Control Over Tourism?

If we take a closer look at what traditional tourism is doing to our country, we will see that the effects of travel and tourism development are many and that they cover different sectors, especially the economic and environmental ones. These negative effects definitely outweigh the so called benefits of the industry. For instance, since developing countries like ours rely on its economy and environment to enhance its development, I consider the current tourism system needs to be restructured.

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) claims that tourism is one of the largest industries in the world and considers it is growing faster every day. If fact, its annual income almost reaches $ 3 trillion provoking an important economic impact second only to that of the weapon industry (Mclaren, 2003). Those who encourage and work for this economic sector declare that in developing countries tourism itself increases incomes, generates employment and spurs the country’s development. Based on these “benefits” Costa Rica (just like many other countries) has sustained a traditional tourism growth in the last years. However, this traditional tourism basically follows a consumption oriented Western model and it is not a secret that the overwhelming growth of this type of tourism has been destructive to both ecology and local communities that rely on it.

When speaking about economy, investors claim that locals receive many economic benefits from the jobs they get and the land they sell when large scale private enterprises build big hotels in their communities. However, the new jobs locals can dream of are low wage jobs that do not allow any upward mobility. In other words, the new vacant positions are positions to work as maids, guides, bartenders and so on. Besides, once tourism takes hold, the price of commercial land rises to international levels, pricing local buyers out of the market. This easily displaces people and leaves the so called “street vendor” sector as the only way for commercial growth. Finally, the leakage effect is another consequence of large scale tourism. Since developing countries most times do not have the money needed to build tourist accommodations, they turn to private international investment. As a result, most profits leak out and do not stay in the host country.

In terms of ecology, most touristic facilities in our country declare themselves green; nevertheless, in host communities pollution and resource exploitation are visible effects. In general, tourist businesses profit from beaches, mountains, and other natural sites they not own but still sell to large amounts of tourists. Consequently, the natural balance in places where tourism builds its accommodations is weakened. When more people share the same place, more resources are needed and more pollution is produced. For example, it is known that in some places in Guanacaste locals do not have water supply during certain hours because the hotels use the local water supply to water their gardens and golf courses. If water exploitation keeps growing probably there will be no available water in the future. Tortuguero is an example of pollution and destruction. People need boats to reach the different canals and he boats used not only to pollute the water with their gas and oil, but also hurt animals, like sea cows, with their propellers. Perhaps there are more cases similar to these that we have no idea of.

I am not denouncing the industry, I am just questioning if tourism is controlling our country and if our country has no control over tourism. Regularly the effects of travel and tourism development are studied in bits and pieces; but current turns required a more integrated approach if we want to keep something left to future generations.

Yana Alfaro

A Renewed Bolivar Zoo for Everybody

The Simon Bolivar Zoo was opened to the public in 1921. It is located in a strategic place in the center of San José. The zoo is not only located in an accessible place, but it is also an amusement center for kids, adults and senior citizens. However, the zoo presents some problems that give tourists a negative impression of Costa Rica. For instance, the poor conditions in which big animals like lions, jaguars, tapirs and deers are living reflect the lack of effort from some government authorities in charge of wildlife protection. Also, the cages are too small and the animals do not have enough space to move. Consequently, mammals do not have the appropriate conditions for developing as in their own wild habitat. Nevertheless, this problem can be solved by keeping only birds and reptiles.

Although it is true that the Simon Bolívar’s location is comfortable for local and foreign visitors and it is a family entertainment option for weekends, many people would argue that the city noise, pollution, and narrow space of cages might affect the animals’ behavior. . Janis Janik, biologist and head of the bird rehabilitation Center Zoo Ave in Alajuela said: ¨The Simon Bolivar Zoo does not have the space nor the know-how to take care of mammals and big animals¨ (Animal Rescue Policy Blasted, I). Nonetheless, the problem can be solved. The impact on creatures’ behavior can be reduced by moving big animals such as mammals to ecological reserves which have the appropriate conditions for them. Species like reptiles and birds can fit better the zoos’ infrastructure. Costa Rica, as a tropical country, has a great variety of small species such as frogs, snakes, turtles, and crocodiles. It is also famous for its tropical birds therefore, under adequate infrastructure; the zoo can function as an institution for exotic species conservation and study.

To conclude, the zoo has been there for over 88 years to entertain, educate and inform visitors about Costa Rican biodiversity. It only needs a change in the infrastructure and type of animals. Big creatures can be moved to special places that offer adequate living condition for them.

Lorena Fallas

Saving Earth: Alternative Green Eco-Energies

Nowadays, governments are facing obstacles concerning the fossil products’ depletion and the CO2 emissions which are harmful for the environment. For this reason, countries need to find alternative renewable resources to generate electricity helping to diminish the exploitation of fossil fuels (Canadian National Energy Board, 2009). Even though Costa Rica lacks knowledge and experience to integrate eco-energies into national consumption planning, the country must continue modifying policies to introduce the nation as an exporter of renewable energies in benefit of the economy, invest on research programs about renewable resources to protect the environment, and implement education methodologies to facilitate the learning process in the use of friendly energies.

Admittedly, fossil fuels have always being the strong arm of the economies of nations around the world. Energy consumption reaches about two to three percent per year worldwide (Lee, 2006). Moreover, the continuous growth of population and big cities forces to increase the extraction phase of underground resources. Due to this great demand, the production process to obtain energy from fossil fuels is faster and becomes less expensive. Fossil rate costs are significantly low in benefit of greater oil importers such as Asia, Africa and Latin America because international commissions regulate and control the price of fuel imports and exports in the international market (Bilgen, Kaygusuz and Sari, 2004). However, in the last three decades, conflicts in the Middle East have caused instability and insecurity about oil exports provoking energy crisis worldwide. Consequently, the price of petroleum constantly rises debilitating the economies of most countries specially the ones of developing countries which spend more money in fuel imports compared to the earnings of product exportations. In addition, competitive capacity diminishes as long as market fluctuates (Canadian Energy Board, 2009 and Lee, 2006).

In spite of the tradition to use fossil fuels for energy consumption, several nations fight against the inflation of petroleum prices looking for alternative friendly energies that will bring back wealth to their economies and will preserve ecosystems. Alternative resources provide safeties forms of supplies and larger capacity for internal consumption. For instance, eco-energies have the advantage that they can face depletion due to its renewable capacity and characteristic. This situation helps countries to depend less on imports and to become active exporters of products as well as of renewable energy entering international market (Bilgen, Kaygusuz and Sari, 2004). In addition, eco-energies are not harmful for the environment. Pollutant residues can be restored as in the case of biogas. Another example is the use of solar photovoltaic cells which produce electricity, but the cells do not pollute air (Scott, 2008). Green energies have the advantage to follow health and safety procedures which are the main concerns of health departments.

Costa Rica already makes efforts to be part of the countries with opportunity to export eco-energies due to the rich land and abundance of natural resources. Law 7447 regulates policies, guidelines and both national versus overseas energy consumption (Hartley, 2005). Likewise, the free trade agreement gives Recope, Ice, and transnational companies the opportunity to cooperate about creating more projects for exploitation and energy consumption similar to the Miravalles geothermal project. Costa Rica must still continue improving and modifying guidelines and policies to fit international measures to introduce the country as a potential competitive exporter of renewable energies (Hartley, 2005). Similarly, the country should invest more money on research programs to use renewable resources to protect the environment. As a matter of example, since 1996 proposals to change the flow of cars downtown into the use of electric train and buses are waiting for both approval and funds from MOPT and City Hall (Nación, 1996, p.5). Even if the idea to reform traffic circulation of public transport cooperates with the concept of clean cities free from noise and air pollution, there should be more commitment from authorities. Furthermore, Costa Rica should implement education methodologies to facilitate the learning process among citizens in the use of eco-energies. The first attempt was carried out several years ago with a community in the city of Heredia. The Escuela Laboratorio school planned to promote cooking with solar energy and purify water with solar distillatory. The experiment succeeded; however, the lack of interest of media to help schools and governments promote responsible use of natural resources abandoned the desire to explore more on the benefits of the use of eco-energies (Benavides, A. and Coto, Juana., 2000).

To conclude, making efforts to continue the change of national policies into an awareness to preserve nature does not mean to deteriorate the transition process towards progress. Costa Rica is one of the countries in transition to stop import of fossil fuels for national consumption into a friendlier form of eco-energies supply. The agreement signed by Al Gore and the country’s president, José Figueres, is an effort to convince other nations around the world to commit in the search of solutions to avoid the evident abuse of natural resources and the careless production of polluting material for the environment. Costa Rica is already part of those nations involved in the preservation of natural resources without compromising the nation’s growth and development.

Jennifer Obando

Should the Government Establish Paternity Leave in Costa Rica?

Costa Rican’s society should have a paternity leave policy as a part of the legal parental benefits provided by the government, if politicians are authentically committed to promote human investment and social development. Inconveniently, even though Costa Rica’s society in general seems to be receptive to the idea of having a paternity leave policy, the Costa Rican government does not think over the importance to Costa Rica’s children to be supported by both parents ― not only the mother ― in the nursing process, specially in the early years. Fortunately, not all the countries around the world adopt the same stance on that. Indeed, the European Union (EU) has included this relevant and progressive social assistance by reforming the former labor legislation of each nation member. In spite of that legal reformation, none of the European Union’s members regrets that decision because of the positive impact in child’s health and family’s stability reported by all those nations (EUROFOUND, 2006). Therefore, should Costa Rica’s government learn such lesson?

The Government of Costa Rica should establish a paternity leave policy because of two main reasons. First at all, paternity leave redeems the importance of the father’s presence for the child. This condition represents its best strength because it highlights the unique benefits from father’s affection for children’s mental stability and health. Regarding a “research context” (Ruhn, p.2), the father’s presence at home during early years “emphasizes the long-lasting effects of early environmental influences on brain development” in children (Rhun, p. 2). Secondly, this initiative would provide gender equality for Costa Rican society, not only at work but also at home. In others words, such a social benefit promotes the necessary setting for sharing family responsibilities for taking care of children and home.

The main counter-argument some people may argue is that the mother is more important for children because she is the one who feeds the baby. Diametrically opposed, feeding the baby is not the only responsibility that parents are supposed to have. For instance, love, care, and protection are as important as feeding. In addition, some others say that paternity leave would be too expensive for the companies and the state. On the contrary, this social initiative helps the economy because much more women would have the advantage of getting a job more easily, even if they do not want to have children ever. Unfortunately, there are always been employers that only think of money ignoring employee’s rights. However, they must be denounced because disrespecting labor rights ― as parental leave, in general ― is an illegal practice. Another common counter-argument refers to the belief that the mother is the one in charge of raising the children. Nevertheless, this is no more than an old and chauvinistic way of thinking. Indeed, there are about 3% of fathers ― considered as good or adequate ones ― who raise their children alone because the mother has left the family, and “over 70 percent of fathers (living in couple) with the right to the paid leave took it” in 1997, according to Norwegian’s national statistics.

Costa Rica’s modern society must urge and put pressure on both the National Parliament and Government to approve quickly such kind of pioneer social benefits. Also people will have to be educated about this social subsidy, and in which cases it would be applied. Finally, the most convenient way to introduce this initiative is gradually in order to permit people (employers and employees) to adapt paternity leave more easily.

Paternity leave allows the father’s presence during the early years which constitutes a significant investment in child development, focusing on the role of dynamic complementarities between the father and the mother. Considerations only based on monetary policies must be taken out from people’s mind ― specially politicians ― to start having a better country to live. It is definitively Costa Rica’s people’s responsibility not only to urge the government and the National Parliament to pass a paternity leave act but also to make them think over about the benefits that this leave would bring for Costa Rica’s families and Costa Rica’s society in general.

Manuel Soto