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Sala
IV orders rapid taking of Parque Baulas strip
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By Helen Thompson
of the A.M.Costa Rica staff
Disputed land in the Parque Nacional Las Baulas should and will be
expropriated, according to a decision by the Sala IV constitucional
court announced Thursday.
All private constructions should be removed from the 75-meter strip of
land that runs for several kilometers next to beaches that include
Playa Grande, where leatherback turtles nest every year, said the order
from the court. The land is titled, valuing in the millions of dollars,
money that land-owners in the area doubt the government will be able to
produce in order to buy the land.
The Sala Constitucional statement reprimands the Ministerio de Ambiente
y Energía for delaying the expropriation of the land for 10
years and for failing to guarantee that the park completes its function
of protecting the turtles.
The decision comes as the Tribunal Ambiental, a body of the Ministerio
de Ambiente y Energía, is raking the Guanacaste area. It claims
to have already paralyzed three constructions in the 75-meter wide
strip of titled land that the Sala Constitucional has now confirmed
should be expropriated for inclusion in the national park.
“It is ordered that Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Echandí, or whoever
occupies the post of minister of Ambiente y Energía in his
place, immediately initiates the expropriation,” said the summary of
the court decision, adding that if this is not done, the minister will
be sanctioned according to law.
Although Rodriguez Echandí was the environmental minister at the
time that the court
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suit was initiated, the post
is now filled by Roberto Dobles.
A man identified by the last names Boza Loría, representative of
The
Leatherback Trust, brought the action to court. His intention was to
throw out the Zonificación del Distrito Cabo Velas, Sector
Costero, a
zoning plan for Playas Ventana, Grande and Langosta which had
previously been approved by the Municipalidad de Santa Cruz.
The Leatherback Trust signed an agreement with the Ministerio de
Ambiente y Energía in 2004, in which it agreed to raise
funds for the expropriation of the land. In
February, the Trust put an end to the agreement, allegedly due to the
state's slow progress in expropriating the land, but since that time
the Trust's own financial activities have come under scrutiny.
The Trust was meant to collect donations in order to buy the land from
owners, but the ministry did not supervise any donations that were paid
to the trust. It is now unclear whether the trust used funds to buy
properties outside of the national park, rather than collect them for
the expropriation of the land. Five properties are said to have been
bought by the trust to the value of $1 million. None were put in the
name of the Costa Rican state.
Representatives of the trust have indicated that they collected $7
million in donations, used $2.6 million of it to maintain the park and
start the process of expropriating land. Now that the trust's agreement
with the environmental ministry is terminated, the trust said that it
will be sending the remaining money back to the donor, Fundación
Moore,
presumably leaving the government back at the drawing board concerning
raising funds to expropriate the land. |
It's a good thing it was not a chilly night
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By Saray Ramírez Vindas
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Rica is known for its variety of wildlife, but some are seen
infrequently. There was a rare visit by Hombre bucknakedis
Thursday in early evening in Parque España. This
particular creature disguises itself by wearing normal clothes and
mingling with the crowds most of the time.
But sometimes, perhaps when the moon is full, they tend to hide behind
giant cork trees and leap out sans clothes to confront passing women.
This particular specimen was about 300 pounds and probably didn't have
much to be an exhibitionist about. The newly installed lighting of the
downtown park provided enough illumination for the scene to be visible.
Unlike many of its kind, the creature, possibly confused by the woman's
lack of reaction, put his clothes back on and waited until the men in
blue coats arrived to take him away. They said they know him.
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A.M. Costa Rica/Saray
Ramírez Vindas
Hombre bucknakedis looks better with
clothes
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