Extract
[...] Thus, we can see the great interest that the development of this park represents, which has a real impact on the tourist development in Costa Rica, which then becomes a reference in ecotourism in Central America, but also worldwide. But, like any project, this one also has some drawbacks to consider. If we focus first on the main issues of this development, we can see that it is primarily an initiative related to the conservation and exploration of tropical forests that tries to be presented to the public. It is indeed a matter of valuing the Costa Rican landscape, preserving the nature that makes it up while combining it with tourist attendance. [...]
[...] In order to protect the area around the Poas volcano, the Costa Rican authorities thus put in place arrangements to make the area more accessible while glorifying the natural aspect of this one. First of all, this is done through arrangements aimed at facilitating access to this area, particularly through the establishment of hiking trails, roads, and an international airport allowing for easy access. The park is then equipped with arrangements to value the landscape, such as coffee plantations, rivers, waterfalls, or the establishment of the Waterfall Garden, which is a property that allows for lunch while visiting shelters housing mammals and a butterfly farm. [...]
[...] Paradoxically, Costa Rica, which promotes a model of ecotourism development, is forged in a largely deforested country. Other negative effects are also perceptible: we can mention the concentrated attendance in the park which engages repercussions and saturation phenomena of spaces and which sometimes leads to ecological degradations, but also the repercussions on indigenous populations who are engaged in this tourist process through a dedicated program (the Small Donations Program), and which is somewhat dependent on this. [...]
[...] We can also refer to the implementation of the certification label for sustainable tourism liberality established in 1977, which engages the country in an eco-responsible approach, under the aegis and impetus of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, itself created in 1956. Thus, if Costa Rica implements various territorial tools through the establishment of protected areas, or developments facilitating accessibility such as international airports; this enhancement of the territory is primarily driven by the growth of national parks. It was thus that the first national park of the country was born: the Poás Volcano National Park. [...]
[...] It is true that the Latin American region is marked by a vastness that is unevenly highlighted. The region is indeed composed of constraining but diverse natural environments, varied bioclimatic environments, vast riverine complexes, and varied biogeographic environments. And it is mainly in the face of these constraints that the subcontinent is exposed to multiple natural risks, but which still tries to highlight the multiplicity of highly prized natural resources it possesses. With mineral and hydrocarbon resources, but also scenic and tourism resources, Costa Rica has multiple ecological arguments to attract tourists. [...]
