The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, April 24, 2003

THE HUNTED: Caiman poachers in the Northern Zone are thought to be setting forest fires.
TT/ Tim Rogers

Northern Zone Brush Fires
Burn Out of Control
The raging brush fires that, over the last three weeks, have consumed more than 2,000 hectares of Caño Negro National Wildlife Reserve near the northern border town of Upala continue to burn out of control, despite efforts by the Environment Ministry, firefighters and local volunteers.
(Click for more)

April 24

Feminist Film Cycle
"Memorias de Antonia," April 24 at 6 p.m., Calderón Guardia Museum, Av. 11/13, Ca. 25, Barrio Escalante. Info: 222-6392.

Honoring Music and Art
Alliance Française is offering a celebration to highlight singer Ray Tico and sculpturist Leda Astorga. From 3-7 p.m., Barrio Amón. Info: 222-3803, ext. 23.

Piano Concert by Keum-bong Kim
Tonight at the National Auditorium, Children’s Museum, Ca. 4. Info: 283-9787.

Return To Top Of Page

Fishermen Protest Fuel Price Hike

A total of 40 fishermen -- including at least four minors -- were arrested and two police officers injured as demonstrators blocked the Inter-American highway in protest of government fuel hikes in the Pacific municipality of Puntarenas.

When riot police tried to remove the demonstrators from the street, some of the protesters began to clash with the cops, throwing rocks and sticks. Police responded with tear gas and arrests.

"We cannot allow traffic to be interrupted," said Security Minister Rogelio Ramos. "We even offered to transport the protest leaders to San José to negotiate with the government, but they refused."

The fishermen are complaining that they can no longer afford the cost of gasoline for their boats.

Protestors are threatening with continued strikes today, if the government does not release the 40 demonstrators arrested yesterday.
Read Friday's TT print edition for full coverage!

Return To Top Of Page

Northern Zone Brush Fires
Burn Out of Control
By Fabián Borges
Tico Times Staff

The raging brush fires that, over the last three weeks, have consumed more than 2,000 hectares of Caño Negro National Wildlife Reserve near the northern border town of Upala continue to burn out of control, despite efforts by the Environment Ministry, firefighters and local volunteers.

Officials claim that as soon as they have one fire under control, another is set, presumably by arsonists.

The five original fires appeared to be under control early last week, but the lack of rain and strong winds caused them to surge and grow this week.

Lacking adequate personnel and equipment, 55 firefighters and a handful of local volunteers have attempted to battle the fires using water collected in plastic containers from nearby wetlands, while cutting clearing land with machetes and chainsaws.

Firefighters are also using a tractor to dig ditches around the fires in order to isolate them and keep them from spreading throughout more of the reserve.

"Since we have limited personnel, we've been fighting one fire at a time," Firefighter Edgar Monge told the Tico Times on Monday. "The fires are spread far apart, so there's little threat they'll combine."

Officials believe members of the local community are lighting the fires.

"It's frustrating. Whenever we put out a fire, someone starts a new one," Monge said.

"Over the weekend, we managed to contain a fire burning in the Playuelas sector of the reserve," he said. "But on Sunday, a new fire was stared in the same area. This brings the total number of fires to seven."

Vicente Meza, administrator of the refuge, believes the arsonists are local ranchers attempting to expand grazing lands. Area firefighters have reported finding freshly planted pastures in areas that were cleared by fires.

Environment Ministry officials believe some of the alleged arsonists are organized groups of local hunters opposed to new restrictions of fishing and the recent crackdown on the illegal poaching of endangered crocodiles in the reserve's wetlands (TT Daily, Jan. 22)

"Near the end of the Holy Week holidays, officials detained a man carrying a lighted torch and attempting to start another fire," Environment Minister Carlos Manuel Rodríguz said this week. "The suspect was already under investigation for crocodile poaching."

Rodríguez said the fires would most likely continue until the rainy season starts.

However, he stressed, the rains will not bring an end to the threat of organized groups attempting to undermine the government's commitment to enforcing environmental laws.

"We need to devise new ways of addressing this problem," he insisted.

Despite the recent Caño Negro fires, the country has seen a sharp drop in the number of forest fires during this year's dry season, according to the Ministry.

"Five weeks before the official end of the fire season, we've reduced the number of forest fires by 30% from last year," Rodríguez noted. "Meanwhile, forest fires have increased by 27% this year in the rest of Central America. Costa Rica is succeeding in controlling fires and safeguarding its protected areas."

Over the last 15 years, the number of hectares destroyed each year by fires has dropped from 147,000 to 40,000, he said.

Return To Top Of Page

Farmers Plan March for
Protection in CAFTA

Leaders of the country's agricultural sector announced yesterday they will stage a massive march on San José next Monday to demand government protection in the upcoming free-trade agreement between the United States and Central America (CAFTA).

As many as 8,000 farmers are expected to march through San José to the Casa Presidencial in the southeastern suburb of Zapote, where they will attempt to meet with President Abel Pacheco to make their concerns heard.

"Up until now, we haven't been listened to," said Lorenzo Cambronero, president of the Union of Small and Medium Agricultural Producers (Upanacional) -- one of the 15 groups expected to take part in next week's march.

Farmers fear they will be driven out of business by foreign competitors if the country decides to reduce tariffs against U.S. agricultural products as part of CAFTA.

The agricultural sector considers the elimination of tariffs to be "unacceptable" if the U.S. refuses to eliminate its agricultural subsidies.

Central America's poultry, pork, dairy and agriculture sectors have asked to be excluded from CAFTA as long at the U.S. maintains export subsidies.

U.S. Foreign Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said that the U.S. would be willing to consider eliminating its subsidies if Europe and Japan do the same. But such measures can be negotiated only before the World Trade Organization (WTO).

-AFP

Return To Top Of Page