crsurfzone Environmental Awareness and Education
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crsurfzone is dedicated to helping to achieve greater global environmental awareness beginning locally. We will try to report what is happening in Costa Rica and inspire our visitors to become involved in to become active members of the global environmental movement by starting at home.
What is Shark Finning? Take a Look
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Current Costa Rica
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Presidential Commission recommends total reform of Costa Rica´s Fisheries Institute
A total reform of Costa Rica´s Fishery Institute, is the main recommendation of a Presidential Commission (spanish only) charged with recommending President Chinchilla on urgent actions to take towards the improvement of marine governance. The Commission presented their 5 step plan to the public today in the Presidential House, after a 6 month process to study the current scenario and set goals and activities for the future. "We have been saying this for years," said Randall Arauz, a member of a Costa Rica coalition of NGOs called Front for our Seas. "The public interest will never be served without the reform of Incopesca, an institution that currently solely serves the economic interests of its Board members," said Arauz. "The report of the Presidential Commission is historic," said an enthusiastic Wagner Quirós, spokesperson of the Front for our Seas. "Hopefully, this isn't only the end of Incopesca as we know it, but also the dawn of new era in national marine conservation.", said Quirós. "We hope President Chinchilla´s prediction becomes true, and that Costa Rica becomes a global and well respected leader and model for marine conservation," said Leonora Jiménez of Front for our Seas. "The world needs environmental champions, and the Costa Rican people expect that from our nation." Concluded Jiménez. Other recommendations include: • Create a sole and superior high level authority of permanent nature to lead ocean issues. • Foster the approval of several laws pertaining to marine governance. • Promote scientific research and the training of Costa Rican researchers • Propose a national vision that guarantees the sustainable use, security and conservation of marine spaces and resources. For more information: Pretoma (506) 22415227 pretoma.org www.pretoma.org Pretoma is a Costa Rican Civil Association of Public Interest and is an active member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN and the World Society for the Protection of Animals WSPA. New petition delivered to President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica against shark fin imports (July 27, 2012 - San Jose, Costa Rica) Students signing the petition at the Minaet´s Environmental Fair, last June 5-6, Antigua Aduana building, San José. A petition signed by 1937 citizens was delivered today to President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica, calling for her to take measures and immediately ban the importation of shark fins. This new petition adds up with two others delivered last year (12/7/2011 and (19/9/2011) with 4500 signatures from Costa Ricans and citizens from 34 nations, including 380 signatures by Taiwanese citizens. As of December 1 of 2010, date on which the private docks of Puntarenas were closed to the landing of fishery products by the Taiwanese fleet established in Puntarenas, Costa Rica has imported over 15,500 Kg of shark fins from Nicaragua. According to Miguel Gómez, collaborator of Pretoma, congruency must exist between domestic and foreign marine conservation policy. "For instance, Costa Rica has included hammerhead sharks in Appendix III of Cites to control its international commerce, but at the same time it promotes the importation of shark fins by Taiwanese vessels that refuse to land their products under public scrutiny," pointed out Gómez. "The importation of shark fins is a mockery of our legislation, and it perpetuates shark finning in the region," says Randall Arauz, of the Costa Rican organization Pretoma. "We thus call again on President Laura Chinchilla to strengthen Costa Rica's leadership in the regional shark conservation and management processes currently underway in the region, and proceed to ban the importation of shark fins." For more information: Pretoma (506) 22415227 Facebook: Asociación Pretoma www.pretoma.org Pretoma is a Costa Rican Civil Association of Public Interest and is an active member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN and the World Society for the Protection of Animals WSPA. |