No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsEnvironment and WildlifeRoad checks in Costa Rica fight wildlife trafficking during Holy Week

Road checks in Costa Rica fight wildlife trafficking during Holy Week

Officials from the Environment Ministry’s National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) will man highway checks this holiday week aimed at stopping wildlife pilfering in the southern Pacific region, one of Costa Rica’s most diverse areas.

The campaign dubbed “Retén por los bosques” (Road checks for the forests) targets travelers visiting beaches and other destinations in the southern Pacific for Holy Week, one of the busiest seasons for the tourism sector.

Environment vice minister Patricia Madrigal said the campaign is a call to all citizens and tourists to do their part to protect the country’s natural resources. “Everyone can do something to helping our forests: from planting a tree to preventing wild fires,” she said.

Officials are asking people to refrain from taking plants or wild animals from their habitats during the holidays. Taking flowers, plants, or animals is illegal but also affects other wildlife species that are losing their food, habitats and other resources needed to survive, Madrigal said.

It is also a crime sanctioned by the country’s Wildlife Conservation Law, which sets fines and prison sentences for those found guilty of killing, damaging or possessing wildlife species.

The law prohibits hunting, as well as collecting and extracting wildlife species. It sanctions both the person who sells or traffics, as well as she who buys or has wildlife in her possession.

Article 90 of the law sets fines equivalent to three minimum salaries, or $2,350, for those found guilty of taking or destroying plants from protected areas. Fines up to 15 minimum salaries, or $11,750, apply for those guilty of taking or trafficking plant species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.

For animals the law establishes prison sentences up to three years and fines up to 30 salaries ($23,500) for killing wildlife species, and up to 40 salaries ($31,300) for killing endangered species included in the CITES list.

Residents of the Osa Península and members of various conservation groups will join park rangers in delivering information related to wildlife conservation to motorists traveling along routes to the most popular destinations in the area.

National Police officers are also increasing their presence in the region and conducting periodic patrols to find poachers and hunters.

From 2013 to 2015, park rangers and other officials confiscated a monthly average of 73 animals ranging from birds, frogs and iguanas to monkeys, snakes and crocodiles.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Faces a Must-Win for a Place in 2026 World Cup

Costa Rica's national soccer team faces a defining stretch in their bid to reach the 2026 World Cup. With just two points from their...

Costa Rica Faces Nicaragua in Key World Cup Qualifier Match

Costa Rica takes on Nicaragua this Tuesday at the Estadio Nacional in a match that could shape their path in the 2026 World Cup...

Costa Rica Coast Guard Seizes Illegal Gillnets in Protected Refuge

Costa Rican Coast Guard officers pulled nearly a kilometer of illegal gillnets from protected waters in the Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge during...

Guatemala Joins Costa Rica and Ecuador in Building Anti-Gang Prisons

The Guatemalan government has put forward a new bill aimed at hitting gangs harder, with steeper sentences and a dedicated high-security prison, as the...

Costa Rica’s Hyatt Centric Escazú Finalist in GRI Awards

Costa Rica's hotel scene keeps building momentum on the global stage. The Hyatt Centric San José Escazú stands out as a finalist for Best...

Costa Rican Congressman Faces Sexual Abuse Allegations from 2006

Fabricio Alvarado, a sitting congressman and presidential hopeful for the New Republic Party, now contends with a formal complaint accusing him of sexually abusing...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica