Lauren Witty

08/20/19

Security Improvements in Response to Increased Ecotourism Within Corcovado National Park

SUMMARY
Due to an increased amount of tourism within Corcovado National Park, there is a need for an expansion

of security. To fulfill the needs of this region, the Costa Rican government should invest in a new ranger

station along the shores of Corcovado, along Playa Llorona. Located just north of the Sirena station, this

ranger station will serve the purpose of increased vigilance against drug smuggling. Furthermore, the

other existing ranger stations will employ more park guards in order to control more areas of Corcovado

National Park.

STAKEHOLDERS
Drug Smugglers: want to be able to transport drugs through the border between Panama and Costa Rica.

A new ranger station will serve as a visual deterrent, and would make their trade much more difficult

forcing them away from the shores of Corcovado.

Gold Miners: want to be able to mine throughout the National Park without facing prosecution. With the

ranger station, they will need to find new places to mine, or have to pursue a whole new profession.

Poachers: want to hunt exotic animals and sell or utilize their kills for cultural purposes. With the

research station, it will be more difficult for them to hunt animals, and they may have to move to new

areas outside of the national park.

Park Guards: usually, they want to preserve the park, but also want a stable income and plenty of

available jobs. The construction of the station, and the rest of the project will require an increase in the

number of park rangers and an enrollment in a training course.

Students: through this plan, students at local schools will be informed about the potential park guard

career path. Many students have been specializing in tourism related jobs, and would benefit from a park

guard outreach program, as it will provide them with more information about their potential future.
Ecotourists: want to explore nature and experience the wonders of Corcovado peacefully. With the

station, the park will be safer for them to explore, allowing them to enjoy the biodiversity without fear of

violence.

Researchers: require pristine areas to conduct various studies. With a decreased risk of poaching, due to

the station, research projects are more likely to continue long term without being disrupted, maintaining

the integrity of the experiments.

Beaches of Corcovado: building the station along the edge of the beach will result in some habitat loss

and could lead to erosion and runoff onto the beach. Runoff can bring unwanted chemicals from the

construction of the station to the beach, negatively impacting the beach habitat.

Rainforest Edge: the construction of the station will most likely require the removal of some trees and

will therefore risk erosion and runoff as well.

Rainforest Flora: since this project will employ many more park guards, there will be more people

hiking throughout the rainforest. This could potentially cause the formation of more trails, influencing

how and where different plant life grows.

Rainforest Wildlife: will experience minor habitat loss, but will still have access to the rest of the park,

with a decreased risk of poaching. They will also have more interactions with people due to a potential

increase in tourism and more park guards.

Marine Wildlife: the construction of the station, and the import of food and various supplies will lead to

more boats coming in and out of Playa Llorana. This could impact all types of marine life due to gas,

sewage, and noise pollution from the boats. The construction of the station will also increase the risk of

runoff and erosion, which could potentially transport unwanted chemicals and minerals to the water,

affecting the habitats of marine life.

Sirena Station: the Sirena Station wants to increase tourism, at the moment, in order to bring in more

revenue for the property. With the extra protection of the new ranger station, Sirena can continue to
expand ecotourism, achieving their goal of more revenue. With an increased source of income, Sirena can

develop educational programs, provide more jobs, and show more people the wonders of Corcovado.

PROJECTED CHANGES WITHIN CORCOVADO

South America is currently facing many issues involving drug production and distribution. Colombia,

located south of Costa Rica, is a nation that has been battling drug trafficking for an extended period of

time. However, cartels have an increasingly powerful hand on the nation, making it difficult to install

change within the drug landscape. These drugs can be transported through Panama, and towards Costa

Rica. Due to an increase in the price of various drugs, like cocaine, there are larger, more frequent,

deliveries to the United States. As time progresses, the demand and price of cocaine may continue to

grow within the United States, ensuring that more drug smugglers travel through Corcovado and Costa

Rica. In the future, it is safe to assume that drugs will continue to be smuggled into Costa Rica, but a

ranger station might be able to decrease the amount that is successfully transported, as it will serve as a

visual deterrent.

Recently, the Sirena station has opened up its doors to ecotourists. Over the course of just a few

years, the station has drastically changed, adapting to the needs of these tourists. As the station continues

to develop, more tourists will likely make the trek to the station. With more tourists comes more

opportunities for them to face drug smugglers, gold miners or poachers. These interactions could easily

turn violent, leaving Sirena and the Costa Rican government liable. To ensure that no unnecessary

violence occurs between people, a plan to decrease the amount of illegal activity within Corcovado must

be implemented. A ranger station will be able to help curb the effects of the drug smuggling, providing

security for tourists and researchers.

However, a new ranger station will not be solely sufficient in ceasing interactions between

tourists and people participating in criminal activities. Many of the existing park guard stations only

house a few, usually around two, park guards at a time. This small amount of park guards makes it almost
impossible to patrol the areas, turning all of their attention towards the needs of tourists. By mainly

focusing on tourists, park guards are essentially allowing for these criminal activities to occur and

continue. By employing more guards, Corcovado could become safer for both tourists and wildlife.

PROJECT DETAILS
Using $1,000,000, a new rangers station will be constructed just off the shoreline of Playa Llorona in

Corcovado National Park. The station will be located in a place where minimal trees need to be removed

and erosion is least likely, as determined by an environmental impact report. The station will feature

limited amenities, providing basic electricity at night, running water, and functional kitchen appliances.

Similar to Sirena, it will include two separate bunkhouses: one for current park rangers, and another for

migrants.

$4,000,000 will be allocated towards training new, and old, park rangers, as well as the purchase of new

gear. The training will be a refresher, for old guards, and provide new information on how to interact with

those committing crimes in a way that defuses the situation, while also ensuring the preservation of the

rainforest.

The final $5,000,000 will be allocated towards salaries for the park guards (just while the project begins),

general upkeep of the station, and any efforts that will promote the sustainability of the project. Some of

the money will also be allocated towards education. This would consist of reaching out to local schools in

the Southwestern area of Costa Rica, teaching them about the job opportunities that exist within

Corcovado, in hopes to recruit a younger workforce.

During this process, it is also essential that more park guards are hired and distributed throughout the

national park. Ideally there would be fourteen park guards allocated to each of the following stations: El

Tigre, La Leona, Los Patos, Playa Llorona, San Pedrillo, and Sirena. If each of the stations had fourteen

park guards, then they could rotate living and working within the park by fifteen day periods. With seven

park guards always on duty, there could be five guards that patrol each day, while two remain at the

station, attending to tourists and other domestic needs.

NEEDS ADDRESSED

This proposal addresses the need for more park guards within Corcovado National Park. Over the years,

there have been many drug smuggling situations, attempts at poaching of exotic wildlife, and gold mining

discoveries that have gone unnoticed. Currently, there are only a few park guards living within the park at

each of the stations. This makes it hard for them to attend to all criminal activities, as Corcovado is a large

park that can be difficult to navigate. Instead, many have been focusing on the needs of tourists, as they

remain within the immediate vicinity of the station. This allows for a lot of criminal activity to go

unnoticed, leading to an upwards trend of drug smuggling and poaching over the years within Corcovado.

By hiring more guards, tourists can still gain the attention that they need, while also allowing the guards

to patrol and secure the park.

With the growing tourist activity within the area, it is essential that there are more park guards

there to prevent any confrontations from occurring. Tourists require a lot of personalized attention, as they

are unfamiliar with the park and the dangers that occur within it. By inviting more tourists, Sirena is

putting itself at more of a liability, as tourists can be ignorant to criminal dangers within the rainforest.

With the addition of more guards, tourists can be more thoroughly educated, attended to, and protected

from potentially violent situations.

However, it is best not to add all of these additional park guards directly to the Sirena Station.

While their main purpose will be to protect the tourists from ongoing criminal activity, it is best to spread

out the guards, while also creating a new station so the tourists are not overwhelmed. Tourists and

researchers want a sense of security, something that a small number of guards at the station can provide.

With an additional thirty five guards at Sirena, tourists could easily become more aware that Corcovado

can be a dangerous place, and will be less likely to return. In order to increase the revenue that comes

from tourists and researchers, it is better to maintain distance between a majority of the guard force and

the Sirena Station.

 The construction of the station at Playa Llorona will also address the lack of park guard presence

along the beaches of Corcovado. Without a park guard presence along the beaches, drug smugglers are

able to sneak past the park, and continue on their path north. By simply constructing a new station along

the shore, drug smugglers might be deterred from moving through the park, hopefully reducing drug

traffic within Corcovado.

BENEFITS AND COSTS

This project will mainly benefit tourists coming to visit Corcovado. However, it will indirectly benefit

wildlife, due to a potential decrease in poaching. Without the threat of unwanted criminal activity

occurring within the area, habitat destruction is less likely. If the wildlife is allowed to thrive, that also

suggests that the Sirena station will experience more tourism and applications for research. This increased

interest in the area can bring in more revenue, allowing the park to hire more guides or rangers, providing

more jobs to local communities.

There are a few environmental costs. Building a new station in a forested area necessitates habitat

destruction and risks of erosion, runoff, and pollution. However, the station will only take up a small part

of the national park. The wildlife that experienced the habitat destruction would still be able to occupy a

new space within the park. Another way to mitigate the environmental impact is to only build one ranger

station. While more stations may further deter drug smugglers, they would also destroy more habitat and

increase the chance of runoff and erosion from the construction. In order to balance environmental and

social impacts, it is necessary to only build one station and reinforce other existing stations, as it preserves

both human rights and nearby habitats.

CONCLUSION

Due to the growth of ecotourism throughout Costa Rica, more vigilance and security measures are

necessary. By mitigating the risks presented by drug smugglers, protecting endangered species and

employing a larger part of the community, Costa Rica can achieve its goal of preserving human rights and

holding a leading role in environmental policy through this proposed security plan.