State of Conservation

Need to review the boundaries; Possible oil exploitation (issue resolved); Road construction proposal

Requests approved: 8 (from 1982-1993)
Total amount approved : 256,450 USD

The Committee, at its last session, noted that the Costa Rican authorities have not yet informed the Centre of their views on the recommendation of the Committee, made at its fifteenth session in Carthage in December 1991, to consider revising the boundaries of the Talamanca-La Amistad Reserves by deleting four Indian Reserves in the northeastern Atlantic sector and submit a map showing the new boundaries of the site. The Committee also learnt of a proposal to construct a road through the Talamanca-La Amistad Reserves and that the Costa Rican authorities have not yet responded to the Centre's request for information on the proposal and its potential impact on the state of conservation of the site.

The Costa Rican authorities, by letter dated 2 April 1993, have expressed their disagreement regarding the modification of the boundaries of the Talamanca-La Amistad Reserves recommended by IUCN. The Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines, has informed the Centre that regardless of the opinion expressed by IUCN, his Ministry, public opinion in Costa Rica and the position of the indigenous people in the Indian Reserves favour maintaining the current boundaries of the Talamanca-La Amistad Reserves. He has also drawn the attention of the Centre to the need for technical advice to improve the people's situation in the Indian Reserves of the Talamanca-La Amistad, while giving adequate consideration to the protection of natural resources. The letter from the Vice-Minister has been transmitted to IUCN for review. A representative of IUCN will address this issue at the time of the seventeenth session of the Bureau.

The letter from the Costa Rican authorities does not make any reference to the proposed road construction project which was brought to the attention of the Committee by IUCN. Centre will contact the Costa Rican authorities once again to request detailed information regarding this proposal, including an assessment of the potential impact of this project on the state of conservation of the site.

The Bureau was informed that the Costa Rican authorities were not in agreement with all the boundary modifications recommended by the Committee, at its fifteenth session. The Bureau noted that the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines, which is responsible for the management of the Talamanca - La Amistad Reserves, and the general public, as well as the indigenous people resident within the site, were not in favour of all proposed modifications of the boundary suggested by the Committee.

A representative of IUCN informed the Bureau that specialists from IUCN's Regional Office in Costa Rica are discussing the boundary modifications proposed by the Committee with the Costa Rican authorities. These discussions have taken into consideration the need to accommodate the socio-economic aspirations of indigenous people in the Biosphere Reserve whilst protecting the World Heritage values of the site. The Bureau requested the World Heritage Centre to continue dialogue with the Costa Rican authorities in this important matter and report on the outcome during the forthcoming session of the Committee in December 1993.

On 10 September 1993 the Permanent Delegation of Costa Rica informed the World Heritage Centre that the observations made by the Bureau were transmitted to the competent national authorities.

According to information received by IUCN, on 8 October 1993 a tentative agreement on the La Amistad boundaries was reached through discussion with the Vice Minister who was formally responsible for the area. Following these discussions, the proposed boundaries have been transmitted to the Costa Rican authorities by IUCN. We are waiting for confirmation of these revised boundaries.