A Call For Immediate Action to Save Osa Peninsula
I am posting here an important letter from Alvaro Ugalde, the father of Costa Rican Conservation.
Alvaro is asking us to send letters to the Costa Rican President concerning the rapid resort development affecting endangered species, including Jaguars.
A Call For Immediate Action to Save Osa Peninsula
Assault on the Osa Biological Corridor in South Pacific Costa Rica
from: Alvaro Ugalde, alvarof.ugalde@gmail.com
In my condition of founder of the national parks of Costa Rica, and based in legal actions entered by the Ministry of Environment, I have the responsibility to inform the people of Osa and the national and international conservation community, of an assault on this precious corridor that is happening at an alarming rate and with such force that the corridor between Santa Cecilia and Los Pargos could be destroyed within a year – OR LESS. I can imagine this sounds dramatic, but I have been gathering information about some businesses that are proceeding with large development residential tourism projects (condos, houses, lots for sale). It would not take much to create a gap in the corridor and effectively eliminate the free passage of wildlife so important to the concept of a healthy biological corridor between Corcovado and Piedras Blancas national parks.
These projects, according to the ministry legal complaint, are illegal in that they have no permits from the environmental protection agency or MINAE itself. They are proceeding at an incredibly aggressive and damaging rate. So much damage has already been done that we must do anything we can do to halt it now.
I am currently working with leaders, businessmen, scientists, local people, lawyers and many other interested people and organizations, national and international, in hopes we can bring these projects to the public attention and get them stopped permanently.
Thank you so very much for your time in reading this. Please join us in denouncing these projects by sending a letter to the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sánchez.
Copy and paste this link into an email to your friends:
http://futurejaguar.wordpress.com/Please-send-a-letter-now-to-save-Jaguars
Click here to read more from Alvaro Ugalde on the destruction taking place in Osa Peninsula:
Please send a letter now to save jaguars « Future Jaguar said
[...] A Call For Immediate Action to Save Osa Peninsula [...]
John-Tyler Garcia said
Thanks for the great work, y’all. You have all my support, 1000%. Best regards.
Beau Williams said
Everyone wants to advocate conservation. But it is also hard to agree to “immediate action” to save something when nobody really specifies what “immediate action” is to be taken, or against whom. Ugalde in his letter above, states that his fear is that the corridor between two of the areas National Parks will be “cut off” so that the wildlife will not be able to move freely from one to the other.
Costa Rica has already set aside approximately 24% of the ENTIRE COUNTRY for National Parks or preserves. Is Ugalde now saying that they should also stop the concept of “houses and lots for sale” in between ALL of those national parks in case the animals should want to relocate? Are the locals no longer to have the right to sell their own private property? He talks about “businesses that are proceeding with residential tourism projects” which are “illegal with no permits from the environmental protection agency or MINAE itself” and how “we” must stop these businesses- but then does not even name said “businesses” that “we” need to stop. If it is true that these companies are functioning without permits, we need not do anything because the CR government building inspectors simply will not allow construction to begin without legal permiting. Just because they do not live in the US, does not mean they do not have a government that also supervises construction! Is he saying that all of the private property between these two national parks are functioning illegally? Or is he specificly trying not to give us enough valid information (like the names of said companies), so that he can get our blind support on “the concept of conservation” alone?
I am familiar with that area, and I am not aware of any “large developmant residential projects” in that area between those two parks. If anyone on this site actually has legitimate facts on the names of said projects Ugalde is trying to “stop permenantly” I would truly appreciate hearing about them. I am a conservationist, but I have come to sincerely resent how so many believe we conservationists are so idealisticly gullable that they can simply use some strongly emotional, yet extremely vague terms totally void of actual facts, and that we will come running in the thousands to rally to their cause.
jaguar1 said
Wow. I must say I am amazed to have comments on this blog that is only a few days old. Even more so because it is a comment critical of what we are doing. Seems you can’t try to do anything without attracting criticism right out of the gate. Many people have come here to send a letter to President Arias; few have left comments. I understand this, because people are so busy, that just making time to come here and send the letter is actually a lot to ask. So we appreciate everyone who has helped out and also those who have circulated this appeal on their own initiative. Thank You.
Now on to the issues raised in the comment from Beau. First, Don Alvaro Ugalde DOES give more information on the development projects we hope to halt. I have to take responsibility for splitting the communication I received from Don Alvaro into two parts, the letter and the background. I was trying to make sure people got the action item without cluttering it up. If you look at the sidebar on the left of the page you will see a link ‘More from Alvaro Ugalde on the destruction in Osa Peninsula.’ There he names the projects, and the companies and provides photos. Also, understand that this activism takes place ad hoc, without real funding. So for the activists to document what is taking place is against a lot of odds. In fact it seems that they only have slim information on the Mogos project, but the aerial photo speaks for itself. This kind of roading and clearing of forest is unlike anything that has ever occurred in Osa. These are areas that were sparsely occupied by subsistence farmers and hunters, none of whom had the means to build long cleared driveways or the kind of dense development that is starting to come into the area, as seen in the photo.
The urgency is that these projects are going to start to take off and outstrip conservationist’s ability to respond, so we need to make ourselves heard loudly now, and if we delay a project that is legitimate, that would be better than being too timid and letting this get away from us. No one is saying we need to stop all residential development. As much as we might want to, that would be unrealistic. But we need to be forceful in stopping inappropriate developments like these two and others similar to the kind of rampant, ecologically damaging development taking place in the northern province of Guanacaste, CR. As for Osa, there has been an international campaign to create a Biological Corridor between the Piedras Blancas and Corcovado Parks for years and this kind of speculative overdevelopment is a direct attack on that effort, and is entirely out of step with the level of development that this delicate eco system can withstand. As the sample letter to Arias says: the fragility of Osa will not support it. That means the Jaguars, Tapirs, Monkeys and other wildlife will not survive this onslaught. In the case of the tiny, isolated population of Jaguars in Osa, without the completion of the Biological Corridor, the survival of that population is unlikely, long term. Also, little is know about the needs of that population to interface with the rest of the region in order to remain genetically viable, as in, to have the ability to move on and off the peninsula or even reach the Cordillera (the mountains in the center of the country.) It is clear that this level of development is completely incompatible with the survival of Jaguars in Osa.
It also important to note, that in Osa, any roading and clearing will kill or drive off a wide range of rare species. While many individuals buying and building single homes in Central America are well intentioned, the trend itself is so great and occurring so rapidly that it is in itself an ecological crisis. Unless much is done to educate these individuals on how exactly to mitigate the impacts of their construction projects and use of the land, wildlife will suffer. Carrying out this eduction is part of the mission of Future Jaguar.
One last note: I think in many areas, such as journalism, politics, music and film criticism, religion, each of us has the responsibility to check out the credentials and bone-fides of who we are listening to and decide who we trust. Alvaro Ugalde has led a lifetime of working to preserve the natural richness and biodiversity of Costa Rica. To question that is either to be uninformed or ill intended. Also, to not recognize that Osa is unique and should be made a special case of utmost importance, is to ignore the biological reality of how impacted habitat is in other areas of CR and throughout Central America. The time to act to save Osa is now, or it will soon be too late.
Don Ugalde’s communique states that a legal challenge to these projects is underway. The letter we are asking people to send to President Arias is part of a campaign to declare the Sierpe Lagoon a national park. The fact is, the parks are too small to guarantee the survival of species. How much more specific can we get?
Beau Williams said
jaguar1-
Thank you for taking the time to respond to all those who post on your site. I understand why you would decide to split the communication, and I also really appreciate you guys posting the true names of the offending companies. I feel stupid for not finding the article in its entirety on the side bar! It does feel good to read about issues from people who not only have the emotional energy to attempt to right many of the environmental wrongs that are currently taking place in the world, but also have the time to relate the true info to “the foot soldiers” with all of the facts in place. Thanks for respecting our intelligence as much as our ability to sway public opinion in our favor! I for one appreciate being on your mailing list, and wish you and your companions the best of luck with your future projects.
jaguar1 said
Thanks Beau,
I for one welcome critical thinking, so we’re good.
It’s an uphill battle to slow the human juggernaut which threatens to overcome the earth’s natural systems, so we need to stick together. Did you see this recent article where the Geological Society of London is proposing naming a new geological epoch? It would be called the “Anthropocene – the epoch when, for the first time in Earth’s history, humans have become a predominant geophysical force.” The article quotes the geologists as saying: “since the start of the industrial revolution, Earth has endured changes sufficient to leave a global stratigraphic signature;” and “That means the team expects future geologists examining this record will recognize a distinct break with the Holocene (“recent whole”) epoch that covers the past 10,000 years.” It goes on to say 50% of the Earth’s soils are currently in use by Humans.
Sobering stuff. I mention it because it is one of the challenges of environmentalists to balance and navigate science, politics, and the evolving opinions of the average person. It’s not easy– witness the continued debate over global climate change.
So let’s all try to work together and keep our eye on the prize: a future which includes Jaguars and all creatures large and small.
Peace.