Costa Rica’s National Technical Environmental Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, Setena) recently granted a permit to a Project by Corporation Agricola del Monte S.A.-Pindeco for a plantation of 494.4 hectares in a property that is located right next to the Terraba -Sierpe Wetlands.

Setena disregarded the objections presented by environmentalists and granted viability to the property which is only 5 kilometers from the central area of theTerraba-Sierpe Wetlands and therefore represents an environmental threat due to the agrochemicals used in pineapple plantations, the project also presents a potential threat to four archeological sites: Finca 6, Batambal, Grijalba and El Silencio (Valle del Diquis), area known for its stone spheres and which was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity sites by UNESCO.

Initially, the environmental viability was given back in December 2016, but the activity in the area was paralyzed after the Costa Rican Federation for the Conservation of the Environment (FECON) presented a revocation resource against the resolution. The project was put on hold while the Osa Area of Conservation and the National System of Areas of Conservation (Sinac) delimited the area of the Tierraba – Sierpe Wetlands and the National Museum made its statement regarding the archeology in the area.

Apparently the requisites have been met and the resources presented have been rejected in their form and not their content.

Environmental groups are now requesting the involvement of the Ministry of Environment to run the necessary studies and define on the viability of the project.

The World Resources Institute places Costa Rica as the biggest consumer of chemical pesticides in agriculture; according to a study by the National University the country uses in average 18.2 kilograms of pesticides per hectare of food crops.

Many of the pesticides used in the country have been associated to environmental risks and health problems.