UNESCO Designation Promotes Sustainable Development
Date: 10/30/2007
Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is at the center of Costa Rica's new biosphere reserve site.
If you’re looking for the next up-and-coming destination in Costa Rica, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) may have just helped you identify it.
UNESCO has designated an expanse of rivers and wetlands in northern Costa Rica as a Biosphere Reserve Site. The 3,500-square-mile area joins UNESCO's network of 529 biosphere sites in 105 countries—the goal of which is to raise awareness about the area and encourage conservation, and attract funding for neighboring communities. It is likely that the publicity generated by the designation will boost eco-friendly tourism here, as well as foreign investment and sustainable local development.
Where is it? The well-known Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge in the popular Guanacaste province is at the heart of the new reserve, which runs the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The biosphere encompasses other protected areas such as the Tenorio Volcano National Park, the Arenal National Park—one of Costa Rica's most popular tourism destinations—and the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge. The San Juan River watershed and a mosaic of lakes and navigable rivers are also within the area.
The biosphere status of the site, which has been named Paz y Agua (water and peace), was unanimously approved by representatives of 34 UNESCO member countries during a yearly meeting held in Paris earlier this year. UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are similar to the organization's World Heritage Sites in that both designations seek to promote scientific understanding and encourage sustainable local development.
Paz y Agua is Costa Rica’s third UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, along with the International Park La Amistad—which extends into northern Panama—and the Central Volcanic Mountain Range. Find out more about visiting the reserve and surrounding areas at the Costa Rica Tourism and Travel Bureau website. You'll find a listing of hotels, activities, and attractions in the area.
Your Latin America Insider,
P.S. I am preparing to travel to Costa Rica as I write this…and invite you to join me there. I’ll be at the Live & Prosper in Costa Rica Seminar Nov. 5-7…where you can learn all about living or investing in Costa Rica. Be sure to leave a few days after the conference to tour this beautiful country. Find out more here.
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