Toucan in Costa Rica Nature conservation and reforestation efforts in Costa Rica are certainly paying off for coffee producers, land owners, tourism and hospitality operators, and -of course- birdwatchers. Just about any visitor who stays at an eco-resort in Costa Rica is bound to enjoy birdwatching whether they planned it or not. Here's a recent press release on this topic: Manuel Antonio, Cos...

Source: Facebook - Paul Watson Paul Franklin Watson, the controversial founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is a multifaceted man. This Canadian environmentalist is a radical activist, a man of the sea, a reality television star, and a fugitive of justice. From now on, Paul Watson may also be known as an old-fashioned romantic at heart. Despite being the subject an INTERPOL Red...

Quepos, Costa Rica (PRWEB) February 09, 2015 - With its fertile soil and abundance in fishing opportunities, Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica has a been a place of settlement long before it became a place for visitors seeking tropical adventure, wildlife, and beach relaxation. The Quepoa indigenous tribe, whose settlement dates back to 950-900 years ago, are perhaps the most prominent of the area's...

Wikimedia Commons Of all the venomous snakes in Costa Rica, the fearsome gargantilla (Micrurus mipartitus) is often regarded as one of the deadliest. The powerful venom of these snakes can not only cause instant tissue necrosis but also excruciating pain, epilepsy, shock, and death. What is it that makes this reptilian venom so potent? According to a recent study in Proceedings of the Natio...

The students, faculty, and staff of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego have prepared a petition to President Luis Guillermo Solís asking that the Jairo Mora loved to teach children about nature. Wikimedia Commons mishandling of evidence during the trial of Jairo Mora Sandoval's alleged killers be investigated and also that protection for enviro...

WASHINGTON (Feb. 4, 2015)—Thirteen-year-old Grace Chung from Saratoga, California, has captured the grand prize of the 2014 International Photography Contest for Kids for her close-up portrait of a gecko. She has won a five-day, four-night trip to Washington, D.C., and a tour of National Geographic headquarters. The competition was conducted in partnership with the U.S. edition of National Geograp...

Wikimedia Commons One of the most lucrative crops in Costa Rica has come under heavy criticism from environmental activists and farmers who are concerned about the sustainability of their soil and ecosystems. Pineapples are one of the most enticing cash crops in Costa Rica thanks to heavy demand from developed markets such as Europe. Unfortunately, the mass and indiscriminate farming of pineap...

Source: Ricardo Retana - Twitter The participation of a top-level public official in the recent march in memory of Jairo Mora has become the subject of political controversy. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star: With picket signs, banners, slogans, songs, and a general feeling of indignation, a march in memory of slain environmentalist Jairo Mora took place in San Jose on Thursday, ...

Source: Spot Serving Costa Rica as a park ranger is a task that can be fraught with peril, particularly when it comes to being assigned to wild nature preserves such as the Corcovado National Park, located in the Osa Peninsula of our country's Southern Pacific coast. The dangers at this pristine, yet dangerous, national park include: snake bites, twisted or broken ankles, exhaustion, dehydrati...

Rainforest Alliance In November, the Rainforest Alliance announced the Follow the Farmer contest as part of its popular Follow the Frog campaign. In partnership with the Guardian, a global leader in digital journalism, Follow the Frog 2014 lives under Vital Signs – a destination platform that features a mix of fresh, educational and interactive content developed by the Guardian’s award-winning...

Source: Ricardo Retana - Twitter The senseless murder of environmental activist Jairo Mora Sandoval in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica has shaken up the country no only due to its gruesomeness but also because justice has failed to bring closure. As recently reported by The Costa Rica Star, the seven men believed to be responsible for the killing of Jairo Mora Sandoval in late May 2013 were...

Source: Ricardo Retana - Twitter With picket signs, banners, slogans, songs, and a general feeling of indignation, a march in memory of slain environmentalist Jairo Mora took place in San Jose on Thursday, January 29th. Demonstrators were united by a common sentiment and desire to see justice prevail in Jairo's memory. Jairo Mora was 26 years old when he was killed by a group of poachers in...

Jairo Mora loved to teach children about nature. Wikimedia Commons Some of the mobile phone conversations and text messages between the seven men suspected of being responsible for the killing of environmentalist Jairo Mora in Costa Rica prove that they should not have been cleared of their murder charges. Such is the report published by tabloid and muckraking daily Diario Extra, which has obt...

An anti-GMO activist in San Francisco. Source: Wikimedia Commons In Costa Rica, the fight against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) deemed to be dangerous for the soil and thereby the ecosystem has been resolute and systematic. Over the last three years, The Costa Rica Star has been reporting on the fight against the use of potentially harmful transgenics in agriculture, particularly th...

Jairo Mora's supporters The following press release on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Jairo Mora Sandoval murder trial was kindly provided to The Costa Rica Star by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. VERDICT ISSUED IN JAIRO MORA CASE: COURT COULD NOT CONDEMN THE MURDERERS, BUT WE ALL KNOW WHO THEY ARE January 27th, 2015 — COSTA RICA — Sea Shepherd Conservation Society deeply...

Jairo Mora loved to teach children about nature. Wikimedia Commons A deplorable investigation and mishandling of evidence have been cited as the key factors in the decision by a Criminal Tribunal in Limón, in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, to relieve seven male suspects of homicide charges filed against them by inept prosecutors in the Jairo Mora Sandoval murder case. To understand this...

Jairo Mora Sandoval The seven men charged with the gruesome murder of environmental activist Jairo Mora Sandoval, who was killed while exercising his passion of protecting the sea turtles that massively arrive in Costa Rica during their nesting season, have been cleared of homicide. The murder occurred in late May 2013, and an organized gang of sea turtle poachers was believed to be behind the...

Source: News.co.,cr archives Tour operators, travel agencies and hospitality businesses are used to seeing trends develop on an annual basis. Whereas in the late 20th century there was high demand for backpacking through Europe and budget travel in general, two of the major trends developing in 2015 include luxury travel and active vacations. Costa Rica is well-prepared to cater to luxury and ...

A new April 2015 Southern Costa Rica: Birding and Nature Tour designed to explore Costa Rica’s rich avian diversity is announced by Naturalist Journeys. Houston, TX (PRWEB) January 01, 2015 - Naturalist Journeys, a top nature and birding tour company, announces a new Southern Costa Rica: Birding & Nature Tour from April 8-18, 2015. Travelers will explore Costa Rica’s stunning array of birds...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Geographic Society announced today the launch of National Geographic Private Expeditions, a new line of trips geared toward independent travelers, offered in partnership with Virtuoso®, the leading international network of luxury-focused travel agencies and advisors. Private Expeditions are unique itineraries to destinations all over...

In this video recently shared by a YouTube user, an agile three-toed sloth in Costa Rica negotiates a tin roof and wooden beams of what appears to be a rustic shack in a tourist hotspot. A few important observations about this video: As we all know, sloths are adorable. This was not a lazy sloth by any means; it seems to have covered about 25 meters of roof in four minutes. Notwithstanding...

One of the most exuberant nature preserves in the world is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. As its name correctly implies, the Tortuguero National Park is brimming with turtles of all kinds: marine, freshwater and terrestrial turtles rule this haven for wildlife, which is also home to lush plant species, exotic birds, wild felines, caimans, sloths, manatees, and much more. Tortuguero...

In late September, The Costa Rica Star reported on a project undertaken by the Directorate of Conservation in the Central Pacific Area to install warning signs along the Tarcoles River advising residents and tourists about the presence of potentially dangerous caimans. The heart of the problem is feeding the numerous spectacled caimans (Caiman sclerops) that have migrated to that region from the C...

The first major land-based marine conservancy effort carried out in Costa Rica by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, founded by the ever-controversial Canadian activist Paul Watson, has wrapped up its operations for the year. Reports by Sea Shepherd and the Latin American Sea Turtles Association (LAST) are calling Operation Pacuare a success.   Before getting to the Sea Shepherd pre...

Do you know about the slow food movement? In Costa Rica, one of the major practitioners of this holistic activity is the Finca Luna Nueva (New Moon) Lodge, located in San Isidro of Peñas Blancas. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, Finca Luna Nueva Lodge is an organic and biodynamic farm involved in several activities that are essentially retooled from philosophies from long ago. &nb...

Costa Rica is blessed with various kinds of hummingbirds; some are more colorful than others, but they are all adorable and fascinating. We even have one hummingbird species that prefers climbing to hovering when it comes to feeding on the sweet nectar of colorful tropical flowers, but there is nothing like watching hovering hummingbirds in Costa Rica. Aeronautical engineers and scientists have...

Sustainable tourism is alive and well in Costa Rica; in fact, more travel agencies and tour operators are putting together packages for lovers of the outdoors who wish to get really close to pristine nature. To this end, it is important for travelers to ensure that their tour operator is properly accredited with a Certificate for Sustainable Tourism issued by the National Board of Tourism (Spanish...

Our dear readers who live in the United States, specifically in the Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia, will be able to benefit Costa Rica by recycling their bicycles during the 2014 America Recycles Day later this week. Non-profit organization Bikes for the World is participating in a special campaign sponsored under the Keep America Beautiful umbrella, and they are working in conjunc...

Alvaro Umaña served as the first ever Minister of the Environment in Costa Rica. During his term as Minister, various conservation initiatives that are now standard in Costa Rica were first envisioned. Such initiatives include payment for environmental services, ecotourism certifications, carbon neutrality, and others. Mr. Umaña will be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Stanford Woods In...

A special art project inspired by a buried treasure legend in Costa Rica will benefit nature conservation in one of our country's most cherished national parks. Earlier this year, a treasure chest was buried in Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) by a progressive art academy in Vienna, Austria. Later this week, the sole encrypted map to the hidden treasure will be auctioned off in New York City; however,...

The waters surrounding Cocos Island of Costa Rica and the Galapagos Archipelago of Ecuador are two of the most important shark habitats in the world. These two nations have been working together to protect their shark treasures, and they recently contributed to the Convention on Migratory Species. Here's the official press release on this important marine conservation matter: Historic Advances in...

A very special and unusual tourism activity in Costa Rica consists of releasing baby sea turtles just as soon as they hatch, thereby helping them to reach the surf for the first time as they begin their long lives in the ocean. A few tourist resorts participate in this unique activity, and Manuel Antonio's Tulemar is one of them. Here is a recent press release issued by Tulemar on this topic: T...

One of the most pristine coastal areas of Costa Rica will be partially shut down after dark from now until March 15, 2015. The Las Baulas (Leatherback Turtles) Marine Park in the Osa Peninsula will close down beach access to Playa Grande, Playa Ventanas, Playa Langosta, and Playa Carbon from 6:00 pm to 5:00 am to allow for the massive arrivals of Dermochelys coriacea during nesting season. The ...

Source: Sea Shepherd Readers of The Costa Rica Star are very familiar with our extensive reporting on the saga of Paul Watson, the controversial founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In late September, we reported on the Sea Shepherd chapter in Costa Rica, which is actively involved in the protection of sea turtles in our Caribbean coast. We now bring you an update by Sea Shephe...

Self-guided tours in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve of Costa Rica are just one of the many activities that allow you to get really, really close to Nature. In this video by travel journalist Elizabeth Donatelli, she spots butterflies and a friendly white-nosed coati (or pizote) that comes right up to her. Afterwards, she boards Sky-Trek to get the true feeling of just how humid this amazing p...

Longline tuna haul. Source: Greenpeace. By means of an Executive Decree signed on Tuesday by President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solis, parts of the Pacific Ocean are now off limits to commercial tuna fishing. The two main oceanic locations where tuna fishing is absolutely prohibited are the Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) National Park and the Seamount Conservation Area. The National Coast Gu...

Source: Wikimedia Commons New York, NY (PRWEB) October 16, 2014 - The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation provided $2 million to Oceans 5, an international funders’ collaborative dedicated to stopping overfishing and establishing marine reserves in the world’s five oceans. The funds will support projects creating large protected areas in the Pacific Islands and the Arctic, while also improving fis...

Spinner dolphin in Costa Rica PRWEB.COM NewswireCosta Rica (PRWEB) October 02, 2014 - Bodhi Surf, the leading Costa Rican yoga and surf retreat, is proud to announce the start of their second annual My Ocean Guardian Journey Competition. The goal of the contest is to raise awareness of ocean conservation needs while encouraging a proactive approach to the problems by generating innovative idea...

  Source: Sea Shepherd The history of Paul Watson and Costa Rica began a new chapter this month, but this time there are no INTERPOL notices or outstanding arrest warrants making the news. As people in Costa Rica were celebrating Independence Day on September 15th, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society published a press release announcing Operation Pacuare, an effort to protect the sea...

  Source: Fuerza Publica The canton of Garabito in Puntarenas is home to some of the most eco-friendly police officers in Costa Rica. Two years ago, members of Fuerza Pública (Costa Rica's national police force) who patrol the Jaco Beach and Playa Hermosa communities decided to open their own nesting sanctuary for olive ridley sea turtles. This initiative was prompted by the need to pr...