How well does Costa Rica protect its national parks?
Maribeth Mellin: From what I know, it does a very good job, except when roads and dams are being built. I think the effort by private individuals to purchase land around parks and increase the protected area is brilliant and very helpful in keeping the parks intact and the government honest about protecting them. Peter Hutchison: Quite well until there is a reason for not doing so. It’s too easy to see National Parks as sacrosanct but when the prospect of oil reserves or hydro-electric potential the Costa Rican government, private landholders and others are explicably drawn to make a judgement on how best to use resources. The picture is patchy. When strong protection is in place there is a sense you are watching the last iceberg melt as in Manuel Antonio. But the growing strength of Santa Rosa/Guancaste shows that active private/public partnership builds a healthy momentum. Beatrice Blake: The funds collected from CR’s famous park system go into the government’s general fund and are n
