Costa Rican Government Reported to Ramsar Convention Over Ecological Concerns in Gandoca-Manzanillo
Deputy Ariel Robles files complaint regarding alleged environmental degradation and legal irregularities.
Ariel Robles Barrantes, a deputy from Costa Rica's Broad Front Party, has lodged a formal complaint with the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands concerning the alleged ecological degradation at the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge.
This site, located in Talamanca, Limón, has been protected under the Ramsar Convention since 1995.
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty established in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
Deputy Robles has questioned the Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention, Musonda Mumba, on whether the Costa Rican government has reported any human-induced ecological changes at Ramsar Site No. 783, which encompasses the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wetland.
The deputy's communication, documented in his official letter AL-FPFA-AARB-OFI-0008-2025, requests an examination of Costa Rica's actions to address adverse ecological changes at the site.
Robles urged for the inclusion of Gandoca-Manzanillo in the Montreux Record, a list of Ramsar sites that have experienced or are likely to experience ecological changes.
Robles claims government inaction has resulted in the failure to adhere to a 2019 Constitutional Court ruling that mandated the re-delimitation of the protected area to recover 188 hectares lost due to legislative changes in 2014. This decision, outlined in ruling 12745-2019, found the law that reduced forest area as unconstitutional.
A September 2024 court resolution, No. 26300-2024, confirmed that this mandate remains unfulfilled.
Additional evidence in Robles' complaint highlights a 44% reduction in the reported extent of wetlands from previous assessments, without consistent alignment with Costa Rica's National Wetlands Program.
The complaint critiques reports by the National System of Conservation Areas (Sinac) and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae), noting discrepancies in the measurement of wetland areas in the maritime-terrestrial zone of Talamanca.
Robles has also raised issues about Sinac granting logging permits within sensitive zones, despite legal prohibitions.
One such permit was issued to a company linked to businessman Allan Pacheco Dent shortly after he reportedly visited Presidential offices.
Following these developments, Costa Rica's Environment Minister, Franz Tattenbach, and President Rodrigo Chaves stated in May 2024 that operations were compliant, though the matter is under investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s office for possible misuse of agricultural lands.
Costa Rica, having ratified the Ramsar Convention in 1991, committed to the conservation and sustainable use of its wetlands.
As of December 1995, the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wetland, spanning over 9,445 hectares, has been designated a Ramsar site, providing both terrestrial and marine habitats essential for biodiversity in Limón Province.
This site, located in Talamanca, Limón, has been protected under the Ramsar Convention since 1995.
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty established in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
Deputy Robles has questioned the Secretary-General of the Ramsar Convention, Musonda Mumba, on whether the Costa Rican government has reported any human-induced ecological changes at Ramsar Site No. 783, which encompasses the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wetland.
The deputy's communication, documented in his official letter AL-FPFA-AARB-OFI-0008-2025, requests an examination of Costa Rica's actions to address adverse ecological changes at the site.
Robles urged for the inclusion of Gandoca-Manzanillo in the Montreux Record, a list of Ramsar sites that have experienced or are likely to experience ecological changes.
Robles claims government inaction has resulted in the failure to adhere to a 2019 Constitutional Court ruling that mandated the re-delimitation of the protected area to recover 188 hectares lost due to legislative changes in 2014. This decision, outlined in ruling 12745-2019, found the law that reduced forest area as unconstitutional.
A September 2024 court resolution, No. 26300-2024, confirmed that this mandate remains unfulfilled.
Additional evidence in Robles' complaint highlights a 44% reduction in the reported extent of wetlands from previous assessments, without consistent alignment with Costa Rica's National Wetlands Program.
The complaint critiques reports by the National System of Conservation Areas (Sinac) and the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae), noting discrepancies in the measurement of wetland areas in the maritime-terrestrial zone of Talamanca.
Robles has also raised issues about Sinac granting logging permits within sensitive zones, despite legal prohibitions.
One such permit was issued to a company linked to businessman Allan Pacheco Dent shortly after he reportedly visited Presidential offices.
Following these developments, Costa Rica's Environment Minister, Franz Tattenbach, and President Rodrigo Chaves stated in May 2024 that operations were compliant, though the matter is under investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s office for possible misuse of agricultural lands.
Costa Rica, having ratified the Ramsar Convention in 1991, committed to the conservation and sustainable use of its wetlands.
As of December 1995, the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wetland, spanning over 9,445 hectares, has been designated a Ramsar site, providing both terrestrial and marine habitats essential for biodiversity in Limón Province.
