Costa Rica’s Minister of the Environment Visits Important Leatherback Nesting Beach
to Promote the Creation of the Playa Caletas / Ario National Wildlife Refuge.
May 9, 2005 – San José, Costa Rica
On the 27th of April 2005, Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment (MINAE), Dr. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, visited Playa Caletas in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, to promote the creation of a National Wildlife Refuge at the site, where critically endangered leatherback sea turtles nest.
On a day filled with discussions, presentations and a tour of the proposed area on horseback, stakeholders ranging from representatives of NGOs, MINAE and Fisheries Officers, local land owners and community members, all of whom have been intricately involved in the creation and planning stages of the refuge to this point, came together to formalise details regarding the proposed Wildlife Refuge, which will include a Marine Protected Area (MPA). The process is expected to be finalised as early as July 2005.
“I remember back when MINAE used to simply declare an area as protected, which often led to many conflicts of interest between stakeholders, I commemorate your novel and integrated approach”, stated Minister Rodríguez.
During the horseback tour of the beach that would include the proposed Wildlife Refuge, the Minister found a dead hawksbill sea turtle, also catalogued as Critically Endangered. Since 2002, 33 sea turtles, 2 dolphins and 2 sharks have washed up dead at Playa Caletas / Ario, demonstrating the importance of including the MPA which would ban industrial fishing practices and foster responsible artisinal fishing within its borders.
Sea turtle nesting activity has been monitored by PRETOMA (Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas) at Playa Caletas since 2002. The beach hosts a small yet important remnant leatherback nesting colony, and has been determined to be one of the few nesting sites for this species in the entire Eastern Pacific Ocean. “With recorded population declines of up to 95% during the last two decades, conservation of the remnant nesting populations of leatherback sea turtles in the Eastern Pacific is critical,” stated PRETOMA’s Beach Projects Director Alexander Gaos. “Granting Playa Caletas, as well as it associated mangrove swamps and wetlands, official and permanent protection is necessary to preserve the ecological integrity of the nesting beach,” added Gaos.
In addition to leatherbacks, the proposed refuge area also hosts large numbers (between 500 and 800) of nesting olive ridley sea turtles, as well as occasional nesting Pacific green and hawksbill turtles.
The creation of the Playa Caletas / Ario Mixed National Wildlife Refuge in an effort to preserve rare leatherback nesting habitat has been supported by international organisations such as Conservation International (CI), National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Marine Conservation Action Fund (MCAF), Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP) and Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas (PRETOMA).
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