Note: This piece was originally published in 1995 as a Perspectives column for the Tico Times, a Costa Rican weekly. It is copyright Harry S. Pariser, 1995. Contact me with regard to printing or reproducing this article in any form.
Free the Parks!
by Harry S. Pariser
There must be some explanation, although
I can't sensibly account for it. Somehow, wherever in the world we have "elected"
governments, we end up with legislative policy makers who are paragons of short-sighted
thinking and short-term planning. This in spite of the fact that the serious dilemma
we find ourselves in as a species requires intelligent and thoughtfully considered
long-term planning based upon the lessons of history and a well-grounded understanding
of human psychological motivations. In Costa Rica, this dearth is best exemplified
by government policy towards the national parks, in particular the institution
of an unfair surcharge for foreign visitors. If I had my way, all parks everywhere
would be free of charge. Entrance and accessibility to nature is as fundamental
a human right and as basic to human existence as the rights to free speech, to
guaranteed health care, to privacy, and to work. (The fact that these rights are
often portrayed by our "leaders" as privileges only serves to further
exemplify their lack of vision). Our lack of communion with and understanding
of nature numbers among our fundamental shortcomings as a species, perhaps our
major one. Certainly, it has had devastating consequences for all forms of life
on this planet. "Free entrance?,"
you say. "Absurd. How will we pay for it?" Well, many roads and highways
are subsidized by governments. Some highways do extract tolls. But only some.
Revenues are found for this and other things (such as schools, stadiums, national
monuments and museums, prisons, weapons, and police and paramilitary forces),
and revenues can be found for parks. The basic maintenance costs are there in
any event. The parks are necessary for the nation, and they must be funded. The
question is how to do it in an equitable way, one that promotes international
understanding and maximizes environmental education. One method would be to assign
a portion of the sales tax and hotel tax revenues to pay for the parks. If visitors
are coming to Costa Rica at least in part because of the parks, it would make
sense to underwrite them. The more they visit the parks, the longer they will
stay, and the more money they will spend on transportation, etc. This holds especially
true for the low-budget travelers who contribute to the local economies close
to parks such as Cahuita and Barra Honda. Making the parks free equalizes all
visitors, thus promoting friendship and understanding, and would free up staff
for enforcement.
In the case of many parks, the National
Park Service is losing a great deal of revenue by not licensing or operating concessions.
Obviously, Poàs tee shirts and Manuel Antonio National Park sweatshirts would
prove popular as should stationery, postcards, posters, and other items. Collection
boxes could be conspicuously placed so that money could be collected voluntarily
from visitors. A little imagination could produce quite amazing results. I'm not
suggesting that visits to the parks be made entirely free. Those coming with tour
buses should be charged a reasonable fee (say US$5), and strict limits on daily
visitors should be instituted and enforced in order to regulate ecological impacts
as well as maximize experience for visitors. However, it is a mistake to encourage
one set of prices for locals and another one for visitors. By making the ludicrously
high US$15 fee (and the special prices for foreigners' food and bunks in the park's
ranger stations) government policy, the government serves official notice that
it is just fine to ripoff visitors, and there are Ticos who, regrettably, who
have no scruples about doing so. This is to the detriment of all. One of the charms
of Costa Rica has always been its people who greet visitors with respect and hospitality,
not with outstreached palms and cheating hearts. Because of this regressive new
policy, many visitors have changed and will continue to change their minds about
visiting Costa Rica. Increased park entrance fees will never be able to equal
let along surpass these lost revenues, not to mention revenues lost because visitors
decided not to visit a park because of the entrance charge or the ill will such
a policy foments. Before the word gets out and the downturn in tourism begins,
it is time for the government to reconsider its policy and set an example for
the rest of the world. A decision to make entry to the parks free would be the
best decision Costa Rica has made since the current president's father moved to
abolish the army. Free the parks!
In early April of 1996, Costa Rican president Figueres
announced that park fees were being lowered to $6 pp for foreigners.
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