Kenya and Costa Rica - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 207

In contrast, Corcovado Park on the remote Osa Peninsula in the South
had a troubled beginning. The rain forest, extending over 100,000 acres,
was unique on the Pacific Coast, with exuberant flora and rare animals.
It ranks as one of the most biologically diverse regions on earth. But its
valuable timber was becoming possible to reach. Worse yet, gold had been
discovered. Settlers had been clearing land for farms and had even done
a little mining. To investigate the possibilities, the Parks Department sent
Olof Wessberg, the Swedish advocate of the first nature reserve in Cabo
Blanco in the North. Tragically, he was assassinated by the guide accom-
panying him. The park's establishment had the full support of the presi-
dent, Daniel Oduber, who immediately saw the region's potential to foster
tourism. At that time, Costa Rica had not begun its ecotourism industry.
It had few foreign visitors and few parks as destinations. The phenomenon
grew sw it ly.
The Association for the Conservation of Nature (ASCONA) was
founded in 1972 in response to the first World Environmental Summit
at Stockholm. It began with a full range of activity. It lobbied for parks,
urban planning, and watersheds. It opposed pesticides, mining damage,
and industrial pollution. In 1983 it opposed the oil pipeline across the
isthmus. The committee against the pipeline was able block its construc-
tion. The controversy hurt ASCONA; however, many members left and
financial support diminished. It remains today much weaker. The Costa
Rican Ecology Association (AECO) was founded in 1988 as a broad-based
organization for education and lobbying. It is now affiliated with Friends
of the Earth.
Like many other developing countries, Costa Rica suffered from the
worldwide economic crisis. After 1979 oil prices increased fourfold,
sparking a recession, and the republic was borrowing heavily. Its foreign
debt was the equivalent to $1500 per person. Inflation rose 10% annu-
ally and unemployment doubled. President Rodrigo Carazo suspended
payments to the International Monetary Fund, and the IMF retaliated
by demanding harsh austerity measures. Domestically, there was little
money for parks. The department was reduced to begging from foreign
environmental groups.
On the southern border La Amistad International adjoins a park on the
Panamanian side. These rugged mountains, extending 200,000 hectares in
Costa Rica and a similar area in Panama, have some of the greatest species
diversity on the globe. Travel is very difficult due to the steep terrain and
high altitudes. Similarly, farming is almost impossible. Indigenous people