The Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Environment are working together to protect wildlife in all the protected areas of Costa Rica.

One of the most challenging areas in the country when it comes to the protection of wildlife is Corcovado National Park, its remote distance, difficult access and big extension complicates surveillance. Corcovado is among the top 10 best National Parks in the World today according to Discovery Corporation, this is thanks to its biodiversity; Corcovado is home to 2.5% of the biodiversity of the planet, however, it has suffered the intrusion of hunters and gold miners for decades.

So far in 2018, authorities have detained 15 people in Corcovado carrying out different illegal activities such as the extraction of gold and illegal hunting.

“Out of these 15 people, 11 have already been sentenced for infringing the Mining Code, Forest Law and Law of Wildlife Conservation, while the other 4 are still being processed”, explains the Ministry of Security through a press release.

“During the last days of July and beginning of August the teams of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Environment patrolled the sectors Sirena, Llorona, La Leona, San Pedrillo, Los Patos, Los Planes and El Tigre; during these operations we were able to confiscate firearms with twenty-one 9 m.m. projectiles, several tools used for illegal mining, knifes, binoculars, communication radios, among many others”, affirms the release.

Being such a remote area, it is also common for criminal organizations to use some locations for drug trafficking, authorities have also found vessels with drugs in the zone.

Back in February, 2017, the Constitutional Chamber of the Costa Rican Supreme Court ordered authorities to elaborate a plan to get rid of invaders at Corcovado and protect the park from the abuse it has been exposed to.

The limited number of park rangers to cover the more than 40,000 hectares of the Park has always been part of the problem.