Photo by Doug Perrine/seapics.com

Ten of the world's top tour operators including Geographic Expeditions have submitted a letter to the Congress of Costa Rica calling for an end to development threats to Las Baulas National Park by private developers who are backed by outgoing President Oscar Arias. The president is backing a bill that would downgrade the national park to a wildlife refuge and allow building of condominiums, beach houses and other lodging adjacent to critical leatherback nesting habitat. With climate change, it is more critical than ever that beaches and dunes next to existing beaches are protected to provide habitat as sea levels rise.

Sea Turtle Restoration Project partnered with SEE Turtles, a conservation tourism project, to seek support from eco-tour operators to oppose the downgrading bill and to support permanent protection of the park.

The text of the letter is as follows:

October 27, 2009

Sra. Hannia M. Durán
Jefa de Area Comisión Permanente Especial de Ambiente
Asamblea Legislativa
San José, Costa Rica

Estimada Señora Durán:

RE: Law Project No. 17.383 entitled "Law to rectify the Leatherback Marine National Park's Boundaries and Creation of Guanacaste's Leatherback National Wildlife Refuge"

In 1995 Costa Rica recognized its unique responsibility for ensuring the continued survival of the Pacific leatherback by protecting one of the last nesting beaches in the eastern Pacific and the other delicate ecosystems of Ventanas, Grande, and Langosta Beach, through the creation of Las Baulas National Park by Law. Las Baulas National Park is critical to the survival of the Pacific leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), declared as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Populations of Pacific leatherback sea turtles have crashed by 90 percent over the past two decades and are not recovering. Today, fewer that 1,000 female leatherbacks survive in the entire eastern Pacific. Las Baulas National Park has an exceptional global value as it provides the most important nesting site for this remaining eastern Pacific population.

On behalf of the undersigned tour operators we are writing to urge you to reject Law Project No. 17.383 pending before the Environment Commission of the Legislative Assembly, that proposes to downgrade Las Baulas National Park to a Mixed National Wildlife Refuge and open its beaches up to coastal construction projects. Such developments will have a negative impact on the nesting process of the leatherback through lighting, additional access of people, vehicles and domestic animals, and could likely lead to the elimination of this most important population of leatherbacks. The communities of Tamarindo, Flamingo, and others depend upon the more than four thousand visitors that come to witness the magic of nesting leatherbacks every year.

We, the undersigned members of the tourism industry in Costa Rica, believe this type of development is incompatible with sustainable development and protection of endangered species. Costa Rica has long been a leader in promoting ecotourism, this change in the level of protection of one of the most important turtle nesting beaches in the world would be a black mark against this reputation and would affect the country's well-earned reputation for balancing conservation and development.

We urge you to reject bill 17.383 and continue Costa Rica's commitment to protecting the critically endangered leatherback sea turtle, and preserving its national parks and the extraordinary abundance of life protected within their boundaries.

Sincerely,

SEE Turtles           
Brad Nahill, Director   
7227 SW Linette Way   
Beaverton OR 97007

Wildland Adventures
Kurt Kutay, Owner
3516 NE 155th St
Seattle WA 98155-7412       

EcoTeach   
Deb Smucker, Owner   
PO Box 604   
Poulsbo WA 98370

Geographic Expeditions
Jim Sano, President
PO Box 29902
San Francisco CA 94129-0902   

Holbrook   
Sandy Doss, VP Academic Offerings   
3540 NW 13th St   
Gainesville FL 32609   

GAP Adventures
Leah Griffin, Destination Manager
19 Charlotte St
Toronto Canada

Planeterra Foundation   
Liz Manning, Sustainability Manager   
19 Charlotte St   
Toronto Canada

Costa Rica Undiscovered
Chris Seek
2445 18th St NW, 2nd Floor
Washington DC 20009

Global Vision International   
Richard Walton, Director   
3 High Street   
St. Albans, UK   

Environmental Adventure Company
Michael Sanders, President
PO Box 1562
Livingston MT 59047