecting
wetlands of worldwide importance.
There are 1,855 of these Ramsar sites on
this planet, and the Tamarindo estuary is
one of them. Playa Grande and Langosta
are thin strips of land surrounded by this
marine environment.
In 1991, the Las Baulas National Park
was established. In 1995, this park was signed
into law. The intent was clear: to protect
the leatherback turtles and the surrounding
areas that support their nesting sites.
In every credible environmental study,
these areas are considered extremely fragile.
Rather than wasting time with loopholes
in the law, we should recognize the
intent and purpose of this law. While legal
maneuvers continue, one of the most
important marine systems in the world is
being destroyed and the leatherbacks will
no longer exist.
Can the present administration of
President Oscar Arias possibly downgrade
a national park, established by law over 14
years ago, due to economic pressures?
All of the laws to protect this ecosystem
are in place. The enforcement of these laws
remains to be seen. The national government
(National Technical Secretariat of the
Environment Ministry and the Environment,
Energy and Telecommunications Ministry)
and the Municipality of Santa Cruz need to
do their part. And the mostly foreign landowners
who are holding up this process need
to consider how their actions are affecting
the future.
Brock Menking
Tamarindo |
