Ecotourism in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is often commended for being a model of conservation after eliminating their army in 1949 and pledging to commit to protecting their environment and supporting their people. In fact, many countries look to Costa Rica as a success story after they abolished their army and effectively reallocated their resources toward sustaining their land and people. A couple of decades after this decision, sustainable development in the late 1980s led to the rise of conservation policies and significant growth of the ecotourism industry by the mid-1990s (Wildes). Today, Costa Rica is well known for having a booming ecotourism business that strives to educate tourists about their native environment by employing local people. However, the current state of ecotourism is not working effectively everywhere. In order to remedy this, supporting local businesses and engaging in environmentally friendly activities are necessary and help avoid viewing the environment as important solely for its commercial value.

What is Ecotourism?

“responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (International Ecotourism Society)

Ecotourism links conservation with local communities and tourism by including the following principles:

1. Limiting physical and behavioral impacts on the local population
2. Acquiring environmental and cultural awareness of the local population
3. Developing positive experiences for visitors and hosts
4. Financially supporting conservation efforts and the local people rather than big businesses
5. Becoming involved in local experiences to develop an awareness of the host’s political, social, and environmental conditions
6. Planning, developing, and running low-impact facilities
7. Understanding the beliefs and rights of Indigenous People in the community and empowering them  (The International Ecotourism Society)

How has ecotourism grown in Costa Rica?

In 2019, 2,511,824 people visited Costa Rica which is 690,000 more people than in 2013! 

80% of people tend to visit for vacation or recreation purposes but some also visit for family (10%) or professional reasons (5%). (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo)

Where are tourists spending most of their time?

Most tourists (72.9%) tend to prioritize visiting beaches when in Costa Rica, hiking (40.3%), and observing the local wildlife and environment (38.6%). Shopping (36.6%), visiting volcanoes (34.5%), and ziplining (30.5%) are also popular activities. It is evident that most tourists want to take advantage of all that Costa Rica has to offer and be outside engaged in the local environment.

This certainly demonstrates the massive commercial value that can be applied to each of these areas as a result of tourists flocking here. In theory, ecotourism should assist the local people through job opportunities while also benefiting the surrounding environment through protection efforts which in turn exposes tourists to local sites through hiking or observing the native flora and fauna. However, local populations can often be negatively affected socially and economically by ecotourism as they are placed in low level jobs and may lack the business understanding to avoid selling their land to foreign companies. Similarly, a primary focus on the commercial value of an area or species can lead to inhibiting the progress of these species in exchange for economic gain.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Ecotourism promotes environmental protection.

The success of reforestation was possible following the initial concern of deforestation through “vigorous, continuing campaign to educate people on environmental and conservation issues, a deliberate strategy that began in the early 1970s with establishment of the initial national parks” (Wildes 179). General awareness of the problem and education to get the population involved motivated more people to become more environmentally friendly and establish protected areas and national parks. Public campaigning also allowed for the creation of government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, the Institute of Tourism (ICT), and the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines (MIRENEM) that can enact real regulations and instill ideas of conservation in the public.

Nearly all of Costa Rica’s energy is already renewable so ecotourism only further enhances efforts to support the environment through sustainability measures which essentially allows for the current needs to be met without compromising the success of future generations. For example, the development of conservation areas, government support and tourism have been able to associate nature with an economic value preventing further deforestation. It is not in the country’s best interest to cut down trees which reduces biodiversity since the vast number of species and dense forests can be shown on tours. This allows the local people to profit off their surrounding environment through tourism and benefit from maintaining these areas rather than eliminating them.

The Institute of Tourism which has a branch in Costa Rica among other countries focuses on various certification processes for socially responsible tourism. These include the Certificate for Sustainable Tourism, the Ecological Blue Flag Program, and Code of Conduct. The Certificate for Sustainable Tourism logo entails a plaque with one to five leaves depending on how environmentally friendly a company is and consists of five certification levels emphasizing possible improvement (Honey 11). Established in France in 1985, the Ecological Blue Flag program analyzes the water quality, environmental management, environmental education, and safety of “beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators” (Foundation for Environmental Education 1). The importance of the flag not only applauds a beach for their efforts and participation in the program but also shows their compliance with the four criteria. Similar certifications have been established in other countries such as the Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program in Australia which certifies products including accommodations, tours, and attractions rather than businesses on eight basic criteria. The criteria involves: natural area focus, interpretation, environmental sustainability, contribution to conservation, work with local communities, a cultural component, customer satisfaction, and responsible marketing (Honey 12). There are three levels of certification: nature tourism, ecotourism, and advanced ecotourism and approved products would have a logo indicating “Eco Certified.” Ecotourism has led to the establishment of many government policies and certification programs in order to inspire long term benefit to both the local people inhabiting an area and their surrounding environment.

Yet... ecotourism can oftentimes degrade natural resources due to overuse, overexploitation, and long term damage.

Visiting a protected area can severely damage natural resources especially in areas with concentrated activities on trails or other recreation areas such as boating where captains frequently use the same route. This type of damage includes “trail proliferation, erosion and widening, muddiness on trails, vegetation cover loss, soil and root exposure, and tree damage on recreation sites” (Jeffrey and Marion 215). Essentially thinning occurs to the environment’s soil, roots, trees, and trails making it more difficult for regrowth to occur. This can be especially challenging when countries who have adopted ecotourism as their primary source of income like Costa Rica promise a pristine landscape yet there is also an increase of garbage and sewage or excessive land clearance in order to accommodate tourists. Not only is the natural environment disrupted by developing more buildings and facilities but animal life may also be disturbed by the swarm of people entering their home.

For example, beginning in the 1960s, tourism development has been a major factor in the Manuel Antonio region of Costa Rica due to its easy access and scenic landscapes. Tourism in the Monteverde region developed later in the 1980s and includes the threatened Tropical Montane Cloud Forest. Infrastructure and facility development in both the Manuel Antonio region and the Monteverde region has “led to vegetation damage, disturbance of wildlife and an increased possibility of erosion” (Koens, Dieperink, & Miranda 1230). While biodiversity has already been lost in the Manuel Antonio region, it is predicted that these losses will also occur in the Monteverde region fairly soon. The Tortuguero region made up of mostly swamp and tropical rainforest is the least visited due to its isolation where visitation is only possible by a forty-five minute boat ride. Land clearance has been a major issue in this region due to several hotels being built without adequate spatial planning.

The Manuel Antonio region 

This region is unique in that it has experienced deforestation from agriculture, cattle ranching, and oil palm plantations but has also undergone reforestation due to the abandonment of land holdings and nature oriented tourism (Broadbent et al 731). Despite previous regeneration movements, the Manuel Antonio National Park is surrounded by palm oil plantations which have huge commercial value due to palm oil’s presence in foods, cosmetics, and detergents. Rapid rates of deforestation in order to provide room for these plantations limits the biodiversity of plants and animals since their habitats are being removed. Without a lush forest, many species will not be able to thrive demonstrating the importance of conservation for long term success with ecotourism in Costa Rica. While agricultural exports such as palm oil, bananas, and coffee are also important exports for the country, one must extract these resources at a lower rate than they are being produced in order to avoid environmental degradation.

The Playa Grande Region

Oftentimes, the large sum of tourists threaten what originally drew them to a particular region. For example, nesting turtles in this area are frequently frightened by huge groups of tourists that come to see them hatch. In fact, crowds of 50 or more people holding flashlights oftentimes will scare these turtles from the region permanently (Silk 2). These turtles are then displaced and must look for more isolated areas to lay their eggs, demonstrating how the economic gain of a growing tourist population can outweigh environmental protection. Ideally tourists could continue to go on these activities but must be educated in order to limit their harm to the region. While government involvement may be initially expensive, neglecting national park protection will allow for land exploitation and decrease ecotourism hurting the country’s economy in exchange for short term personal gain. This gain may involve hunting an endangered species since they are expensive or building more without sufficient planning but with hopes to accumulate the most profit. Regulations limiting the size of tourist groups and requiring that they be accompanied by local guides have been introduced to some regions but must be implemented elsewhere.

Although environmental degradation is especially problematic to Belize and Costa Rica since these countries “actively promote ecotourism and emphasize the pristine qualities of their natural resources” (Farrell and Marion 215), overuse is not a problem unique to Costa Rica. Any national park or heavily trafficked area by people runs the risk of becoming subject to some sort of environmental damage. As a result, we must be mindful in how we are interacting with this environment and the people running the national park could implement strategies in order to limit damage from human activities. For example, restricting camping or limiting the amount of people especially at one time to these areas are possible solutions.

In order for ecotourism to genuinely work, it should “not only conserve the environment, but also improve the welfare of local people. It should generate money in an ecologically and socially friendly way than other forms of land exploitation” (Koens, Dieperink, & Miranda 1226). Ecotourism has become a major source of income for Costa Rica so political and social pressure exists in order to preserve this land for maximum economic benefits. However, one must be careful of overexploitation since this would terminate all sources of revenue from a given area. The success of ecotourism depends on further action from the Costa Rican government in order to enact more environmental protection programs and encourage conservation. 

It is also our job as tourists to support local businesses rather than the foreign hotels that purchase the land from local Costa Rican people producing potentially harmful developments. Oftentimes, these large scale foreign companies not only damage the environment in the process of building but also limit local people’s economic success and social status. There are many eco-lodges available promoting a range of local experiences that include a variety of activities so there is something for everyone to enjoy. This form of housing is not only for people looking to adventure and spend as much time outside as possible by hiking or boating. Other less strenuous options are also available including spas and pools. Who benefits more from tourist dollars? The locally owned business or the large hotel chain established in many countries? It is more important to support the local community whose land you are visiting rather than spending money to benefit foreign owned companies such as Hilton. Foreign companies like this have viewed the environment as purely an opportunity for economic gain rather than something to protect while benefiting economically from. In order to avoid local people being taken advantage of, a knowledge of business is necessary for the local community as demonstrated through efforts from OSA Wild. This company strives to educate people and promote their businesses in order for local people to reap the maximum benefits from ecotourism since in order to fully maximize the benefits of ecotourism, “future research should be to explore incentives and impacts for both tourists and locals throughout all stages of tourism” (Stronza, 2001, p. 261). Overall, we need to be more conscious of where we are spending our money and how we interact with the environment in order to ensure long term involvement in these areas.