Costa Rica and Japan signed a cooperation agreement for the ongoing training for the conservation of terrestrial, coastal and oceanic ecosystems and wetlands.

Understanding park management and the Japanese concept of Hatoyama, deepening the understanding of efficient management of protected areas and the sustainable use of natural resources with the participation of local residents and the private sector are the main agreements reached by the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC-MINAE) and the Wildlife Investigation Center.

The signing was done in a formal act in the Sleep Inn Hotel, by Senior Scientist Investigator Ginzo Aoyama from the Wildlife Investigation Center (JWRC) and Mario Coto, Interim Executive Director, of the National System of Conservation Areas.

Among the agreements subscribed are, a training in Costa Rica and Japan, in which all participants will learn about the means of repair and regeneration of ecosystems, as well as the collaborative management of protected zones according to the characteristics of the ecosystems; the course is denominated Group Training Program “Conservation of Ecosystems through participative management of Protected Areas” and will be taught in Costa Rica November 1st through the 10th, 2016.

The JWCR will coordinate the Program under contract with the international center of JICA Jokkaido (Obihiro) and will cover the professional fees of private Japanese professors, the transportation and necessary expenses in accordance to the JICA rules.

The general objective of the course is that when stablishing protected zones it is essential to coordinate the use of resources with the people living inside and around them. This training will consider the Satoyama concept, developed in Japan in compliance with the management based in the Japanese zoning that aspires to creating societies in harmony with nature through the sustainable use of natural resources and the participation of the local residents and the private sector.