New regulations for Costa Rica marine resource protection defined

by crv.staff
30.07.09
8:51 PM UTC

Filed in Costa Rica, Eco-Friendly Development

More than 10 years ago, Costa Rica passed the Biodiversity Law to better protect its rich wildlife and regulate the responsible use of its natural resources.

The law also redefined the categories of the nation’s protected natural areas.

Last week, the government finally issued the rules to create new protected areas under two of these categories; specifically, those intended to regulate marine areas.

By way of an executive decree, the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications Ministry (MINAET) set guidelines for declaring a “marine reserve” or a “marine management area” to better protect the nation’s important marine areas and resources.

The decree maps out the criteria that an area must meet to in order to be included in the category of marine reserve or marine management area, and also outlines the objectives that must be followed after such a declaration is granted.

While a handful of other conservation laws mention the management of aquatic areas, these two new categories represent the first of their kind to deal exclusively with the sea.

And for Jorge Jiménez, regional director of MarViva, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting marine resources, it’s about time.

The new categories will allow “low-impact ecotourism” and other regulated activities. For example, the marine management areas will allow fishing, as long as fishermen do not use nets or trawlers. It prohibits semi-industrial and industrial fishing, as well as exploration for, and extraction of, oil.

“In the last 500 years, we have learned the importance of the land. We have learned to use and regulate it with strict rules,” he said, referring to agriculture, urban development and protected forests. “In the sea, an area 10 times larger than the land, we don’t have this. Where we are going with these two new categories is to put the sea in order as well.”

However, the issue has sparked an institutional tug of war between fishing organizations, government agencies and environmental groups.

Miguel Durán, a biologist for the Costa Rican Tourist Fishing Association (APTC), said he believes that the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA) should be the only body to regulate areas that affect fishing grounds.

“I don’t understand how MINAET can create an area that affects fishing and expect it to resolve the problems of fishermen,” Durán, who is also a former INCOPESCA manager, said. “Biologists and fisherman are two distinct things, and we already have an institute dedicated to fishing that is better equipped to make these decisions.”

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