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Marina and Environmental Concerns Draw National and International Media Attention
Posted by Editor | April 19, 2008 | Categories: Community News, Economic Development, Environment |
 Tourists watch for monkeys along the canals of Tortuguero National Park. Government reports released last fall revealed that 97 percent of Costa Rica’s sewage flows untreated into rivers, streams, or the ocean. Photo by David Sherwood, courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor |
The hot issues of development and the environment and the way they are being played against each other continue to draw a lot of media attention to the Puerto Viejo area.
The Tico Times again features the story this week as their Top Story. The article, entitled Puerto Viejo Marina Plan Eyed Warily by Natives, discusses the effect that the marina project would have on the local Bri Bri people. The article proposes that the project could not only damage the low-key ecotourism that the area has developed on but could also herald the disappearance of Talamanca’s other resource, the indigenous culture.
Timoteo Jackson, a native Bribrí leader, is quoted as saying, “for us indigenous, this is only a bad thing.
“Right now, we have tourists coming to see nature, conservation and the indigenous way, but this will stop if the marina comes.”
The influential Christian Science Monitor recently weighed in on the struggle to find a balance between sustaining nature and continuing economic development in Costa Rica. The article, entitled Costa Rica sees tourism’s environmental dark side, goes into the water quality problems that recently caused the shutdown of several large hotels on the Pacific and the loss of blue flag status for a number of Costa Rica’s beaches, including our own Playa Negra.
The article strikes an alarming tone: “In the past decade, construction of hotels, second homes, and condominiums has surged in coastal regions, taking advantage of a vacuum in planning and enforcement. The total land area that has been developed grew 600 percent in that time, according to a government report. As a result, the biodiversity that has long lured visitors is disappearing, say scientists. Monkey and turtle populations are plummeting, and infrastructure is strained to a near breaking point.”
But it does go on to acknowledge that, despite all the problems, ”Costa Rica remains decades ahead of its neighbors” in environmenal protection and that the goverment “seems increasingly willing to listen.”
Televison news has not shied away from coverage either as this TV news report shows:
If you can’t view the video on this page, click here to see it on YouTube.
Comments
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Shouldn’t the native Bribrí leader, Timoteo Jackson, be more careful to imply that with the arrival of the marina there will “be more drugs as more people from other countries come” when the indigenous population of Talamanca are the number one domestic producers of marihuana?
See article in La Nacion http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2007/marzo/24/sucesos1041582.html
In times like this the importance of strong local leadership is of the utmost importance to force a change to this destructive cycle and take opportunity when it comes. I think Timoteo Jackson, and all others, are better served in a taking a proactive attitude towards the possibilities the marina will bring to all willing to take advantage of them. How can we provide tours the marina visitors can buy to experience the indigenous way of life, buy their wares, raise awareness and make donations ? Its a ridiculous notion that “millionaires” e.g. boaters have no interest in nature and conservation. Maybe the lack of interest lays with others.
Why does Timoteo Jackson think the marina will stop tourism from coming to BriBri? Why would it be a negative for the indigenous culture if the area as a whole prospers? Tourism is #1 source of income for this nation as a whole and this area in particular so why are some trying to cut of the branch they are sitting on? Or is that the current “agriculture” is too lucrative to give up?
From 1990 to 2004, I had a sailboat which plied the waters of the Southwestern Caribbean, including Bocas for 3 years and San Andres for as much. The fact is that people who live on the sea or enjoy its benefit are probably more conscious of the need to protect it than people who while claiming to be concerned about a marina, dump waste water and raw sewage without a care in the world. Sure, they bitch, moan and complain about no governement money, but where is their initiative in adressing this issue ? It is not boaters who are responsible right now for the high fecal content found in the water off Playa Negra which has resulted in the loss of the Blue Flag status for this beach. Marinas in Boca, for example, and there are a few, have pump out facilities and care for their environment. Who, in his right mind, would want to dock or put in in a polluted, dirty harbor ?
I know of no boat owner who would do such a thing. I know lots of boat owners who take incredible precautions to leave the environment as pristine as they can so others may enjoy it. People who live in glass houses can ill afford to throw stones
We have spent 10 months out of the last 3 years getting to know the Caribean side of CR. We are moving in late this fall. In our opinion the region is worthy of more commercial development. The last thing we want to see is the West Coast style of development and all the negative issues that go with it transported to the east coast. We feel that there is a middle ground that can be found, this middle ground will enhance the community through increase tax revenue and also subsequnt improvment in the local infastrucure. Roads , water , electricity will benefit all resedents in this region. Tight enviromental regulations need to be implemented from the get go to make it clear to visitors that this country will not tolerate abuse of the enviroment.After all it is one of the last Paradiso,s on the planet. So we feel that this Marina and all of the associated amenaties can be beneficial to the entire region if they are controled just like they are in other global communities. Common sense must prevail in order to successfully develop this project. We beleive that the Arias Government shares this vision. As is apparent they do not want to duplicate mistakes that have been maken in the past in other areas of the country with negative consequenses.
Greenpeace has angrily renounced any form of involvement with the controversial marina project planned for Puerto Viejo de Limón, after a marina spokesperson said that the environmental organization had approved the design and techniques to be used.
WOW!