Travel Notes: Conservation in Costa Rica

Cypress swamp, Cahuita National Park (Photo: Nicole Kibert)

E-LAW advocates from Latin America are rafting Costa Rica`s Pacuare River and tagging sea turtles at Tortuguero Research Station as part of a University of Florida/University of Costa Rica joint program in environmental and land use law.

In addition to outdoor adventures, young Latin American environmental attorneys and students join U.S. students to study and work on "in-region real world projects," says Tom Ankersen, long time E-LAW partner. Tom, a professor at the University of Florida`s Frederic G. Levin College of Law, is Director of the Costa Rica program. E-LAW works with Tom to identify young lawyers and law students in the Americas who would benefit from the program.

E-LAW advocates from Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica and Mexico have all participated in the Costa Rica program through generous support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

This summer, E-LAW advocate Pablo Villanueva from Brazil and scientist Gina Avila from Belize worked with University of Florida student Cynthia Wilkerson on a petition to UNESCO to establish the Rio Bravo protected area as an international biosphere reserve. E-LAW advocates Giovan Reyes from Mexico and Maria Jimenez from Costa Rica teamed up with a University of New Mexico student to review a draft water law proposed by the government of Costa Rica.

"To be in the same classroom with people from around the Americas, sharing points of view on environmental issues, was invaluable," says Astrid Puentes, staff attorney at Fundepublico, Colombia`s leading environmental law NGO.

"The Costa Rica program is tremendous. It is helping build a corps of committed lawyers working to protect the environment in Latin America," says Lori Maddox, E-LAW U.S. Associate Director.