Ashoka’s Changemakers, with support from National Geographic and the Inter-­American Development Bank (IADB), announced yesterday that PRETOMA’s “Development of economic partnerships between artisanal fisher folk and tourism operators” entry was one of the three winners in the Places On The Edge-­Saving Coastal And Freshwater Destinations Online competition.  The project is developing environmental, economic, and social benefits in coastal communities located along the southwestern Nicoya Peninsula, Guanacaste through the application of sustainable fishing practices.

“It’s exciting to highlight these fisher folk as leaders in the field, working on innovative solutions that protect the environment and strengthen the heritage and livelihoods of their communities”, said project designer Andy Bystrom, emphasizing that, “PRETOMA thanks all of the people who took the time to vote for the project; we are truly grateful for your support”. 

250 entries from 54 Countries around the world participated in the competition.  Among the 12 finalists was Costa Rica’s Corcovado Foundation and its “Building the Osa travelers’ philanthropy fund” entry.  While not selected as a winner, the foundation’s work to combine tourism with environmental conservation is an innovative initiative that also deserves recognition.

Foreign shark finning fleets may land their products in the private docks of Puntarenas yet again, thanks to the Administrative Civil Court (2nd Circuit San José) which annulled Incopesca’s Agreement AJDIP/37-2010 of October 19 that banned the activity as of last December 1st.

Click to see resolution

“We have no way to explain how Judge Rosa Cortes Morales has decided to ignore Articles 211 and 212 of the Custom’s Law, the Resolution of the Constitutional Court, the order of the Comptrollership and the recommendation of the Defender of the Inhabitants, all of which mandate the use of public docks by foreign fleets, the only way to defent the public interest”, said an upset  Randall Arauz, of the Costa Rican organization Pretoma.  “It looks like we will keep on being a well known shark finning nation to the eyes of the rest of the world for a long time to come”, denounced Arauz.

Fundación Neotrópica, APREFLOFAS, UCR School of Biology, Poder Magazine, Rocío Carranza (actress y environmental activist),
PRETOMA,  FEUCR and FEUNA 

Invite you to a press conference

to officially launch the initiative:

 Mission: Wetlands-Life for Everyone 

When and Where

Date:  Tuesday February 8, 2011

Where:  Social Sciences auditorium, UCR.  Main campus–Rodrigo Facio, San Pedro de Montes de Oca.

Time:  10:00 am

Why 

To announce the official start of Mission: Wetlands-Life for Everyone, a collaborative campaign created by multiple civil organizations to generate awareness of the environmental destruction being caused by the Nicaraguan government through its efforts to dredge and reroute the San Juan River by building a canal between it and the adjacent Portillos Island.  Campaign objectives will be explained along with plans to organize a Large-scale National March to support wetland conservation.  Today is a fitting day to invite you to this initiative as it’s International Wetland Day, sponsored by the RAMSAR convention.   

Speakers

1. Bernardo Aguilar González, Executive Director, Fundación Neotrópica
2. Rocío Carranza, actress and activist
3.  Felipe Castro Truque, General Manager, Poder Magazine
4.  Gino Biamonte, President, APREFLOFAS 
5.  Gustavo Gutiérrez Espeleta, Director, University of Costa Rica School of Biology
6.  Randall Arauz, President and founder, PRETOMA 
7.  Representatives from the University of Costa Rica and the National University’s Student Federation

For more information:

Karla Córdoba Brenes / Communication / Fundación Neotrópica

kcordoba@neotropica.org

(506) 2253-2130 / (506) 8892-5566

Leatherback nesting beaches in Costa Rica threatened by development

San Jose, Costa Rica – A letter was delivered yesterday to Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla from 478 concerned scientists opposed to legislation that would weaken protections for sea turtles in Las Baulas National Park, one of the last nesting areas for critically endangered Pacific leatherbacks left in the world. Randall Arauz, director of Programa Restauracion de Tortugas Marinas (PRETOMA), delivered the letter.

 Click here to download the letter as a PDF file.

The scientists’ concern is based on language in a proposed law written under President Arias to downgrade Las Baulas National Park to a wildlife refuge. Losing the National Park status would allow building of beach houses, hotels and other structures along sensitive beach areas. A vote on the proposed law has not taken place.

“While the bill to downgrade the park has not been brought up for discussion under President Chinchilla’s government, it still exists and until it’s tabled the threat remains”, said Randall Arauz, president of the Costa Rican organization PRETOMA and long time supporter of the park.  “This letter shows yet again how the international community is concerned about the protection of this country’s biodiversity.” 

 University sea turtle researchers, professors, scientists and concerned conservation professionals from 48 separate countries and territories signed the letter. The lead signature is from Dr. Sylvia Earle, oceanographer, author, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, and Chief Scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1990-1992.

“Leatherbacks nesting on Costa Rican beaches may disappear if more coastal development and light pollution continue to degrade suitable nesting beaches. The global scientific community does not want to see this happen” said Dr. Chris Pincetich of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project based in California, one of the scientists who signed the letter and coordinated the effort.

Costa Rica’s reputation protecting leatherback turtles, preserving the rare wildlife in its national parks, and planning for climate change and sea level rise would experience a major setback if the law were to be enacted. As sea levels rise due to climate change, it is more critical than ever that beaches and dunes next to existing beaches are protected to provide habitat for sea turtle nesting.

Nesting beaches in Las Baulas National Park in northern Costa Rica are critical to the survival of the endangered eastern Pacific leatherback sea turtle. Their populations have crashed by at least 95 percent over the past two decades and are not recovering. Coastal development and rising sea levels are combining to degrade and destroy the few nesting beaches left for the largest sea turtles in the world.

On Saturday, January 8th Pretoma biologist Jorge Ballestero was threatened by a group of 5 individuals in Puntarenas while he tried to responded to a call alerting the public that a large quantity of shark fins were being dried with apparently no regard for health or other operational permits at a dock located on the east side of the city’s Municipal Market.

Shark fins drying at a dock in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

After confirming the large number of fins drying on racks and on the dirt floor, Ballestero tried to video tape the scene when he was approached by the mob and forced to flee into the market.  While there, Ballestero was pushed, threatened, and told to give up his camera.  Fortunately a police car passed by the area and he was able to get officials Carrillo and Casanova’s attention.  At this point the assailants quickly abandoned their aggressive behavior and began blaming Ballestero for stirring up the trouble.  Incredibly, the officers sided with the aggressors and told him to present his ID and explain what he was doing in the area.  While this was going on, the officers did not let him turn on the camera to document the incident, whereby violating some of his basic civil rights and constituting a blatant abuse of authority.  

“Incredibly, the police treated me like I was the perpetrator”, said a deceived Ballestero.  “We only ask that the law be respected, one that’s based on the best scientific information available to foment the conservation and sustainable use of our marine resources, and we will never accept these aggressions and abuses against our work to get shark finners to comply with the public’s interest”, asserted Ballestero. 
“Recently, the famous chef Gordon Ramsay from the United Kingdom suffered a similar attack in Puntarenas while trying to document shark finning activities at a private dock”, said Pretoma’s Randall Arauz.  “The message is clear – if you approach a dock with your camera in Puntarenas where shark finning happens, it’s likely you’ll be attacked and your camera violently taken from you”, lamented Arauz.  

Though Ballestero wasn’t able to get any of the events on video, Puntarenas environmentalist William Flores has provided the video he shot a day before outside the same installations.

For more information:
Jorge Ballestero (2241-5227, 8704 8739) balles@pretoma.org

William Flores, (2664 2849, 8816 3326) ambientalista11@hotmail.com

Countdown, December 1^st.

November 25, 2010 – San José, Costa Rica)

Through an official communication of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock MAG (CP-078-2010), Minister Gloria Abrahan Peralta announced she had reached an agreement with the Costa Rican fishery sector, to close the private docks of Puntarenas to the foreign shark finning fleet as of December 1^st, obligating them to land their products in the public dock of Barrio el Carmen, as is established by law.  This measure would mean the government would finally be abiding by Articles 211 y 212 of Costa Rica’s Customs Law, which mandate the use of public infrastructure for the importation of products.

Since January of 2006, the Constitutional Court pointed out by omitting such articles, the State was putting sharks as great risk due to their irrational exploitation (04-001511-0007-CO), and ordered the MAG, the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute, Customs, Public Transportation Ministry and Environment Ministry, to halt all landings at docks that were not equipped with public infrastructure, the only way to protect the public interest and guarantee that shark finning laws are abided by.  This call was seconded by the General Comptrollership of the Republic in February of 2007 (DFOE-PGA-86/2006), and by the Environment Commission of the Costa Rican Congress (EXPEDIENTE Nº16.890).  Currently, the aforementioned institutions have refused to abide by the law and binding mandates, releasing foreign fleets from the responsibility of abiding by our national laws.  Not only shark finning is facilitated by leaving the public interest unprotected, so is drug trafficking and slave running, as has been duly exposed by the national press.

“We aren’t celebrating yet”, said a skeptical Randall Arauz, President of the Costa Rican non profit organization Pretoma.  “We have closed the private docks to the foreign fleets in two ocassions, once in 2004 and another in 2007, but sadly, our authorities figure out ways to open them again, so as to not affect this million dollar business”, denounced Arauz.

Pretoma will continue to watch dog these operations, and will keep the public informed on the development of events during the next week.

(San José, Costa Rica – October 27, 2010)
On October 26 The World Wetland Network awarded the International Grey Globe Award for negligent environmental management to Costa Rica for its failure to protect the Caletas wetland in Nandayure, Guanacaste.  The prize was awarded during the Biological Diversity Convention’s 10th Conference of the Parties in Nagoya, Japan.

Destruction of the Caletas wetland

Over 500 participating international NGOs concerned with wetland protection voted for the winners from a pool of 133 nominated wetlands.  Poor management of the Caletas wetland, in addition to agriculture activities, the construction of drains and roads, fires, pesticide applications, privatization of the area, and general governmental failure to enforce resolutions aimed at stopping the destruction, all contributed to the decision to award the prize to Costa Rica.

The World Wetland Network’s objective is to promote better wetland conservation by drawing attention to instances of lax management by authorities in charge of their protection.  Included in this objective is the Blue Globe Award for outstanding wetland management and the Green Globe Award for fine restoration initiatives.  The country will have an opportunity to improve its ranking during the RAMSAR Convention’s next Conference of the Parties in 2012 in Romania where another round of voting will be held.

“To begin, there need to be injunctions against actions the negatively affect the Caletas wetland, and that the guilty party, in this case Agropecuaria Caletas S.A., pay the $25,000 fine issued by the Environmental Tribunal”, said Miguel Gómez, Pretoma’s campaigns coordinator.  “Furthermore, collaboration between local community members and the area’s NGOs is needed in order to begin the restoration process.”

“Paradoxically, the day before during the same international gathering, Costa Rica received an award recognizing its progressive Biodiversity Law”, said Randall Arauz, president of Pretoma, the Costa Rican organization that nominated the Caletas wetland for the Grey Globe Award.  “This is the perfect time for Costa Rica to show to the world that its laws regarding biodiversity conservation are applicable to every facet of the environment and put itself in a position to win the next Green Globe…or why not a Blue Globe?”

For pictures and video of the Caletas wetland destruction click here
For more information about Pretoma and the Gray Globe Award:
Tel (506) 2241 5227
Fax (506) 2236 6017
email: info@pretoma.org
website: www.pretoma.org

www.worldwetnet.org
chris.rostron@wwt.org.uk

The Wailers and PRETOMA come together to promote shark conservation in Costa Rica

The legendary Jamaican band The Wailers and PRETOMA are organizing a concert to protect sharks of the destruction that they are suffering from the deplorable and cruel shark finning practice and overfishing. The Wailers concert is the launching event of PRETOMA’s campaign to urge Costa Rican authorities to take necessary actions to comply with the law and stop the landing of shark fins by foreign fleets at private docks in Puntarenas.

Day: October 29, 2010Time: 8 pm

Place: Club la Azotea (200 metros sur BCR Uruca, San José)

PRETOMA will be handing out information about the shark finning problem and the need to conserve sharks. Campaign materials will also be sold during the event: cool shark finning t-shirts, 2011 sea turtle and Cocos Island shark calendar, hats, postcards…

Don’t miss it! Come and dance reggae for the sharks!

Other bands to be playing include: Talawa, Bet-Shalom, Dogandul

Costa Rican fishermen at the protest

Upset and tired of the negative impact of foreign fleets upon the fishery economy of Puntarenas, more than 100 fishermen, called by the Union of Pacific Fishermen, protested in front of the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute headquarters in demand of fishery policies that benefit the national fishery sector.  Among the fishermen’s demands, are the closure of private docks to foreign fleets and the halting of the massive importation of “pangaso” fish from Vietnam.  Members of Pretoma participated in the protest as observers, invited by the fishermen

The use of private docks by foreign fleets has been pointed out as one of the main precursors of shark overfishing and shark finning in Costa Rica for years, and the massive importation of pangaso represents a threat to the activity of small scale artisanal fishermen.

“What we are witnessing, is the result of state policies that are purposely designed to favor the interests of foreign fleets, even though they have to violate and ignore laws to do so”, said Randall Arauz, President of the Costa Rican NGO Pretoma.  “This seriously handicaps local fishermen who do respect laws and regulations, and it affects the image of our country, as it in fact promotes activities that act against the public interest, such as environment (shark finning), migration (slave trade) and national security (drug trafficking)”, denounced Arauz.

Local Fishermen with Randall Arauz

At 3:00 pm the fishermen met with the President of Incopesca, where they announced that if their demands were not met, they would turn to other measures that could affect other industries, such as the tourism cruises.

“It is really a shame that the fishermen have to turn to such measures only to call for the law to be abided by in Costa Rica”, said Miguel Gómez, campaigns coordinator of Pretoma.  “The Constitutional Court, the Comptrollership, the Legislative Assembly and the Defender of the Inhabitants have all called for the operation of these docks to be closed immediately, but Incopesca refuses to do so”.

Caletas Wetland Under Threat - Vote Grey Globe

(September 13, 2010 – San José, Costa Rica.  The Costa Rican organization PRETOMA, announces that it has formally nominated the Caletas wetland for a Grey Globe Award for wetland conservation, granted by the World Wetland Network . 

 The International Wetlan Globes awards scheme recognises best practice and weltand restoration (Blue Globe), and highlights wetlands in danger (Grey Globe).  The winner will be chosen by NGOs from all over the world that register in the program.

“This is a great opportunity to call the attention of our authorities on the disastrous situation of the Caletas wetland, which has been drained, burnt, farmed, and sprayed, with total impunity by the rice farmers for years”, denounced Randall Arauz, President of Pretoma. “We urge all our NGO friends out there to help us save the Caletas Beach Wetland”, stated an optimist Arauz.  

For a brief history of the Caletas wetland, and the chain of abuses it has suffered by the rice farmers of the area, CLICK HERE.  

To just go ahead and VOTE.

For more information on the Grey Globe Award, and how your NGO can vote in this important process, CLICK HERE.

http://www.worldwetnet.org/awards/how-to-vote/