Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, August 12, 2005
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Decree Prohibits Capture of
Whales and Dolphins
Costa Rica has become one of the first countries in Latin America to prohibit swimming and scuba diving with dolphins and whales, as well as their captivity, through an executive decree that regulates the operation of activities related to cetaceans – aquatic, mostly marine mammals – according to Priscilla Cubero, president of the non-profit organization PROMAR Foundation.
(Click for more)
Authorities Approve
Steep Taxi-Rate Hike
By the end of the year, taxi fares will double. The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) approved the first phase yesterday, which will increase the base rate by 8.7% and the per-kilometer rate by 43.7%.
(Click for more)
Starbucks Recognizes Costa Rican
Organic Coffee Producers
The U.S. coffee company Starbucks awarded Costa Rican organic coffee producers with a $0.50 rise in the price the company pays per pound for the bean, an official source said yesterday.
(Click for more)
August 12
Gastronomy Festival for Moms
Celebrating Costa Rica 's Mothers' Day, music by Trio Acústicos and Expresso Band, Aug. 14, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Salon Juan Vásquez de Coronado, Costa Rica Marriott Hotel, San Antonio de Belén, Heredia. Info: 298-0833, 298-0146.
Learning How to Use Makeup
Classes for mothers, Aug. 13, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-7 p.m.; Aug. 14, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Tibás, 150 south of the church. Info: 240-3595, 301-6316, bellezasualcance@racsa.co.cr.
Concert by Natalia Esquivel
The singer will perform songs from her most recent CD, “Yo Sueño,” Aug. 12, 7 p.m., Spanish Cultural Center, Av.13. Info: Ca. 31, 257-2919.
Edited By Leland Baxter-Neal
Tico Times Staff
lbaxter@ticotimes.net
Decree Prohibits Capture of
Whales and Dolphins
By María Gabriela Díaz
Tico Times Staff
mgdiaz@ticotimes.net
Costa Rica has become one of the first countries in Latin America to prohibit swimming and scuba diving with dolphins and whales, as well as their captivity, through an executive decree that regulates the operation of activities related to cetaceans – aquatic, mostly marine mammals – according to Priscilla Cubero, president of the non-profit organization PROMAR Foundation.
The decree, made official July 28 after its publication in the official government daily La Gaceta, was created as a PROMAR initiative and establishes requirements that businesses, institutions and individuals should meet in research, observation or tourism activities relating to cetaceans in Costa Rican waters.
The prohibition banning swimming or scuba diving near whales and dolphins is based on research that shows these activities produce negative effects in these animals as well as in people, Cubero said.
“We determined that tourism operators lacked information about cetaceans and the behavior tourists should show around them,” Cubero told The Tico Times yesterday. “They would spin the cetaceans around thinking they liked it, while in fact, it is unpleasant for them.”
According to Cubero, it is proven that captivity reduces the cetacean lifespan.
Captivity decreases cetaceans' average lifespan by 70% in comparison to whales and dolphins that live in freedom, said a statement from PROMAR.
Costa Rica houses 29 species of cetaceans, which corresponds to 35% of the total existing species in the planet.
Observation of whales and dolphins has increased significantly in Costa Rica since 1998, growing from 3 available options for their observation that year, to 45 different alternatives now, with particular development on the country's Pacific coast.
Authorities Approve
Steep Taxi-Rate Hike
By the end of the year, taxi fares will double. The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) approved the first phase yesterday, which will increase the base rate by 8.7% and the per-kilometer rate by 43.7%.
That means the base rate will rise from ¢285 ($0.59) to ¢310 ($0.64) and the meters will now charge ¢230 ($0.48) per km rather than the previous rate of ¢160 ($0.33) per km.
Also, a new traffic jam fee will be levied – ¢2,300 ($4.70) per hour – which kicks in when the car runs under 10 km per hour.
The cost of making a driver wait will rise, too, from ¢1,200 ($2.49) per hour to ¢1,495 ($3.10), an increase of 24.5%.
The rates will take effect when the changes are published in the official government daily La Gaceta, today or sometime next week.
A second round of rate hikes of nearly the same degree will occur in November.
-ACAN-EFE
Starbucks Recognizes Costa Rican
Organic Coffee Producers
The U.S. coffee company Starbucks awarded Costa Rican organic coffee producers with a $0.50 rise in the price the company pays per pound for the bean, an official source said yesterday.
The Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICafé) said yesterday in a press release that the Costa Rican coffee processing plant Lomas al Río, under the Starbucks program “Café Practices,” awarded the prize to a group of 19 producers for the quality of the coffee they produce.
“The strategic provider not only has a score of more than 80 points in each one the areas, but also forms part of the family of Starbucks providers around the world,” said Jennifer Castro, administrator for Lomas al Río.
The businesswoman explained that the 19 qualifiers, who form the Organized Producers Group, in Frailes de Desamparados, south of San José, are “first on the list when it comes time to negotiate contracts and harvests in the future” with Starbucks.
“We've been working very closely with the producers from Frailes for eight years. We form a family, and we have been able to achieve a worldwide reach because of the quality of the coffee we export,” Castro said.
With the “Café Practices” program, established in Costa Rica one year ago, Starbucks “ensures the high quality of the coffee that they buy and that the producers gets the money that allows them to continue with this traditional Costa Rican business,” said a report from the company.
This program includes five specific areas: quality, transparency, environmental leadership at the processing plant and at the farm, and social responsibility. The 19 producers received an average rating of 86 points.
The Lomas al Río processing plant received a score of 100 from Starbucks, which made it the strategic supplier for the company.
- ACAN-EFE
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