The preservation or development of Playa Grande is very controversial. This beach is the main nesting site for the endangered Pacific leatherback tortoise. They swim here from the Galapagos Islands to lay their eggs. If there is more development, the lights from buildings will confuse and deter them from nesting here.
The beach at Playa Grande is part of the Las Baulas National Marine Park. My wife went on tortoise watching outing with a park ranger. They take people in small groups out on the beach at night, with red night lights, and wait for tortoises to come ashore to lay eggs. None came the night she went there.
This week we are showing photos from Cabra Castle, a castle-hotel northwest of Dublin Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.
Seems like a no-brainer to me; yes, turtles; no, development. Unfortunately money usually wins in such situations. It's the same problem south Florida has dealt with for years. Not very successfully, either, considering the huge numbers of condos, etc. on the beaches!
ReplyDeleteI feel that we have a responsibility to protect wildlife and leave room for them. I hope they will always be able to have nesting sites on that beautiful beach.
ReplyDeleteI say "save the turtles".
ReplyDeleteThe scene from your condo is pretty darned nice.
ReplyDeleteCosta Rica has so much undeveloped land that it seems pretty easy to set aside enough natural land for the turtles' purposes and restrict development to other areas. But, as you know, logic does not always prevail.