In response to a constitutional appeal (Recurso de Amparo) filed by the Costa Rican Conservation Federation and the Workers Union of the Ministry of Environment, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) ordered Costa Rican authorities to elaborate a plan to get rid of the invaders of the Corcovado National Park, who through logging, the extraction of gold, and hunting are causing damage to this region, cataloged as the most biologically intense in the planet.

Through this sentence, the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), the Osa Conservation System, the Treasury Minister, Helio Fallas, and the Minister of Public Security, Gustavo Mata, are obligated to implement in two months a strategy that protects this National Park from the abuse it has been exposed to. It also demands the protection of the park by forest rangers and police officers. The Treasury must provide the funds for the necessary police operations while Security has to assist with the necessary police personnel.

“Now we have to wait for them to comply. Knowing that the Sala IV has to force the Ministry of Environment to protect their own national parks leaves a bad taste in my mouth”, expressed Mario Boza, one of the defenders of Corcovado that filed the constitutional appeal in August, 2015.

According to Boza, the Corcovado National Park has only 8 rangers to look after more than 40,000 hectares, when there should be at least 40 considering the fact that some leave for vacation or other personal matters.

Since the 80’s the gold extraction, hunt and logging are affecting the Corcovado National Park; however the problem was controlled because security operations were constantly taking place, the problem worsen in 2012 precisely because of the lack of controls.

Authorities even have suspicions that some of the hunters could be part of drug trafficking bands that operate in the country.