Thank you to our funder!
Introducing ARCAE: Coastal Conservation and Education
The Costa Rican Conservation Network is proud to unveil: ARCAE, a legally established Costa Rican rural community based non-profit. ARCAE (pronounced “arc-hi”) stands for: Asociación Red Costarricense para el Ambiente y la Educación (Costa Rican Environmental and Educational Network). Its work will focus on near coastal marine habitats and adjacent rural communities along Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific … Read more
Costa Rican artisanal fishers in spotlight
The National Geographic/Ashoka Changemakers award winning artisanal fishing project was recently featured on Costa Rica’s Channel 11 national news. The project Development of economic partnerships between artisanal fisher folk and tourism operators (designed by Andy Bystrom for the non-profit PRETOMA) is building economic partnerships/opportunities between artisanal fisher folk and the tourism sector by promoting the development of small, locally owned … Read more
Artisanal fishers win global conservation competition
Ashoka’s Changemakers, with support from National Geographic and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), announced yesterday that PRETOMA’s Development of economic partnerships between artisanal fisher folk and tourism operators entry was one of the three winners in the Places On The Edge-Saving Coastal And Freshwater Destinations Online competition. The project is developing environmental, economic, and social … Read more
Final Call to Vote for Costa Rica
This is your final chance to vote for the Costa Rican project “Development of economic partnerships between artisanal fisher folk and tourism operators”. CLICK HERE TO VOTE The project has been chosen as one of the 12 finalists (out of 250 applicants) for National Geographic’s and Ashoka Changemakers’ on-line marine/fresh water conservation competition. It’s now … Read more
Artisanal fishing communities need your vote
Pretoma’s “Development of economic partnerships between artisanal fisher folk and tourism operators” project (submitted by Andy Bystrom, Costa Rica, Guanacaste ) needs your vote. The project has been selected as a finalist in National Grographic’s 2010 Geotourism Challenge: Places on the Edge – Saving Coastal and Freshwater Destinations, and now it’s up to the public to choose the winners. … Read more
Shark Finning Mob Threatens Biologist
On Saturday, January 8th Costa Rican marine biologist and shark conservation activist Jorge Ballestero was threatened by a group of 5 individuals in Puntarenas when he responded to a call alerting the public that a large quantity of shark fins were being dried with apparently no regard for health or other operational permits at a … Read more
Costa Rican Shark Finning Campaign Wins Gothenburg Prize
November 18, Gothenburg, Sweden – Costa Rican biologist and PRETOMA president Randall Arauz received the 2010 Gothenburg Award yesterday for his organization’s fight against shark finning. The Award, recognized as the most prestigious environmental award in Europe, is given to individuals or organizations that develop national or international environmental projects. Each year the selection committee … Read more
Legal sea turtle egg take, Costa Rica
I have decided to repost my February article “Did you know it’s legal to poach sea turtle nests?” because of the amount of question and comments I’ve received. The viral email “World-wide shame in Costa Rica” is still making the rounds, and many people have been left with more questions than answers. Here, I have … Read more
More evidence that shark finning happens everyday in Costa Rica
According to the Ecuadorian press, the captain and crew of the Costa Rican fishing boat Rosa 1 were arrested last week for illegal fishing activities in the Galapagos Island Marine Reserve, Ecuador. Ecuadorian officials announced that the boat was carrying no less than 75 “finned” sharks. Costa Rican fishing law states that all sharks must … Read more
You can help stop the Playa Caletas wetland destruction
The Hotel Casa Caletas, located on the tip of beautiful Coyote Point, Guanacaste, promotes the area’s rich biodiversity in order to fuel its “eco” tourism business. Unfortunately, its owner, Sylvester Fiechtinger, is also the owner of Agropecuaria Caletas S.A., the farming company that for the past 4 years has been destroying the Caletas Arío National … Read more
