Harry S. Pariser | Free the Parks

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, Poās 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!

UPDATE!: 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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