Sarapiqui is the tenth canton of Heredia province, accounting for 82% of its land area and is located on the Atlantic side of Costa Rica. Until now possess is still characterized by rainforests, rivers and a hot humid climate. (Ruiz Bravo, José Ruiz R. 2001).
Analyzing his story in the book of Gatherings [MCJD 1996 and listening to comments from former residents, I go back to 35 or 40 years ago and I described a totally different Sarapiqui existing today. In this description I see a different environment: It was all mountains. As mountain was that the deer came to the house of one ... After having lived for many years with the bustle of the city begins to commune with nature in a place as beautiful as this ... From Horquetas here, there was no pasture was pure mountain, got one and it looked like entering a tunnel, trees crossed over. (MCJD 1996)
With these descriptions recorded four decades, we can infer that Sarapiqui was a region that is characterized by having a dense forest cover, a very diverse fauna and abundant flowing rivers and crystal containing a prolific fauna. It only took four decades to completely change this picture. Today is another landscape where pastures are appreciated, extensive cultivation of bananas or pineapples that have produced and are producing great environmental damage. All this, in part, due to a wrongheaded policy of development which gave no real value to the forest and that he considered valuable only land that lacked it. This change has also accelerated its share of responsibility the community lacks a culture of conservation.
It is noteworthy that although Sarapiqui is a canton with a large geographic area with valuable natural resources, fascinating and attractive landscapes, is one of the lowest levels of development in the country with high poverty rates. I think it's time to make a stop on the road, where their community development analyze these policies and their consequences and take the lead in promoting genuine change management in development policies and also generate real strategic alliances that allow participate in a true process of sustainable development sarapiquense.
It is public knowledge that the region contains a diversity of productive activities that mostly do not promote equity and do not take into account real policies that ensure sustainable development. She gave the example tourism, economic activity considered "truly democratic" feature that is very far from reality in our country. Sarapiqui believe should evaluate the future development of this activity must consider the cultural diversity of the population that colonized the area, the existing natural wealth and its wonderful scenic landscape, among others.
Unfortunately, today there is political will and community consciousness to develop a plan to issue regulatory guidelines for a true development to guarantee and ensure sustainability of the region.
The tourism market should have a real commitment to nature and their community, should therefore seek to consolidate that process based on the following principles: sustainability, conservation, environmental education, community engagement, evaluation and environmental monitoring, change management and development of strategic alliances, to be truly an alternative and democratic economic niche opportunities, different from the existing predatory figure today.