Costa Rica Travel Blog

The Costa Rican Administrative Environmental Tribunal has summoned a Polish businessman to court on September 8th of 2008. The businessman, whose name was not revealed, will need to explain to court the damage he has caused to the environment.

The accused manages a project in Sierpe de Osa in Costa Rica’s South Pacific Coast.  Osa is one of Costa Rica’s protected regions due to its characteristic of being one of the last Tropical Humid Forests in the South Pacific Region.

According to reports, the accused cut down trees and made important changes to the lands distribution without the permission from environmental authorities.  The region has a delicate and complex ecosystem which is home to a dynamic plant, animal and microorganism community.

After neighbors and environmentalists denounced to the authorities about the project, inspectors also reported that the trees that were cut down affected part of the protected water source called Guabo.  Other areas pointed out in the report were the elimination of important biological corridors to endangered mammals.  Environmental damages are estimated to be around the $40,000 range.

Representatives of the Environmental Tribunal as well as of the Conservation Area in Osa have also received several other cases in which land owners have engaged in important environmental destruction without the proper guidance or permission from authorities.

The construction permits have increased in 200% over the last year in the Osa Peninsula which have environmentalists worried and organized against any possible wrong doings such as the mentioned above.

Filed under: National Parks