Mr. President of the Republic Dr. Oscar Arias Sánchez
Do not permit the destruction of Las Baulas National Marine Park!
Las Baulas National Marine Park is for the Leatherbacks and for all Costa Ricans!
Dear Mr. President:
We, the undersigned, respectfully express our concern regarding the fate of the leatherback sea turtle and the threat that the urbanization and construction of tourist complexes in Las Baulas National Marine Park, Guanacaste, represents to its survival.
Leatherback sea turtles are critically endangered; their global populations have declined more than 90% over the last 20 years, and they could become extinct in the Eastern Tropical Pacific in subsequent years if we do not protect them. The excessive poaching of their nests, the alteration of their nesting habitat by beach front developments, and their capture and death in high seas fisheries operations, have been identified as their principle threats.
Costa Rica has a great responsibility in guaranteeing the global conservation of the leatherback turtle. Currently, the beaches of Las Baulas National Marine Park compose the most important leatherback nesting site along the entire Pacific coast of the American continent. Due to the Park’s importance and following the conservation principles that we are well known for, the government of Costa Rica granted Playa Langosta, Playa Grande and Playa Ventanas, full protection under National Park status by Executive Decree in 1991, and later by Law No. 7524 on July 10th, 1995.
Furthermore, Costa Rica has expressed its commitment to protect this species in different forums and stand up to its international image as a leading country in conservation matters and sustainable use of natural resources, by ratifying various international conventions and agreements, among which outstand:
• 1974 – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
• 1994 - Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• 2001 – Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC).
• 2007 – Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
In spite of these achievements, the current ecological integrity of the Las Baulas National Marine Park is under greater threat then ever. According to its Law of creation, the National Park is comprised of a 125 meter wide belt above the high tide line, which should be protected from any human intervention.
Given that 75 meters of this belt is in private hands, the Law states that the Ministry of the Environment and Energy must proceed to acquire these lands, returning them to the State.
A legal process for this purpose began in December of 2004, but due to bureaucratic procedures and wrongful interpretations of the law, the government has yet to complete the acquisitions. As a result, pressure from thesector seeking to develop the nesting beach for commercial and urbanization purposes, composed mainly by foreign investors with dreams of making a fortune through real estate, has grown exponentially, particularly with the recent proposal to develop this belt under a Zoning Regulation, approved by the Municipality of Santa Cruz that plans to give construction permits within the Park. Unfortunately, as has been widely demonstrated in our country, the municipalities do not have the political will power or the technical capacity to enforce compliance with environmental regulations.
A little over a year ago, the Attorney General of the Republic confirmed that the lands belong to the National Park (C 444-2005, Received by MINAE January 12th, 2006), and that the Ministry of the Environment and Energy must proceed in acquiring these private properties within the National Park’s borders according to the Law. The international community has contributed approximately five million dollars for this process and will continue to do so to acquire these lands at their official value, in such a way that State does not have to assume these costs. However, acquiring the lands within the National Park is paralyzed. Why? Can the leatherback turtle wait any more time, simply for Costa Rica to abide by the Law and the Attorney General’s Resolution? NO THEY CAN’T. Should foreign investors have priority over a resource that belongs to all Costa Ricans?, NO; Should foreign investors have priority over coastal community members that have learned to use sea turtles under sustainable use models such as ecotourism? NO!
The ecological integrity of the most important leatherback nesting beaches along the Pacific coast of the American Continent lies in the hands of Costa Rica.
Thus, as members of Costa Rica’s National Sea Turtle Conservation Network and responsible for this communication, we express our opposition to any plan for commercialization and urbanization within Las Baulas National Marine Park, since scientific knowledge accumulated over many years of conservation efforts has shown that these activities cause irreparable deterioration of delicate sea turtle nesting habitats.
Therefore, recognizing you as a world leader that has taken Costa Rica to more respectable levels we urge you to collaborate in ensuring the strict adoption of the precautionary principle, that provides continuity to the acquisition process of lands that are part of the Las Baulas National Marine Park, saving the leatherback turtle from extinction, and maintaining the world recognition of our country in favor of natural resource conservation.
We can still save our Las Baulas National Marine Park, and thus save the leatherback turtle from extinction, but we have to act
NOW
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