“It is a major setback for protecting the coasts, ecosystems, and the rights of the communities,” they said.
A total of 70 social organizations and more than 170 people said they did not support the comprehensive reform project to the Law on the Maritime Terrestrial Zone (File No. 22,553). This project was proposed in the previous Legislative Assembly by the social Christian and current Costa Rican ambassador to Mexico, Pablo Heriberto Abarca Mora.
The people who signed said that the plan “is a serious setback in the protection of coasts, ecosystems, and community rights.”
Environmental groups, coastal towns, social organizations, and universities are all warning that the project will lead to further commercialization of the coastline and less public authority over this public domain asset.
The declaration says, “In a time when coastal areas have become a major draw for real estate and tourism investment, it is urgent to strengthen legislation to ensure beaches for everyone and a fair and sustainable coastal development, which does not repeat the history of the banana enclave: exploitation of nature and people in exchange for crumbs.”
The groups remembered that the University of Costa Rica and other groups had earlier warned against the dangers of similar projects, including file 23.148, because of its social, environmental, and legal effects.
The statement says that although though the proposal talks about regulation, “it really presents a regulation mainly aimed at facilitating tourism and real estate development.”
The groups say that the revision makes it easier for businesses to get concessions in the Maritime Terrestrial Zone and even allows private uses in the public zone, including putting furniture or infrastructure on beaches for business purposes. They go on to say:
This change is meant to make many illegal activities that have been happening on the country’s coastlines legal. It pretends to be about control, but it really encourages a laxity that benefits tourists and real estate above the public nature of the beaches.
The paper also says that environmental rules are getting weaker, especially in important habitats like mangroves.
They say, “Mangroves serve vital functions as natural barriers against coastal erosion and rising sea levels.” “Weaken their protection in a context of climate crisis would be a serious environmental setback.”
Centralization and loss of public control
The groups also dispute whether the initiative gives the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) a significant role in making decisions about coastal planning. They say:
This reform puts the ICT in charge of municipal powers. The ICT has always put the needs of the corporate tourist sector first and does not have the authority or ability to handle socio-environmental conflicts in coastal areas.
Another big worry about the project is that it could speed up gentrification and the moving of people who have lived in these areas for a long time.
“The Afro-descendant, indigenous, and artisanal fishing communities developed their ways of life in relation to the coast long before the rise of tourism.” Without different protection mechanisms, this reform could make their relocation worse, they said.
After the elections, different groups have warned that there has been an attempt to speed up the processing of the project in order to get rid of the pending motions and force its approval. Because of this, they have asked for a meeting with the Presidency of the Legislative Assembly and the faction leaders to hear from the coastal communities and start a conversation about how this reform could affect the coast’s ecosystems and territories.
The signing groups ask that the case be filed right away and that a wide-ranging conversation about the future of the Maritime-Terrestrial Zone regime begin right now.
