Corcovado Foundation's Projects

In response to MINAE alarming call about the need to strengthen the control and protection efforts, within the protected areas of the Osa (ACOSA), many individuals and nor for profit organizations have come to the rescue. Organizations such as Friends of the Osa, Evergreen Foundation, Verein Regenwald der Osterreicher from Austria, Conservation International, The Crytical Ecosystem Partneship Fund, The Costa Rica United States Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, and individuals such Lapa Rios Hotel, La Paloma Lodge, Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge and Crocodile Bay Hotel, among many other generous individuals. The largest donation received for this purpose put us in a much better position in relation with the hunting problem, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation made a large donation in order to hire 67 new personnel for the Osa for three years.

Thank to all these efforts 62 new park rangers, one environmental educator, two environmental legal advisor, one forestry engineer, six housekeepers, one driver, among other have been hired funded by various sources, but mostly by MOORE.  

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Project for strengthening the program of control and protection for Corcovado and Piedras Blancas National Parks
	Funded by CEPF Funds $71,382.00 Contribution to the Corcovado Foundation $ 4,671.00 The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has regularly contributed to help with the payment of fuel, equipment and the food required for the operation of the national parks. The participation of the communities, the rural police and the COVIRENAS has been very important. This would not have been possible without the support of the CEPF.

During just two months of work we relied on the participation of 20 members of the rural police, 15 COVIRENAS and 10 other volunteers.

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 Support for the Osa Conservation Area and Corcovado National Park

The Corcovado Foundation has signed an agreement with ACOSA in order to assist with certain expenses in the operation of Corcovado National Park . With the help of individual donors and other environmental organizations, the Corcovado Foundation has started paying the salaries, providing uniforms, equipment, and transportation for eight full-time park rangers to patrol and protect the forest and also a forestry engineer who has helped us detect anomalies in logging permits.

Due to budget shortages, work such as clearing the boundaries of the national parks and regular patrolling has not been done as often as it should have in recent years. Yet these efforts are absolutely essential to ensure the integrity of these areas.

With financial assistance from the Costa Rica-United States of America Foundation (CR-USA), Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and Verein Regenwald der Osterreicher, among other organizations, the Foundation has finished work to clear and post the northern boundaries of Corcovado National Park .

The Corcovado Foundation, with this help, is also paying for environmental instruction for the park rangers and buying equipment and supplies to help them be more efficient, and we have strengthened the park system by hiring more rangers.  Read more about the support for Corcovado National Park.

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Construction of the ranger station in Los Planes

Funded by: Horizontes Nature Tours US$ 20,000; The Nature Conservancy US$ 35,000; matching fund from PNUD US$ 20,000 managed by Asociación Conservacionista Tesoro Verde (ACOVETE)

Starting date: May 2005

Total budget for the project: US$ 75,000

Contribution to the Corcovado Foundation US$ 5000

The richness of its fauna makes Corcovado National Park very attractive for illegal hunting. The area of Los Planes is a location preferred by poachers for its proximity to the Park, and is one of the access points for poachers trying to reach the lowlands of the park where the wildlife is more abundant. This sector also has problems of illegal activities such as the extraction of plants and birds for the animal trade.

It is impossible to diminish the poaching without counting on a control point in the sector of Los Planes.

For many reasons and for the protection of the Park, it was urgent to open a new operations center in Los Planes. There was not enough control from the Operative Center in San Pedrillo, and the distance to the other Ranger Station in Los Planes is too much for having effective protection of such a strategic area.

We must also consider that by developing another Operations Center, we could consider the possibility of opening new areas for visitors. This would diminish the pressure on the other Operations Centers. It would also allow the community to benefit from the natural attractions of the area and give them an economic alternative to poaching and illegal logging.

An increase in tourism in the area would give an extra drive to a local organization, ACOTEVE, and help insure the success of the Rural Tourism Project. The Rural Tourism Project is designed to offer the local people options and to provide incentives for protecting their natural heritage.

The project started in June and was completed in December 2005. We are happy to say that the ranger station is in full operation and that the results can be seen by the local people. “hunters are actually selling their hunting dogs, because the park is no longer un protected”

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The Jaguars Community Youth Group

Initial Donation $24,000 AVINA

Other contributions $500 USD Bruce Wagner

$130 USD per month Aguila de Osa

$450 USD food sales and other activities organized by The Jaguars youth group.

Currently the project is sustained by donations of local businesses and tourist

THE JAGUARS" YOUTH GROUP PROJECT

The Corcovado Foundation funded by AVINA (a Swiss Environmental Organization) has implemented an environmental education program for the young people in the local communities. Weekly workshops and field trips have helped to educate the children about the importance of protecting their environment.

The boys and girls from ages 12 to 20 have been participating in activities such as beach clean-ups and recycling efforts. They have also started visiting their neighbors with brochures about how to recycle and better management of solid waste. The children have also been patrolling beaches to save sea turtles nesting sites, and are learning to become the stewards of their own natural heritage.

Recently, ten of these kids started open water scuba training. This will enable them to explore the underwater world and become more aware of the fragility of it. We are also planning to combine this effort with the Reef Check Project. This project will provide training to the kids, so that they will be able to monitor and measure the health of the living reefs.

The Jaguars have also been very active in doing beach clean - ups in Corcovado National Park , where the tides deposit garbage. Other areas of work involve restoring natural areas by planting trees and plants, organizing activities that involve environmental education especially for other children and just generally raising awareness about the sensitive environment that surrounds them.

More about the Jaguars

These children have made impressive progress. They got organized for doing the activities they wanted. For example, they raised funds for their excursions and they have requested donations for fencing the access to the beach because they don’t want cars to keep using the beach as a road.

There was a survey applied among parents and children in order to define the strengths and the weaknesses of the project, concerning the activities organized, the perception of the people, etc.

For the presentation of “Showing What We Learned” at the school in Drake, the children prepared one theatre piece called “The Modorra Turtle” and “The Voices of Those Who Can’t Talk”

With the support of the Recovery Program for Marine Turtles (PRETOMA), we invited a biologist to develop workshops of environmental education especially about turtles and the children went on beach walks looking for turtles. In order to determine the viability of the turtle population they made studies about the frequency of the arrivals, the species of turtles, etc.

Some of the children have started scuba diving training supported by local business persons in the area. Fourteen of the kids already achieved the theoretical and the practical part of the training. Local instructors have worked with the children in this process.

The idea of this project is for the children to see the marine life, so that they can appreciate its fragility and understand the threats that menace marine resources.

The Osa area lacks professional divers. Although hundreds of tourists come from all over the world to dive on Caño Island , there are very few local people who benefit from guiding or selling this activity. The guides and the teachers are foreigners or costaricans from other areas of the country. These young people will become the base for a new generation of divers and will keep more of the economic benefits of this activity in the local community.

This activity can also be combined with training that the organization Reef Check offers. This organization promotes the monitoring of the health of the reefs in 60 countries around the world. They haven’t yet started in Costa Rica , but they are very interested in working at Caño Island . This organization has a working protocol that allows measuring the condition of the reef and a way to compare and measure changes over the years. The Jaguars could take that training once they learn to dive, and they could be responsible for the periodical monitoring.

Participating in the program also allows them to accumulate dives, which are necessary to reach the level of Dive Master. That is the first level as professional divers, which would allow them to guide groups.

The children have also participated in workshops about handling turtles and workshops for producing recycled paper with leaves and fruit peelings, like banana or mango.

The paper workshop consisted of an introduction to the subject, the importance of recycling paper, the history of paper (from crafts to industrial processes), the impact of logging on the environment, the preparation of the materials required, the processing of the pulp paper and the elaboration of white paper. The children fully enjoyed the process and made various types of paper.

The next step of this project is for the children to visit the schools of the area and share that experience with other young students.

Another activity that the children participated in was a field trip to La Amistad National Park, to Chirripo Mountain , which is the highest peak in Costa Rica . This took place in early June of 2004 and was a great success. The children adored visiting one of the most beautiful national parks in the country!

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Control and Protection program

Results obtained:

60 new park rangers hired for the national park system

Three forestry engineer hired

$75,000 USD worth of equipment for the control and protection program.

Training for park rangers

Los Planes ranger station built and operating

Thru the combination of these factors the ministry of environment was able to achieve the following:

TBD: These numbers are still to be determined.

From the table’s information, we can highlight that:

1. The 2 to 4 days patrols almost tripled in 2003 and 2004 compared to 2002.
2. During 2004, we quadrupled the number of one day patrols in the National Parks of Corcovado and Piedras Blancas.
3. During 2002 there could have been more poachers in the park than the table would suggest, but due to the limited ability to patrol it was hard to detect such activities. In 2003 it became obvious that the poaching was out of control, and that the protected areas had become a no man’s land. In 2003, when 8 new park rangers started patrolling the area, they found more poachers’ camps and destroyed them. More denunciations were presented in court, and more poachers were arrested.
4. The program supported by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is gathering members of the rural police to patrol the protected areas together with the park rangers. Members of the Community Environmental Protection Committees (COVIRENAS) have joined this effort and the results are very encouraging.
5. A new program of environmental education increased the number of meetings with the local communities and the schools, building awareness of the crisis caused by the illegal hunting. This program also organized workshops where the leaders of environmental organizations have coordinated efforts to reach the young people, and to keep them interested through field trips and other activities.  

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Community Environmental Protection Committees (C.E.P.C)

Funded by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and CR-USA Foundation

The Community Environmental Protection Committees are volunteer organizations that exist all over the country and are governed by the Ministry of Environment. Their purpose is to collaborate in the elimination of illegal hunting and deforestation. These committees, known as COVIRENAS, can be of great support for the Ministry of Environment Protection Program and can be a great incentive for people from the community who want to protect their natural surroundings.

This project is for reorganizing and strengthening the committees and to provide them with equipment and proper training. The Corcovado Foundation has started a process to educate and empower the communities all over the Osa, we want to support these highly motivated and dedicated people. With the help of the UNDP and the CR-USA Foundation we have been able to buy equipment, radios and supplies for these groups. We have also been able to support them by providing them with the resources necessary to follow up environmental lawsuits against illegal activities in the Osa.

More about the COVIRENAS (Projects in detail)

Initially, these were the objectives set for the project:

1. To constitute a working team able to coordinate, promote and strengthen the Community Environmental Protection Committees.

2. To implement a promotional program about the benefits that COVIRENAS bring to the communities, in order to promote the integration and strengthening of these committees.

3. To select and recruit the volunteer guards of the natural resources in the area. Also to establish a recruitment system for volunteers that insures trust in their performance, guarantees their personal growth and their effective collaboration with ACOSA and the community.

4. To train the members of the COVIRENAS to improve their qualities as supervisors and environmental educators.

5. To provide the members of the program with the information required to execute their functions according to the law.

6. To strengthen the groups of COVIRENAS through periodical meetings.

A need was also recognized to promote the integration of women and the internal strengthening of the committees.

It was decided that the Corcovado Foundation would remain responsible for the interaction with other communities and for the training of more Community Environmental Protection Committees.

For that reason, the Corcovado Foundation recruited a teacher to develop the training modules for the COVIRENAS Program. The Office of the Civil Society prepared that module.

The person recruited for that effort was Roberval Almeida. He is a Brazilian who has studied felines in the Osa for many years and whose work supporting the communities is well known. Roberval was recruited as a consultant for four months. During that time, he met with each one of the committees and developed the training modules. Roberval has also taken care of introducing the subject of the Biosphere Reserve to the local communities. He has been very helpful in the process of consultation and offered much information about the nomination of the Osa Conservation Area as a Biosphere Reserve.

In the meantime, Marcos Villegas has been doing the promotion in the communities. Marcos has become a vital link between the organizations involved and the Regional Direction of the COVIRENAS, which he leads. For example, with the support of Roberval, he finished the process of inscription of the COVIRENAS as a legal non- profit association (AsoCOVIRENAS), which had been a dream for a long time.

His labor was also fruitful in negotiating the use of a lot in “Rincón de Osa” as an operational center for the COVIRENAS of that area. Marcos was also successful in pushing the government to pay for environmental services (carbon bonds) for forest lands in private hands within the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve.

He was able with the help of the “National Movement for Organic Agriculture” to start a network of pilot sites for the promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture. Finally Marcos initiated the process of co- management of Piedras Blancas National Park and was a consultant on the projects of solid waste management in the towns of Golfito and Puerto Jiménez.

At the Corcovado Foundation, our labor has been to raise and manage funds and to purchase and distribute equipment for the projects. We also help to raise matching funds for the payroll, and to coordinate the groups and individuals involved in the different activities. Among the activities organized were two field trips, one to visit Paquera’s landfill and the second to Turrialba and Cahuita to visit projects of organic agriculture and co management programs developed in these Caribbean communities.

Achievements:

We consider that the most positive fact of the project is that through the funding given to the local promoter, the COVIRENAS were able to reorganize and to create their own non- profit association called ASOCOVIRENAS. This organization was founded in response to the need of the groups to find funding on their own and administer their own funds.

According to some of the COVIRENAS of the area, the effort of organization and training undertaken, has lead them to a level similar to when they were first formed and had the financial resources necessary to operate efficiently.

Another positive fact of the project is the excellent response from the authorities of Piedras Blancas National Park . The Director of the National Park frequently goes to meetings with the COVIRENAS and he supports their labor by including them in control and protection activities. This initiative allowed COVIRENAS, coordinated by the local promoter and with funds from the CEPF project, managed by The Corcovado Foundation, to support the park rangers from the Operation Center of Chacarita, and to achieve operations in other sectors. There was also a brainstorm session in December where 14 people participated, financed by the COVIRENAS. Participants included people from the community of La Gamba and from the Program of Environmental Education of ACOSA, the staff from the Operations Center of La Gamba, and staff from the Naguas Plan.

The main benefit obtained by the participants is their new ability to raise and manage funds with their new legal status as an “Association”. With the creation of Aso COVIRENAS the Community Environmental Protection Committees now have a new tool to plan projects and implement them.

The committees are now trained and equipped to do their tasks more efficiently. The raincoats, the boots and the backpacks have been very useful for doing their work. However, the cameras are probably the most useful tool for the committees.

Limitations we are facing

As members of the Coalition for the Osa Biological Corridor, we could use the office of the Coalition and the equipment available there. Because the COVIRENAS Project lacked an office in the Osa area, it was very difficult to communicate with the leaders in the area. Not having transportation available for the local coordinator also complicated the logistics of the project.

A major problem of the project probably is that we have to wait for government organizations to decide on issues that should be quickly solved, as example insurance for the volunteers. Today, we are still waiting for MINAE to respond to requests that we made long ago.

Achievements of the project

These are some of the main advances that were possible thanks to the funding made available for this project:

1. Delivery of equipment for the C.E.P.C.

2. Creation of ASOCOVIRENAS.

3. Negotiation for the use of a lot in Rincon de Osa to establish an Operations Center .

4. Promotion of the payment for Environmental Services for the protection of forests in the Peninsula (carbon bonds).

5. Promotion of an “Executive Decree” permitting sustainable, small scale extraction of fallen timber by non- mechanical means.

6. Training of the local committees in legal, technical and scientific matters.

7. Organization of the “Technical Regional Directorite” formed by the totality of the COVIRENAS committees of the Southern Pacific area.

8. Organization of a network of organic agriculture, supported by the National Movement for Organic Agriculture.

9. The development of a program for technicians in local management, in coordination with UNED, (UNITED NATIONS)

10. The start of the process of co-management of Piedras Blancas National Park .

11. Support in the consultation and information process for the Proposal to declare the Osa Conservation Area a “Reserve of the Biosphere”.

12. Consultation in projects of solid waste management in Golfito and Puerto Jimenez.

13. Opening of the Operations Center of Rincon with the purpose of stopping the poachers entering Corcovado National Park .

Thanks to the efforts done during this year and a half the local leaders have become the main actors in the instrumentation of many programs. They have shown leadership in their communities in an effective and appropriate manner. They have strengthened the representation of their groups in front of the main organizations responsible for community development: The Costa Rican Institute of Water and Sewage, Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE), and the municipalities of Golfito, Corredores and Osa, among other institutions.

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  "World Heritage" site nomination

The Ministry of Environment has established as one of their main priorities the nomination of Corcovado National Park and Caño Island Biological Reserve as a "World Heritage Site" with UNESCO (United Nations). The natural areas designated as a "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO have physical beauty and scientific importance of great universal value and due to this fact are considered patrimony of the world. This status would had helped draw the attention and funding necessary to protect Corcovado for future generations.

Corcovado Foundation, financed by the CR-USA Foundation and the University of Florida , was in charge of coordinating the presentation of the proposal for nominating these protected areas. The University of Costa Rica and the University of Florida have helped us in this study. This effort was of great importance because it will place the National Park on the international map of conservation.

However, due to the breaking news of the uncontrolled hunting in the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park , the State Department of Costa Rica decided to withdraw the nomination. This decision was taken because they believed that we did not offer UNESCO the capacity needed to control and protect the proposed site. The idea is to present it again, once the hunting problem is under control.

In order to regain control over the national parks in the Osa and protect our fauna from poachers, many people have collaborated to pay for park rangers and equipment (see friends of conservation of the Osa), thanks to those contributions and efforts we have been able to improve the presence of authorities in the National Park.

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Sustainable Tourism Program

The threats in the Osa include poaching, deforestation, development, and destructive agricultural practices. Unclear ownership rights and land tenure conflicts with the government thwart both conservation efforts and economic development, and prevailing attitudes hold that natural resources should be exploited for greatest short-term benefit. All but a small portion of this 85,000-hectare area is in private hands and is populated with several small but well-established communities. Because of this the economic and social costs of purchasing these lands to include them in the parks are too high for the government and its conservation allies to meet.

In addition, rapid tourism development and escalating pressure on marine populations by both commercial and sport fishing fleets is seriously threatening the ecological balance of the Golfo Dulce and the seas around the Osa.

Osa’s clear importance in biodiversity and increasing popularity as a nature tourism destination make it a critical site for replication of the sustainable tourism project.

Hotels, for the characteristics of its activity, produce considerable amounts of different sorts of waste: solid, liquid, semi liquid and even gases. Regardless of the kind of waste, hotels have major possibilities of undertaking actions in the Management of Solid Waste.

At Drake Bay , the issue of garbage has been a perpetual concern for the inhabitants. Up until today, lacking a collecting system makes that the handling of the waste is done as improperly as it could be: trash is burnt or buried.

Both procedures cause great damage to the environment, especially the burning. The gases released are carcinogenic. On the other hand, the rain can wash buried materials away, carrying it over to rivers and shores, ending at the ocean. To reach an efficient management of solid waste, two steps are mandatory: Diminish the amount of garbage produced, by recycling the waste and responsibly handle the waste that cannot be processed in a landfill in Drake Bay .

At this point the Corcovado Foundation has already built a collecting center for recycling materials in Sierpe, this will help to launch the recycling program in Drake Bay . The high school in Sierpe is in charge of receiving the materials and selling to the different recycling companies. The profits are used to pay for the Sierpe High School expenses.

Also, the Corcovado Foundation has been having talks with hoteliers in the communities about how to recycle and what to recycle in Drake Bay .

Recently we have become aware of the need to increase our role with the private sector in order to meet current, and future financial needs in the Osa Peninsula . Tourism industry is an important partner for conservation, and we are seeking support, especially from that sector of the business community.

The Corcovado Foundation has been staffed with two professionals with extensive experience in sustainable tourism practices for hotels and other tourism related companies.

The Corcovado Foundation has a staff with wide experience in tourism, hotel business and sustainable development. The Corcovado Foundation has pair up with Rainforest Alliance in order to promote this

Implementation of best management practices is a powerful tool that can successfully be used to address the negative impacts of growing nature-based tourism. Today there are numerous efforts to define best management practices in tourism. Best management practices are a series of principles and concrete recommendations that can be implemented by different land-use sectors.

Environmental Education for Local Communities

We want to make of Drake Bay the most environmentally aware town in the Osa. Drake Bay faces one of the most challenging endeavors: the permanent struggle between development and conservation. Drake Bay and the nearby communities will need to prepare for the arrival of investors, tourists and others that will put more pressure in their local environment and their local culture.

Only by a well structured education program will the youth of Drake Bay be prepared to face the impacts of economical development in the area. Environmental education will provide the town with the standards required to maintain their beautiful area untouched and will provide them with tools to do a better use and management of their natural and cultural resources.

In order to do this we will schedule weekly visits to several local schools such as Agujitas High school and primary school, Los Planes School , Lapa Roja-Caletas School and El Progreso School.

The visits will consists of regular class discussions and talks combined with workshops and recreational activities.

The Recycling workshop as creative proposal of environmental education is directed to the schools and the community that reside in Drake Bay focusing the school of Agujitas, El Progreso de Drake, Los Planes de Drake, Los Angeles del Progreso y Los Planes. With this proposal a diverse combination of theoretical and practical workshops will be carried out as the students will learn about different types of waste and about various existing ways of re-using it. To introduce topics like the identification of residuals, its handling, disposition and re-use e.g. like energy source as well as the knowledge about marine waste and its impact on the ecosystem are fundamental in initiating a process of awareness in this community.

With workshops like paper recycling, soap production and construction of candles are focusing the objective to generate productive activities that can be used in a sustainable sense and therefore would be very attractive for residents and the students as they could commercialize these products in the area. The Recycling Festival is a recreational activity organized by the youth that were participating in the described workshops. They themselves will organize a colorful and divers procession through the community that ends up at the beach with games and competitions. With this activity their imagination is promoted by inventing and generating utensils and games made out of waste.

This approach is combining theoretical knowledge, practical workshops and a recreational activity and will generate an interest regarding the topic. Furthermore it wants to invite people to participate in an important process in which they could take advantage of the resources to the maximum and at the same time minimize the man's pressure on the nature.

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Turtle Nestling census on Agujitas Beach in Drake

Starting in September 2004, two biologists from PRETOMA (Program for the Recovery of the Sea Turtles), supported by the COVIRENAS of El Progreso, will monitor Colorada Beach in Drake Bay in order to determine the population of turtles that nest on that beach.

PRETOMA’s studies show that the loss of eggs due to local poachers or predation by domestic animals is close to 100% on the nests located on secluded beaches.

According to the Marine Life Foundation, who keeps regular count of the sea turtles in the area, the decrease in the population of the sea turtles in the last 5 years has been close to 80%. Natural threats, fishing practices that are not sustainable and the harvest of the eggs are the main reasons that we are we driving these species into extinction.

Among the objectives of this initial study are: to establish a database of tracks and nests disturbed or relocated, the percentages of the clutch’s size, the favorite beaches and the status of the population. These data will help determine the best ways to protect the turtles, either through nurseries or vigilance in situ.

Another objective is to get the locals involved, through environmental education addressed to the schools of the area.

The cost of this project is about US$450,00.

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Tree Farm in el Progreso of Drake

The Office of Forest Management, supporting the community of El Progreso, proposes to establish a tree farm of species native to the peninsula of Osa . These will supply the people who are to benefit from the PSA – Reforestation. The Payment of Environmental Services (PSA) program enables owners of forestlands to receive monies for protecting watersheds, the beauty of the environment and through the sell of carbon bonds.

This project was proposed and is being developed by the COVIRENAS from El Progreso. It has the support of the volunteers of ASOCOVIRENAS and Breakthroughs Abroad – USA . They will provide the workforce and the materials necessary for building the nurseries. The school of El Progreso will facilitate the physical space and the participation of the students, who will benefit from the environmental education.

The Corcovado Foundation, through the program of COVIRENAS of CRUSA will donate US$600,00 for the salary of the farm caretaker for the next four months.

Other organizations that have been invited to participate of the tree farm in El Progreso are: Neotropical Foundation, Vela Mar Wildlife Refuge and Ecological Sanctuary and the Osa Conservation Area.

This project proposes as one of the main objectives, to start a process of empowerment of the local people in the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve so they will be able to manage the forest resources.

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Project for the creation of a marine protection area of multiple uses on the Pacific Ocean of Costa Rica

The general objective of this project is the creation of a marine protection area of multiple uses, and its effective protection. The area goes from Ballena Marine Park to Punta Sirena, at the southern end of Corcovado National Park and includes Caño Island .

This effort pretends preserving the marine environments most representatives of the area and its most fragile ecosystems, to ensure the balance and the continuity of the natural ecological processes.

Another objective is to eliminate the non-sustainable use of the ecosystems and its products, by stimulating the active participation of the neighboring communities. This could be achieved by forbidding commercial fishing practices that are not sustainable.

It will be necessary to propose a management category that fits the characteristics of the area that is to be protected, one that guarantees the preservation of the species of the area and the sustainability of the coastal marine resources. This management category should also allow developing eco-friendly economical activities within its area.

For that reason the category proposed is the Marine Protected Area of Multiple Uses. This area would be managed by MINAE, with the support of a consulting committee conformed by members of the community, non- governmental organizations, the Coast Guard and INCOPESCA (Costa Rican Institute for Fishing), among others.

An important way to develop this project is to follow a consulting process and a information campaign among the communities that are concerned and involved in it. It is mandatory to have the support of all the groups to be able to develop this project.

Some of the communities that we must visit in this process are: Uvita, Piñuela, Tortuga Abajo, Ciudad Cortéz, Palmar Norte, Sierpe, Rancho Quemado, Drake and Agujitas.

STEPS OF THE PROCESS:

Personal work and information about the project: its objectives, implications, the benefit for the communities, and the development of community groups and local leaders.

Evaluation and follow up of the impact and the acceptation of the project in the communities. It is important to gain unanimous support from the community and from commercial sectors.

For this, it will be necessary to do certain preliminary studies and recollection of materials such as:

It is important to do a complete study of management and self-financing of the protected area. A system of co-management is necessary in the area proposed. Some ideas for this system are, among others, the payment of canons by the hotels and the tourism sector in general, the use of international funding and the development of educational campaigns.

It will also be necessary to determine the restrictions and regulations that will apply on the protected area. Some proposals are:

To achieve the objectives of this project it will be necessary to have a system for the continuous vigilance of the area, with legal authorities that can impose the sanctions on those who break the rules. This will require a boat with radar to patrol the whole protected area.

Finally, this project requires a consulting committee to coordinate and evaluate all the activities and the uses given to the protected area once it is constituted. This committee will be heterogeneous and multidisciplinary, and will be conformed by: MINAE, the municipalities involved, the different organizations and institutions that contribute, etc.

Workshops

Solid Waste

“Why the garbage is not like they paint it?

"What is the difference between terrestrial and marine waste?

"How can dangerous waste be identified?

"Where to put the waste?

"What is a disposal and how can it be managed?

"How to avoid contamination of the sea?

"The beach is a place to enjoy - without waste”

"What is organic material?”

Recycling as economic and educational source

Level II

Prosecution and commercialization of recycled paper

Elaboration of handmade objects that can be commercialized on the local market or in ferries

Recreational activities and creative games

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