ECOTOURISM IN COSTA RICA, south America

TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT Living in Costa Rica's diverse forest habitats and ecosystems are: 13 thousand

plant species, 2,000 moth and 4,500 butterfly species, 163 varieties of amphibians, 220 types of reptiles, 1,600 species of fresh and salt water fish, and at least 870 types of birds.

The extensive landscape also boasts many different types of forests, including deciduous, mangrove swamps, rain forests, herbaceous ponds, cloud forests, moors, palm groves, oak woods, riparian forests, and swamp groves.

Among Costa Rica's environmental wonders are extensive volcanoes, several of which are active and produce relaxing thermal springs, and are some of Costa Rica's most popular attractions. There are deep caves to explore and pre-Columbian settlements, sites of many meso-American archaeological studies. These are all part of a vast system of 22 national parks, 10 wildlife refuges, 12 biological reserves, 8 forest reserves and 26 protected zones, covering 25% of the national territory.

Tens of thousands of visitors are able to experience the natural environment. The national park system in Costa Rica is the main attraction in ecotourism with eco-resorts, eco-lodges and eco-hotels. The first strictly protected area came about in 1963. There are now 30 parks and more than 2230 different protected areas in Costa Rica.

Activities available for ecotourists include; rock climbing, swimming, paragliding, canopy walks, tours, hiking and aquatic safaris.

POSITIVE EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT while not the case initially, over time ecotourism has become one of the main

justifications for preservation of natural areas throughout Costa Rica, resulting in rapid expansion of the national park system which now includes seventy different entities.  Looking at it from a different perspective, close to 14% of the country has been designated as national protected areas, which puts Costa Rica among the leaders in environmental preservation throughout the Caribbean

Similarly, the emphasis on natural preservation for the sake of ecotourism has helped stem the widespread deforestation of the countryside.  Although deforestation in Costa Rica is still problematic ,deforestation has decreased over time.

Alternative to Environmentally Damaging Industries; For instance, the previously mentioned EARTH research institution has been researching the production of possible banana byproducts such as banana paper made from the generally discarded banana stalk

Encourages Individual Conservation Efforts; By experiencing first hand the beauty of the Monteverde Cloud Forest or the majesty of a Red Macaw, tourists may return home wanting to do more to help protect the environment.

Encourages Small Scale Infrastructure Construction; One of A.L. Andersen's designs is the Lapa Rios Resort located on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. To ensure that the resort has as little negative impact as possible on the surrounding environs, Andersen took into account waste management and utilities, as well as the actual building design. Construction of the Lapa Rios Resort necessitated the removal of only one tree, and the completed resort consists of only a main lodge and 14 private bungalows.

TURU

BARI AND

VERAGUA

Turubari national park and veragua national park have adopted creative ways of incorporating nature into their tourist activities such as camouflaging their buildings with nature and using very little artificial in construction.

DISADVANTAGES OF TOURISM IN COSTA RICA

Visitor Overcapacity One of the environmental effects of ecotourism is overcrowding and impacts of using it. It can give undue pressure to environmentally sensitive areas. Overcrowding natural areas with visitors could result in environmental degradation. Overcrowding or sudden influx of tourists could lead to excess in the local carrying capacities which will have negative impacts on the environment since the locals are left with the responsibilities of coping with solid waste generation, pollution, habitat destruction, forest degradation and trail erosion. It could also degrade the delicate balance of the ecosystems and threatens the environment from which it depends.

Profit over Protection and Inadequate Enforcement Reliance on International Donors Leakage; In the Tortuguero National Park of Costa Rica, a mere 6% of

the total income will go to the local communities. Exploitation of Local Work Force; A study conducted in the Osa

peninsula showed that ecotourism made the inhabitants poorer not richer as thought.

Instability; Although Costa Rica's political outlook appears positive, sudden political instability, escalating crime rates, terrorism, or threats of a global recession could all trigger an unexpected sharp decline in tourism.

Thank you for your time,

Daisy Sowah