The remote Osa Peninsula will have its own attorney.

The uncontrolled development that is taking place in the Osa Peninsula has finally backfired and now it has become a national scandal. As one of the most sought after tourist destination of the country, following an excess of positive publicity, the Osa attracts thousands of tourists who want to see the untouched beauty of planet Earth. This same curiosity that leads them there is becoming the enemy of the region.

More tourists bring more development. More hotels are needed, and despite all their efforts to be environmentally friendly, destruction and altering of the ecological balance cannot be avoided. Last year, rumors that an airport was going to be built in Osa caused a lot of outrage, however it was either only a rumor, or else, the project was abandoned, for now anyway.

With all this going on, a new prosecutor position was created during a ceremony last week, to be dedicated solely to protecting the region. The appointee, Elias Villalta Davila, faces the job of defending a new kind of victim: the delicate ecosystems, the wildlife and marine life of the Osa. This comes as a response to careless human activity in the region. Developers with little care for their monstrous actions and the effects are tainting the image of the region and the habitat of so many plants and animals, which until now have had no way to defend themselves.

Wrong decisions have been made, like the permission to log in certain areas together with badly planned reforestation.

Residents of Osa have had meetings in protest against the ravages that are destroying the environment in Osa; they want answers now, and are tired of promises. The recent developments are menacing, matching those of the Central Pacific Coast and of some parts of Guanacaste. One only has to look at what has been happening in Tamarindo for example. Regulatory plans need to be made, and in the meantime rules will have to be followed in order to avoid disaster from going any further. The regulatory plans are presently the responsibility of the University of Costa Rica. Let’s hope that they are made on time, as this is now an emergency that needs to be taken care of now, and not mañana.

While it is only natural that tourists should see Osa, and indeed necessary so that the world is fully aware of the situation and of what needs to be saved, the whole affair should be treated differently. Maybe tourists should be able to explore the area, but no hotels should be built and everyone should stay either in Drake Bay, in Puerto Jimenez or in Golfito. Maybe Tourists should be given more information and they would understand why so many measures have to be taken. This after all, is not just a Costa Rican problem, but also an international one, and the more awareness, the better.

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Filed under: Costa Rican Wildlife on April 1st, 2008