Environmental authorities and park rangers of the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve expressed concern about the increase in illegal logging in the area.
The biodiversity that houses the Osa Peninsula attracts thousands of tourists a year. However, it is also visited by people in search of woods such as Nazarene and Cristobal.
According to the engineer Juan José Jiménez, administrator of the Reserve, the clandestine use of wood has increased in recent months.
"In the first semester we made at least one environmental complaint for this a week and it is taking place in greater magnitude," Jiménez explained.
Arrests in a large territory
The Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) has increased surveillance in the area. The extension of more than 60 thousand hectares and the scarcity of human resources make it difficult to protect a natural treasure.
The National System of Conservation Areas (Sinac) announced that on July 26, three people who illegally processed wood in Osa were arrested after two interventions by park rangers.
In addition, until June 2019, the environmental authorities seized seven firearms, nine chainsaws and transferred 23 complaints to the Public Ministry.
Of the latter, 14 were for forest crimes and nine for suspected hunting.
Although the number of people prosecuted for this crime was consulted, the data was not obtained at the close of this edition.
Jiménez does not rule out that the proliferation in the construction of luxury hotels and houses in the area is related to the increase in illegal logging and transfer of wood.
The engineer urged that people and companies that consume wood maintain a more stringent control to ensure that the material comes from legal and sustainable sources.
Illegal logging: national problem
According to the First Report on the State of the Environment, published in 2017, illegal logging is one of the problems that require more attention in the country.
"There are still no robust instruments in the country that make it possible to account for a reduction in this type of activity," the document explained.
The illegal logging is causing more environmental complaints reporting the Minae.
According to data from the Integrated System of Processing and Attention of Environmental Complaints (Sited), since 2013, more than 6,800 forest complaints have been received by civil society. Of these, 5259 respond to complaints made for alleged illegal logging.
In Costa Rica, Forest Law 7575 completely prohibits logging of trees in protected areas, such as the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve.
Anyone who takes advantage of one or more forest products without the necessary permission can face penalties of one month to three years in prison.
from elobservadorcr.com
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