So says the recent report entitled, Estado de la Nación (State of the Nation).  The bottom line according to the report is that Costa Ricans are consuming more resources than the country can provide and generate more waste than it can absorb.  All this seems to fly in the face of Costa Rica’s avowed harmony between development and care for the environment.  The report goes to show that to maintain a proper equilibrium between these two often competing forces is a very delicate balancing act.  The report evaluates Costa Rica’s impact along two measurements, “bio-capacity” and “ecological footprint.”  Bio-capacity has to do with the capacity of an ecosystem to produce biologically useful material and absorb waste generated by humans.  Investigators found that Costa Rica’s bio-capacity per person is 1.66 hectares.  That is, to produce a sufficient amount of material and absorb the resulting waste from consumption each person in Costa Rica needs 1.66 hectares of space.  This measurement takes into account the current actual lifestyle of a typical Costa Rican, in terms of rate of consumption and generation of waste.  As for “ecological footprint” the report found that each tico has a footprint of 1.86 global hectares.  When you subtract Costa Rica’s ecological footprint from its bio-capacity a deficit is produced.  This basically shows, according to the researchers, that Costa Rica would need 12% additional territory to meet the needs of development.  In short, the development is unsustainable and thus dependent on the bio-capacity of other countries.  Costa Rica thus is viewed as an eco-debtor.  Even so, Costa Rica is nevertheless well below the average ecological footprint of other countries of the world, which stands at 2.7 global hectares per inhabitant.  The report cites as the cause for the deficit both patterns of consumption along with population growth.  Also contributing to Costa Rica’s poor showing are high emission of contaminating gases, the consumption of its forests, and inefficient use of its resources. 

Link to Article in La Nación

I wrote in my other blog, 365 Reason I Love Costa Rica, about Jacó the other day.  What I said wasn’t too flattering.  It just seems to me that all the development that has poured into that area is creating an experience that is just not Costa Rica.  But then again, one man’s potsherd is another man’s paradise and I guess there are many for whom Jacó has a certain appeal.  However, no one can seriously argue that in recent years development hasn’t been a little bit overdone.  A recent article in El Financiero only bolsters that argument.  The article points out that the economic crisis hit at a time when most of the new condo towers were completed or near complete and sales already well advanced.  Nevertheless those that were in earlier stages have expereinced delays and at present construction in the area has all but halted.  One of the cases cited is Sonesta.  Of its six condo towers, only three are ready for habitation.  Others that are feeling the pinch of the crisis are Day-Star Properties and the Jacó Bay Ramada.  All in all there has been a reduction of 15% in square meters of new construction, from 565,181 in 2007 to 477,543 in 2008. The “breath” that Jacó is experiencing is actually a good thing as it allows the authorities to get a better handle on future development in the area.  The rampant development put tremendous pressure on the ability of the municipality to deliver public services effectively.  According to Marvin Elizondo, mayor of the cantón of Garabito, one of the great benefits of the construction slowdown is to avoid the elimination of vegetation that occurs with much earth movement and excavation.  This can cause irreversible environmental damage such as the obstruction of “quebradas” or creeks and narrow rivers.  The lowering of prices of land in the area makes it more feasible for the municipality to acquire land for the construction of a protected watershed.  Another project in the works is the construction of a sewage treatment plant.  A plan of regulation is also in the process of approval that will bring a greater degree of order to future development in Jacó, as well as surrounding municipalities. 

Click for El Financiero Interactive Guide to Pacific Central Development