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As those who attended this grand event will remember, one of the most gratifying moments, especially for we Costa Ricans, was the presentation of a video address from the President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Dr. Abel Pacheco during the Inaugural Session of the Symposium on February 23d. During the video, Dr. Pacheco not only gave a heartfelt welcome to all those present, but he also made clear mention of the priority that the Costa Rican Government has made of conserving everything related to its seas and marine and coastal resources, including of course, marine turtles.

In addition to unprecedented international press coverage that drew a good deal of attention to sea turtles in general and the plight of the Pacific leatherback in particular, it is also important to mention the ample local press coverage that the Symposium received, which was responsible for enhancing the conservation consciousness of the many Costa Rican citizens whose lives come in contact with sea turtles and marine resources. Beyond just the news, many activities both before and after the 24th STS involved hundreds of locals – events like the Latin American Specialists Meeting (RETOMALA) and the 2nd Leatherback Turtle Festival, celebrated in the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge and at Las Baulas National Marine Park, respectively. Costa Rican conservationists have considered this wide coverage to be of great importance in calling the attention of the general public to the conservation problems of many species, not just turtles, but sharks, dolphins, and marine habitats as well, like mangroves and coastal wetlands.

A month and a half after the Symposium, the President of the Republic called a meeting in the Presidential Palace, bringing together the Minister of Environment and Energy, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez – who also made an inaugural address at the 24th STS and a variety of officials from the Costa Rican Fishing Institute (INCOPESCA), PRETOMA (a very active marine conservation organization), and several others. During this meeting, those present expressed their perspectives on the situation of national marine resources. In the end, the President decided that from that moment forth the Ministry of Environment and Energy would establish the policies for management, conservation and restoration of all marine and coastal-marine species and habitats, and that INCOPESCA would deal solely with issues related to fishing permits and controls, as well as fishing techniques and statistics, thus ending a long period of confusion over who precisely was in charge of marine conservation in Costa Rica. This clear directive from the President has been widely applauded by Costa Rican conservationists, who attribute this to multiple conversations held between President Pacheco with Roderic Mast and Clara Padilla (President and Member of the Board of Directors of the ISTS, respectively); Russell Mittermeier and Peter Seligmann (Conservation International), and Minister Rodríguez, all meetings that resulted from the presence of these individuals in CR for the 24th STS.

Furthermore, in his Second Annual Report before Congress on May 1, President Pacheco informed the Nation publicly that in the coming weeks he would announce the creation of the first marine protected area within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Costa Rica. At the same time he also highlighted his intention to put 25% of the EEZ under “special environmental protection.” The date chosen by Don Abel for this unprecedented act, in the form of an executive decree, is June 5th, World Environment Day.

A closely related issue pertains to the visit that many people made on the day following the Symposium to Las Baulas National Marine Park along the Pacific Coast in northwestern Costa Rica, to see leatherback turtles nesting at Playa Grande. This visit was made to coincide with the celebration of the 2nd Annual Leatherback Turtle Festival, which took place at the administrative headquarters of the park. The attendees of this event witnessed a protest that was held at the park entrance by several people that had been incited to riot by landowners with illegal properties inside the protected area. They were protesting against land purchases associated with the territorial consolidation of the park, and against the conservation organizations that are helping in the protection of leatherback turtles and the strengthening of the park. Thanks to the opportune and energetic intervention by the Minister of Environment, the protest was dissolved. Moreover, the tourism guides, both men and women, who attended the Festival and are from the same town as the protesters, Matapalo, outwardly repudiated the protest. Within a few days, the Minister of Environment received a letter from 28 women from Matapalo, copied also to the President of the Republic, decrying the actions of the protestors and reaffirming their support for the national park and the non-profit groups helping to conserve it and the leatherback turtles that nest there. As the only people authorized to bring groups onto the beach to see nesting turtles, these local community guides are gaining an important income from these activities, and they are grateful for the benefits that the park and the turtles bring them.

Both the park authorities and officials from NGOs that work in the area decided to use this situation to their benefit, and have been successful in organizing a group of 30 women from Matapalo into the Asociación de Damas Amigas del Parque Baulas (Association of Lady Friends of the Baulas Park). These women are already undergoing their first training courses offered by the National Learning Institute, and are organizing a place within the park to sell typical foods and crafts. They are hoping that an even larger number of people from Matapalo and the neighboring communities will receive economic benefits from the Park, either by guiding groups on the beach during nighttime excursions, or by offering products and services. In this manner they are seeking to convert a large quantity of local residents into the principal defenders of this protected area, which needs so much help in these critical moments for the leatherbacks.

This conflict exemplifies one of the fundamental challenges of conservation, and highlights the tightrope that conservationists often walk in attempting to balance development and human needs with ecological necessities. We must acknowledge that not everyone will reap personal or economic benefit in achieving conservation successes. However, it is essential that we continue to engage people at the local level to the best of our abilities and stay our course in conservation as we face the realities of human development.

Finally, and without a shadow of a doubt, the 24th Symposium awoke feelings of teamwork, camaraderie, and professionalism between Ministry officials, the national network of turtle biologists in Costa Rica, and the broader Latin American community. It fostered a strong and contagious commitment among Costa Ricans and the broader Latin American society to protect seriously threatened marine turtles. These feelings have been manifested as an urging towards politicians, decision-makers and the President himself, resulting in serious commitments on issues that were previously only discussed.

As we move forward and develop momentum in the wake of the Symposium, we are constantly reminded of the power that our sea turtle conservation movement possesses. By simply coming together during the Annual Symposium, we have the opportunity to express our concerns for the state of our global marine environment as a unified voice to the international public. It is essential that we recognize our collective strength and in doing so, maximize our conservation efforts. The successes that we have had as a result of the 24th Symposium are concrete evidence that our whole is truly greater than the sum of our parts. With the current rate of global development and patterns of human consumption, it is critical, now more than ever, that we continue to work together and focus our message, side by side in achieving our common purpose.

The Latin American regional members of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group are committed to playing a pivotal role in this global movement. We look forward to regional collaboration in this important cause.