Responsible tourism in Costa Rica
Costa Rica comes across as something of a Central American adventure playground. Around three million tourists visit Costa Rica each year, drawn by the promise of the abundant wildlife of its rainforests and coasts, and the promise of safety and comfort – on its zip lines, ecolodges and along its manicured jungle trails. It’s a taste of wild, raw nature without malaria, leeches or day-long drives on unpaved roads.
As a result of all the ecotourism activities in Costa Rica, from forest canopy tours to turtle and whale watching, this small Central American country has an outsized reputation for biodiversity among its many environmental credentials.
But perhaps the most impressive thing about Costa Rica is not so much the wonders of its nature – it’s the lengths that the Costa Rican people have gone to in order to protect them, creating national parks, wildlife reserves and conservation projects. In doing so, this tiny country has become a pioneer in ecotourism that the rest of the world has scrambled to follow.
However, as perspectives on conservation have developed and grown, the concept of ecotourism has given way globally to the more holistic responsible tourism. Conservation can only be truly sustainable when local communities are involved in planning and maintaining it, and this is the vital piece of the puzzle that, until recently, seemed to be missing in Costa Rica’s master plan. Making people as much a part of your Costa Rica vacation as the wildlife will be a smart move, and one which will have the greatest impact on the country’s culture and nature for future generations.
As a result of all the ecotourism activities in Costa Rica, from forest canopy tours to turtle and whale watching, this small Central American country has an outsized reputation for biodiversity among its many environmental credentials.
But perhaps the most impressive thing about Costa Rica is not so much the wonders of its nature – it’s the lengths that the Costa Rican people have gone to in order to protect them, creating national parks, wildlife reserves and conservation projects. In doing so, this tiny country has become a pioneer in ecotourism that the rest of the world has scrambled to follow.
However, as perspectives on conservation have developed and grown, the concept of ecotourism has given way globally to the more holistic responsible tourism. Conservation can only be truly sustainable when local communities are involved in planning and maintaining it, and this is the vital piece of the puzzle that, until recently, seemed to be missing in Costa Rica’s master plan. Making people as much a part of your Costa Rica vacation as the wildlife will be a smart move, and one which will have the greatest impact on the country’s culture and nature for future generations.
Ecotourism or responsible tourism?
Ecotourism, with its mantra of “take only photographs; leave only footprints”, grew out of wildlife tourism businesses’ efforts to ensure that visitors didn’t accidentally damage the nature they had come to admire. But as well-meaning as it was, ecotourism had some flaws. It didn’t consider the needs of local people who share the land, it prioritised nature over culture, and it didn’t put enough emphasis on actual evidence of good works, leading to accusations that the practise was vulnerable to greenwashing. We prefer the principles of responsible tourism, which considers all forms of tourism, and focuses on the needs of local people ahead of the interests of visitors – after all, it’s their homes we’re visiting.People & culture
How is tourism managed in Costa Rica?
With international tourist arrivals to Costa Rica more than doubling between 2000 and 2019, it’s more crucial than ever that tourism here happens in the right way. There are concerns about the ability of the infrastructure, and ecosystems, to cope with this many visitors, and about profits being made at the expense of conservation with some of the most popular locations in Costa Rica becoming very busy during peak season. Ironically, tourists are in danger of putting the nature they come to see at risk, such as by crowding around turtles as they lay their eggs on beaches, or wandering off marked trails in the rainforest.Fortunately, most of the money spent on tourism in Costa Rica stays in the country, and this has played a significant role in the reduction of poverty levels, which have fallen significantly over the last few decades – as well as the preservation of a third of Costa Rica’s land. This shows that tourism, when well-managed, really can have an enormous impact. And even those not directly involved in the tourism industry help to sustain its key attractions through their efforts in other areas.
For instance, while the Ministry of the Environment manages the national parks, a citizens’ branch of the ministry called the Committee for the Vigilance of Natural Resources brings the parks’ neighbours together to report environmental crimes, bring environmental education into schools, start recycling initiatives and tend to organic gardens. This really is a land of bottom-up conservation.
Tenille Moore, from our South America specialists Geodyssey, says: “Tourism is the main industry and Costa Rica is massively promoting the responsible side of it – especially as there are a lot of North American travelers who come just for the beaches, and aren’t so aware of that. So it’s good to see that beach resorts are joining certification schemes and trying to be as sustainable as possible. There’s a lot of promotion, so if you are staying there you’d be really aware of what’s going on, signs telling you to recycle, and how they manage things. It’s very visible.”
What you can do to protect Costa Rica’s environment
Where to begin? Costa Rica’s environmental protection schemes are as abundant as its wildlife, and encompass day tours, guides, community tourism and volunteer projects. So here are a few pointers to get you started:
Indigenous community tourism in Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s excellence in environmental conservation has often come at a cost to the preservation of its local cultures. Some 60,000 Indigenous Costa Ricans live in largely traditional communities, often in isolated rural areas in the south of the country. Sustainable agroforestry makes many of these communities almost self-sufficient. The forests provide timber for construction, citrus fruits and other small crops, including bananas and cocoa, that can be eaten or sold, and medicinal plants. It’s the antithesis of monoculture plantations often owned by corporations and requiring clouds of harmful pesticides.
Costa Rica’s Indigenous peoples were only given the right to vote in 1994, so they had virtually no say in the control of their land – much of which was handed over to ranchers and farmers. While support for Indigenous rights is increasing and there are reserves set aside for them, there has been little progress in allowing people to retake possession of their ancestral lands, perhaps due to worries about compensating the current occupants. Frustration over land rights can lead to conflict, including the murder of land defender activists, so pressure for the government to take action is growing.
With the loss of land and few opportunities in their home regions, families and communities have become fragmented as people leave to seek employment elsewhere. Those who do stay may end up working in low-paid manual jobs which are particularly risky; the high use of pesticides and fertilisers used on banana plantations has been blamed for many illnesses.
The growth of responsible community tourism in Costa Rica is a potential solution to these problems. Costa Rica has 12 Indigenous groups, of which the Bribri is one of the largest. Unusually, the Bribri have a matriarchal society, with land rights passing down from mothers to daughters. Cocoa is an important part of their rituals, drunk at weddings, funerals and throughout pregnancies, and grown for sale. So when one village, Yorkin, in the territory of Talamanca, began to struggle harvesting it in the 1980s, the women of the community banded together to create an alternative income stream.
Helped by the knowledge of their elders, the Bribri women formed a group called Stibrawpa (women who make handicrafts), and began to cultivate a new type of crop: tourists. Today, they welcome around 40 visitors a month in peak season for cultural exchange. Guides from the community share their sacred traditions and other activities, including forest hikes to learn about the uses of different plants and trees, bow and arrow practise, and learning how to make chocolate from cacao seeds.
Tenille Moore, from our partner Geodyssey, visited the Bribri community in Yorkin in the Talamanca Mountains. It was one of the most memorable highlights of her Costa Rica tour: “You take a boat up a mist-covered river right along the border with Panama. Traditionally, men from the community have worked on banana plantations and many have been over-exposed to pesticides, causing lifelong health problems. Owing to this, the women decided to open the village to tourists in order to create an alternative income, and it provides a really special insight into life in that part of the country. It’s so sensitively done and so special, it really stuck with me.
Earnings from tourism have so far funded a health clinic, a high school and an aqueduct, with a community center under construction. And lessons from their experiment are being passed on to other Indigenous communities too. Tourism has also allowed the Bribri community to reclaim their culture, as well as creating employment opportunities so fewer people need to move away for work.
“You can also go on a half-day trip to a Keköldi village and learn about a green iguana rehabilitation project, walk through their grounds and have a typical lunch of root vegetables with chicken baked in banana leaves,” adds Tenille. “All our travelers who have done it have been delighted to meet the local people.”
What you can do
Costa Rica’s Indigenous peoples were only given the right to vote in 1994, so they had virtually no say in the control of their land – much of which was handed over to ranchers and farmers. While support for Indigenous rights is increasing and there are reserves set aside for them, there has been little progress in allowing people to retake possession of their ancestral lands, perhaps due to worries about compensating the current occupants. Frustration over land rights can lead to conflict, including the murder of land defender activists, so pressure for the government to take action is growing.
With the loss of land and few opportunities in their home regions, families and communities have become fragmented as people leave to seek employment elsewhere. Those who do stay may end up working in low-paid manual jobs which are particularly risky; the high use of pesticides and fertilisers used on banana plantations has been blamed for many illnesses.
The growth of responsible community tourism in Costa Rica is a potential solution to these problems. Costa Rica has 12 Indigenous groups, of which the Bribri is one of the largest. Unusually, the Bribri have a matriarchal society, with land rights passing down from mothers to daughters. Cocoa is an important part of their rituals, drunk at weddings, funerals and throughout pregnancies, and grown for sale. So when one village, Yorkin, in the territory of Talamanca, began to struggle harvesting it in the 1980s, the women of the community banded together to create an alternative income stream.
Helped by the knowledge of their elders, the Bribri women formed a group called Stibrawpa (women who make handicrafts), and began to cultivate a new type of crop: tourists. Today, they welcome around 40 visitors a month in peak season for cultural exchange. Guides from the community share their sacred traditions and other activities, including forest hikes to learn about the uses of different plants and trees, bow and arrow practise, and learning how to make chocolate from cacao seeds.
Tenille Moore, from our partner Geodyssey, visited the Bribri community in Yorkin in the Talamanca Mountains. It was one of the most memorable highlights of her Costa Rica tour: “You take a boat up a mist-covered river right along the border with Panama. Traditionally, men from the community have worked on banana plantations and many have been over-exposed to pesticides, causing lifelong health problems. Owing to this, the women decided to open the village to tourists in order to create an alternative income, and it provides a really special insight into life in that part of the country. It’s so sensitively done and so special, it really stuck with me.
Earnings from tourism have so far funded a health clinic, a high school and an aqueduct, with a community center under construction. And lessons from their experiment are being passed on to other Indigenous communities too. Tourism has also allowed the Bribri community to reclaim their culture, as well as creating employment opportunities so fewer people need to move away for work.
“You can also go on a half-day trip to a Keköldi village and learn about a green iguana rehabilitation project, walk through their grounds and have a typical lunch of root vegetables with chicken baked in banana leaves,” adds Tenille. “All our travelers who have done it have been delighted to meet the local people.”
What you can do
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Incredible ecolodges in Costa Rica
Hand in hand with Costa Rica ecotourism is eco-friendly accommodation – and once again, Costa Rica just gets it.
“We get people requesting to stay in places that are sustainably run, but it’s actually one of the countries that you don’t need to worry about as much in that respect,” explains Tenille Moore, from our Costa Rica vacation specialists Geodyssey. “Many hotels are actually part of the NCST – National Sustainable Tourism Certificate. It’s quite rigorous, there are lots of checks and rules on how they manage waste, how they deal with energy saving, and the hotels are graded from one to five depending on how well they are doing with that.”
And it’s not all about the small ecolodges either. Many of the bigger resorts in Costa Rica are very keen to have this certification; although they are huge, they employ local people and reduce waste and energy usage.
“It’s something that they’re really proud of and it’s very common for hotels to be part of that,” says Tenille. “And even if they’re not certified, they still have their own little eco agenda. It’s something they really strive to have countrywide.”
What you can do
“We get people requesting to stay in places that are sustainably run, but it’s actually one of the countries that you don’t need to worry about as much in that respect,” explains Tenille Moore, from our Costa Rica vacation specialists Geodyssey. “Many hotels are actually part of the NCST – National Sustainable Tourism Certificate. It’s quite rigorous, there are lots of checks and rules on how they manage waste, how they deal with energy saving, and the hotels are graded from one to five depending on how well they are doing with that.”
And it’s not all about the small ecolodges either. Many of the bigger resorts in Costa Rica are very keen to have this certification; although they are huge, they employ local people and reduce waste and energy usage.
“It’s something that they’re really proud of and it’s very common for hotels to be part of that,” says Tenille. “And even if they’re not certified, they still have their own little eco agenda. It’s something they really strive to have countrywide.”
What you can do
Costa Rica & the wildlife trade
Costa Rica criminalised wildlife trafficking in 2012, yet enforcement is lax and penalties weak, and with a global wildlife trade estimated to be worth up to $23 billion a year, the trade in animals and animal parts continues.One of the most well-known wildlife crimes is the frequent poaching of turtle eggs from nests on beaches. But they’re not being smuggled abroad. Most of them are either for the poacher’s own dinner or sold as delicacies to nearby bars and restaurants. While we’re not condoning poaching, in many instances these are small-scale thefts by people struggling to make a living and feed their families. So it’s a case of education and providing other opportunities for people to make a living outside wildlife crime.
Jaguars, with their beautifully patterned coats and powerful jaws that can pierce a turtle shell, are endangered in Costa Rica. Habitat loss is the biggest cause, but poaching plays a part too. Their bones are used in jewellery and traditional medicine in China, and their meat is prized as a luxury food.
It’s not just the bigger animals that suffer from the wildlife trade, either. Parrots, toucans, songbirds, monkeys and many other animals are kept as household pets, often caged or chained up for years. And butterflies, beetles, spiders and reptiles are regularly sold to collectors around the world, in many cases killed by chloroform before they are transported.
Costa Rica has called for greater action from the United Nations to stop wildlife trade fuelled by organised crime organisations
“The world is still feeling the full brunt of a pandemic, which most likely had its origins in wildlife,” said President Carlos Alvarado at a UN Commission against Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice meeting. “We are advised that there are hundreds of thousands of new viruses that could spill over from wildlife to humans; we are struggling to combat climate change and staring down the loss of a million species. The illicit trafficking in wildlife is exacerbating all of these interrelated global crises.”
What you can do
Pesticide use & monocultures in Costa Rica
Eco-friendly, biodiverse Costa Rica has some of the highest levels of pesticide usage in the world, averaging around 25kg applied for every hectare of cultivated land. Pesticides are especially prevalent on monoculture crops earmarked for export, such as coffee, bananas, cassavas and pineapples. Monocultures tend to be more prone to disease and pests, and extensive use of chemicals is required to maintain a reliable yield.But spraying crops with pesticides isn’t a precise business. These chemical concoctions – which are often toxic, polluting soil and waterways, and posing a serious health risk to humans as well as wildlife – can drift well beyond their target.
Large single-crop plantations also have a curious habit of spreading beyond their boundaries, which is gradually putting a dent in Costa Rica’s proud achievement of reversing deforestation and becoming a ‘carbon sink’ over the last few decades.
Communities neighbouring plantations have been asking the Costa Rican government to intervene for years. One family of beekeepers says their precious bees die in large numbers every time the fields surrounding their home are sprayed. It seems that politicians may finally have started to act, with a promise to regulate or ban many chemicals.
What you can do
Responsible tourism tips in Costa Rica
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