Protecting Costa Rica`s Tropical Coastline

A Bribri woman from Talamanca at a public hearing in Limón, September 2001. The Bribri inhabit the interior of Costa Rica`s Talamanca region. Over the past century their lands have been subjected to oil exploration. The Bribris have been instrumental in the campaign to stop oil development in Costa Rica. Members of E-LAW Costa Rica have worked with Bribri leaders and communities throughout the campaign. (Photo: Pedro Armendares)

Hard work by E-LAW partners in Costa Rica has led to exciting progress in a campaign to protect the Caribbean coast from oil development.

In February, Costa Rica`s environmental agency (SETENA) rejected the Environmental Impact Statement submitted by a consortium of Texas-based Harken Energy and Louisiana-based MKJ Xplorations for plans to construct an exploratory well off the Caribbean port of Limón. Harken appealed to Costa Rica`s outgoing Minister of Environment. In May, hours before leaving office, Elizabeth Odio upheld SETENA`s determination that Harken`s drilling proposal was environmentally unsound.

The newly-elected President Abel Pacheco, in his inaugural address, declared a new era of "peace with the environment" and expressed his commitment to promoting Costa Rica as an ecological leader and not an oil enclave.

During his term in the National Assembly, Pacheco supported a bill drafted by Accion de la Lucha Antipetrolera (ADELA), to repeal the 1994 hydrocarbons law. This law regulates all oil and natural gas development in Costa Rica.

E-LAW Costa Rica`s 11 public interest lawyers and scientists have been supporting community groups challenging oil development since 1999. The group promotes coalition building, public participation and the involvement of the scientific community in resolving key environmental cases.

The E-LAW network has been a strong source of support for advocates in Costa Rica. For example, an E-LAW advocate in Ecuador provided advocates in Costa Rica with his experience protecting the Amazon region from oil development. In March 2000, E-LAW U.S. Science Circuit Rider Meche Lu joined advocates from Mexico and the U.S. for a community workshop in Talamanca to evaluate the risks of oil development and design campaign strategies. The project`s Environmental Impact Statement and addendums were analyzed by E-LAW U.S. Staff Scientists Mark Chernaik and Jane Engert, and Earthjustice Staff Scientist Anna Cederstav. Members of E-LAW Costa Rica translated these detailed scientific critiques and submitted them to SETENA.

Talamanca`s Caribbean coast contains magnificent coral reefs, mangroves, sea turtle nesting grounds, the rare and fascinating tucuxi (a species of dolphin), manatees, and over 100 species of fish. Indigenous peoples have fished and farmed here for generations. Although recognized internationally as a global treasure, the region is at risk for abuse by an industry with a poor environmental record.

In January 2001, a grounded tanker disgorged 150,000 gallons of diesel and bunker fuel in the Galapagos Islands. Biologists have since found that the small amounts of oil reaching Santa Fe Island killed 15,000 iguanas (NYT, June 6, 2002, "Study Says Oil Spill Ravaged Iguanas").

The Costa Rican government`s rejection of Harken Energy`s oil development proposal is a significant accomplishment for communities in Costa Rica who want to safeguard coastal ecosystems for future generations.

To learn more about efforts to stop oil development in Costa Rica, visit http://www.cosmovisiones.com/adela/.