In this author's opinion, the new marina in Golfito has made a significant
contribution to our environmental awareness of the Golfo Dulce Region,
even
before construction begins. By going through the proper legal channels,
a time
consuming and expensive ordeal, this new marina has ensured that the
entire
region will now be more stringently overseen by the appropriate
government
agencies.
In the past, the Golfito Bay and Golfo Dulce region has been relatively
remote, and environmental regulation and permitting has not been
enforced, and
blatantly ignored by some developers - without fear of reprisal.
|
|
The King and Bartlett, pictured above, is the only
tourism dock and marina
in Golfito currently operating with a concession in compliance with
1998
Law 7744. Of the fourteen other marinas currently operating without
concessions,
most were already in business before the law took effect seven years
ago,
but still have not received concessions. Some have continued
construction
without permits, even though the 1998 law specifically prohibited
marinas
and tourism docks in mangrove areas.
Environmental
watchdog organizations are urged to continue to disseminate information
about
the environmental impact of development in the area, and to expose past
abuses
and destruction of vital marine species, endangered mangroves and
source
rivers around Golfito Bay and the Golfo Dulce.
Business owners who have flagrantly ignored these regulations in the
past
should be held responsible and financially accountable for reparation
to
these fragile ecosystems, in order to stop the destruction and
encourage
those businesses that demonstrate compliance with the law and awareness
of
the environment.
Constructions within protected areas such as mangroves should be
ordered
dismantled and removed - gasoline tanks, metal and concrete pilings,
docks,
piers, and hotels - and the land restored as much as possible to
original
condition, so that the ecosystem can begin the long process of recovery
and
restoration.
Source: The Tico Times, print edition July
8, 2005
|
|
... The proposed construction of a new, enormous
marina on the (Golfito) bay is giving hope to many in the community for
another
chance at their lost glory days, but the regulations around existing,
smaller
marinas are causing conflict.
The only existing docking business in Golfito with a
concession
on the water, King and Bartlett Marina, is crying foul over alleged
irregularities
that have allowed several others to remain in business without the
proper
permits for seven years.
Marinas, and the tourism they support, represent
prosperity
to the struggling community (of Golfito). For that reason, according to
government
officials, the more than a dozen tourism docks and marinas in Golfito
have
been allowed to continue doing business without the concessions
required
by a 1998 law governing marinas and docks...
|
Famed for its bountiful sportfishing and
surrounded by some
of the most untamed and bio-diverse forests in the country, including
the
legendary Corcovado National Park across the gulf, Golfito's relative
remoteness
is one reason why the zone has not seen the same level of development
as
areas such as the country's northern and central Pacific coasts...
... tourism looks to get a major boost with the
construction of the Golfito Marina, slated to begin this year.
The first $50 million phase of the $400 million project
entails
the construction of a 217-slip marina and a 100-150 room hotel. The
director
of the project, Marvin Jaén, says the marina, which has a
concession,
would provide 1,000 new jobs to the community of 36,000 (TT, June24,
2004).
The owners of several other docks in Golfito told the Tico Times they
look
forward to the business that could come with the added exposure the new
marina
- being developed by the Costa Rican company Hacienda Dorado, S.A., and
potentially
financed with U.S. capital - is expected bring to the area.
The 1998 Law 7744 for the Concession and Operation of
Marinas
and Tourism Docks, meant to regulate the industry, required all
companies
with docks on the water for tourism use to get a concession through a
process
of presenting proposals and environmental impact studies to different
government
agencies and the municipal government.
Regulations accompanying the law ordered all exisitng
facilities
to comply within six months or face closure. However, of the facilities
in
Golfito that were in operation when the law passed, not one has
received
its concession.
This infuriates Steve Leen, owner of King and Bartlett,
a
sportfishing outfit he opened three years ago... "Why is King and
Bartlett
the only business that has to adhere?"...."This makes it more difficult
to
compete," Leen said, "Our overhead goes up, while other businesses
don't
have to pay their taxes."
"I look forward to paying these taxes when I can
complete
the process," said Bruce Blevins, who runs Banana Bay (a marina that
sits
a few hundred meters north along the coast from King and Bartlett)...
Difering
interpretations of the law, as well as bureaucratic inefficiency, he
said,
are the reasons why it has taken his business so long to get a
concession....
Katie Duncan, owner of the small tourism dock Tierra Mar
(Land
Sea Services), neighboring Banana Bay, echoed some of Blevins'
complaints....
The job of enforcing the law falls on the municipality.
Golfito's
current mayor, Aída Soto, took the position three months ago
after
the previous mayor was removed from office and jailed briefly for
allegedly
failing to comply with orders from the Comptroller General's Office.
Soto
acknowledged that the law has not been enforced for seven years.
"But now, all are in the process of getting their
concessions," she said.
According to CIMAT (Inter-Institutional Commission on
Marinas
and Tourism Docks), this is true of those operating along the shoreline
of
the city of Golfito, but of the 14 marinas and tourism docks in the
Golfito
bay, not all are on their way to legality.
Tourism docks Golfito Sailfish Ranch, Siete Mares,
Cabinas
Playa Cacao and Dock 2038 are all operating without concessions and are
not
in process to receive one...
Roy's Zancudo Lodge approached CIMAT about getting its
concession,
Villalobos continued, but it, along with the Arena Alta tourism dock
and
the municipal dock of Playa Zancudo, a small coastal town south of
Golfito,
all are located within mangroves. The 1998 law prohibits marinas and
tourism
docks in mangrove areas, making it impossible for them to receive a
concession
unless they move...
The Isla Grande Marina and Hotel Gaviotas are also in
the
process of getting their concessions... The owners of Mar and Luna dock
in
Golfito have informed CIMAT that they are not interested in getting a
concession
and will not be conducting tourism business.
Villalobos explained a certain "tolerance" has existed
towards
these businesses, in part because there is a "political pressure" to
keep
them open. "The spirit of CIMAT is to promote the operation of marinas
and
docks in the Golfito area," Villalobos said, "Enforcement hasn't been
strict
and they have been given many opportunities."
adapted from the Tico Times print
edition, July 8, 2005
|
