Sea Turtles & Costa Rica’s Wildlife Refuge

By Tyler Federico

Each yeah, Costa Rica’s Ostional National Wildlife Refuge has hundreds of thousands of sea turtles that come onto the shore in order to lay their eggs. Here in Ostional, this is known as a “mass arrival”. Primarily, the main reason so many turtles arrive at this beach at once is due to the currants. But development and tourism may affect these turtles. Settlements are surrounding the area quickly but regulations have been created to make sure these expansions happen in a reasonable manner. One of these guidelines is known as a “buffer zone”, which protects the buildings being created too close to the shore. Most developers are fine with the idea, but some feel differently. Currently, these regulations are helping the sea turtles and protecting the beaches is still the top priority.