In the mid-1990s, 1,000 truckloads of orange peels and orange pulp were purposefully unloaded onto a barren pasture in a Costa Rican national park. Today, that area is covered in lush, vine-laden forest. A team led by Princeton University researchers surveyed the land 16 years after the orange peels were deposited. They found a 176 percent increase in aboveground biomass -- or the wood in t...

  While Costa Rica has managed to maintain an overall growth in exports, the industries experiencing the most decline in business are located outside the country's free trade zones, said economic experts, who say more across-the-board incentives are required to stimulate the country's exports. The Chamber of Exporters of Costa Rica (CADEXCO) said in a statement this week that export act...

As Costa Rica seeks to increase revenue from exports, various sectors are exploring ways to be more competitive, including the timber industry, said the  Costa Rican Trade Promotion Agency (Procomer). The agency's recent study, "The World Timber Market and Trends for Value-Added Products," recommended that the national timber sector develop ideas for new value-added products. According to th...

Regulations for drones in Costa Rica went into effect on August 13, and drone users have a 6-month window to comply, or face penalties, reported the Civil Aviation department last week. The regulations establish guidelines for the use of drones for recreational, institutional and commercial purposes. Those using drones must be do so in open areas, and ensure they are not within an 8 km radiu...

The U.S. government announced a contribution of more than US$38,500 for the preservation of the pre-Colombian spheres in Costa Rica's southern Delta del Diquis in the region of the Osa Peninsula. The funds will support a hydrological study to analyze the behavior of soils and layers of the earth's crust at the Finca 6 archaeological site where the surrounding rivers have covered evidence of the...

Helicopters used to transport people who need medical attention can now land on the northeast side of the Calderón Guardia Hospital  - a major public health facility near downtown San José, Costa Rica, announced Columbia Radio 98.7 FM this week. The first such transport took place over the weekend when a patient with an apparent heart problem was airlifted by medical helicopter from Santa Maria...

The Association of Bribris de Talamanca Indigenous Tourist Guides (Agitubrit), Costa Rica's first indigenous tourism agency, obtained official recognition from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) last week, said tourism authorities. According to the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (TEC), which provided guidance to the project, the recognition was granted August 4 in Suretka, Talamanca...

Starting September 1, stricter regulations on the amount of sulfur allowed in gasoline will go into effect, according to the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae) along with the Costa Rican Oil Refinery (Recope). This and other measures announced last week at a press conference are aimed at improving air quality through the use of cleaner fuels. The changes will bring about a slight increa...

So far this year, Costa Rica's police forces have captured over 17.5 tons of cocaine, both in land and sea operations, informed the Public Security Ministry in the wake of an incident at the Moín, Limón port on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. On Thursday August 17, drug control police detained and inspected a ship where they discovered 50 kilos of cocaine attached to its hull, said the ministry. ...

Paquera, Puntarenas suffered damage to its dock last week when a ferry apparently crashed into it due to rough seas. The Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT) said they are giving priority attention to the dock's repairs given its importance for transportation of people and goods between Puntarenas and the Paquera/Tambor region. The ferry company, Naviera Tambor, is providing ma...

The Costa Rican Frontier Police located this Saturday a truck used for the transportation of pineapple carrying 50 Nicaraguan citizens with irregular migratory status. The driver of the truck was a Costa Rican with last name Pérez, he has apprehended and presented to the district attorney’s office in San Carlos charged with presumed human smuggling. The truck entered the country from Nicarag...

The Costa Rican-North American Chamber of Commerce (or AmCham, as it is commonly referred to) issued a strong statement on social media in the wake of tragic race-related clashes in the United States, one of which, in Charlottesville, Virginia, left a protestor and two police officers dead last week. The business organization, whose spokesman, Dennis Whitelaw, said has a "trajectory for human r...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board has been aggressive in its strategy to attract more tourism to the country and diversify its markets. With many new European airlines operating in the country the number of tourists from this continent has increased considerably. Efforts continue and apparently the country will be celebrating the arrival of more airline options soon. According to Aeroinfo Costa Rica...

This Monday, August 21, a solar eclipse will occur, a rare and amazing phenomenon that many people in the United States will be able to see it as a total eclipse while in Costa Rica we will only be able to see it as a partial solar eclipse. The phenomenon will begin at around noon and the maximum point will be reached at close to 1:17 p.m. and finalizing at 2:22 p.m. Unfortunately, according to...

The traffic police (Transito) and the municipality cops had made the warning several weeks back that with the changes in the transit law they had the authority to write tickets and take down the plates of any vehicle that is partially or totally blocking the road, or parked in restricted zones, whether the driver is present or not; this applies even in residential areas in the event a report is fi...

Close to 11:15 a.m. this morning an earthquake was felt in most of the great metropolitan area in Costa Rica and in the Central Pacific. According to the National Seismology Network the magnitude was of 4.9 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was 30 kilometers to the southwest of Savegre in Quepos, Puntarenas. Social media users reported they felt the earthquake of “moderate” intensity in...

An as yet unidentified substance was used by an unidentified individual to color water in a large downtown San José, Costa Rica decorative fountain as a means of protest against environmental contamination, reported the Costa Rican digital news service Amelia Rueda this week. The act was described on social media as a protest against pollution caused by pineapple production in Costa Rica. Th...

Heavy rains that fell during much of yesterday in Costa Rica's northern region caused damages to some of the infrastructure at Tenorio Volcano National Park, and forcing a temporary closure, said a report on Teletica, Costa Rica's Channel 7 television news station. The park was closed all of yesterday, Thursday, August 17, and rangers hoped to be able to reopen the park - even if only partially...

The Costa Rican Ministry of Economy (MEIC) ordered the Wyndham Hotel to put an end to a promotion they had been running in social media in which they offered a 10% discount to those who arrived to their Mother’s Day Gastronomy Festival in an Uber. The notification was received by Gustavo Araya, CEO of Wyndham, on August 17, Araya made clear that the promotion in reference was valid only for Mot...

A shopper in Scotland brought home something unexpected with his purchase of a Costa Rican pineapple this week. The pineapple was shipped from Costa Rica as are all fresh pineapples with the crown, or green leaves attached to the top, to keep them from ripening too quickly. And this adventurous snake found that a convenient place to hide. The Edinburgh grocery shopper called the Scottish Soc...

Just two months after the establishment of Costa Rica's Pacific coast Cabo Blanco Protected Marine Area, a shrimp trawler, the Maria Aurelia, was arrested by the Costa Rican Coast Guard after being caught red-handed trawling in this area where trawl activities are banned, said the conservation group CREMA in a press statement today. The illegal fishing activity comes two months after the protec...

Nayara Resorts near Arenal Volcano have expanded their resident sloth population to 15 recently, reported the travel news industry. The resorts, Nayara Springs and Nayara Resort, Spa & Gardens, which have won numerous awards and recognition for their stunning natural surroundings and luxurious amenities and service, give guests views of Arenal Volcano while soaking in mineral springs. St...

The ferry connecting Puntarenas with Paquera on the southern Nicoya Peninsula is out of service for an indefinite amount of time, said the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT) this week after a ferry caused damage to the Paquera dock. Paquera is adjacent to the beaches of Tambor, the Curu Wildlife Refuge, and other areas. Those wishing to cross the Gulf of Nicoya from Puntarena...

Costa Rica's Amazon Support Services announced today it plans to hire 2,500 people in the second half of the year, according to a press release from the Foreign Trade Ministry, COMEX. New positions require mastery of at least two languages; in addition to Spanish, applicants should speak either English, Portuguese, Italian and/or French. In addition to customer service, Amazon offers positio...

When U.S. citizens Luda and Rome Gimelfarb's son David disappeared after heading on a hike in northern Costa Rica, they never thought they would still be searching for him eight years later. The couple continues to hold out hope they will locate their son whom they say they feel is still alive. On August 11, 2009 David Gimelfarb set out for a hike in Rincón de la Vieja National Park, never t...

Those eligible to get a foreign driver's license validated in Costa Rica can do so at any of the COSEVI's 13 regional offices, said the Ministry of Transportation and Public works in a press release. Regional offices of the Road Safety and Education Council (COSEVI) are taking such applications on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7 - 11 a.m. A list of the regional offices and phone numbers can be f...

Jean Todt, acting in his capacity as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, met with stakeholders in Costa Rica to promote United Nations road safety legal instruments and share established road safety best practices, said the Costa Rican Ministry of Health. Todt is president of the Geneva, Switzerland-based Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA, an association found...

International acclaimed concert pianist, Markus Groh, will perform this weekend at the Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra's seventh seasonal concert to be held at San José's National Theater. The concert will include music by Strauss, Haydn and Brahms for two performances - Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. - under the direction of the orchestra's lead conductor, Carl St. Clair. ...

On July 26, 2010, an American couple was arrested when trying to enter Nicaragua from Costa Rica over land; according to reports in local and international media. They were William Dathan Holbert (b. September 12, 1979), also known as Wild Bill, described by Wikipedia as a self-confessed murderer from Hendersonville, North Carolina,and his ex-wife, Laura Michelle Reese. They have been held i...

Accenture, named this year by Fortune Magazine as the world's most admired information technology services company, will be establishing a new delivery center in Costa Rica for the 70+ Search Technologies big data engineers based in the country, said a company press release. The Fortune 500 company announced earlier this month their acquisition of Search Technologies, a Herndon, Virginia-...

Costa Rican producers and exporters are in Colombia this month for a round of visits and talks to search out new markets for their products, reported the Costa Rican foreign trade promotion agency, Procomer. A recent market study conducted by Procomer, "Colombia: analysis for the marketing of pastas, snacks, cookies, and sauces," has been a tool for businesses in Costa Rica over the past year t...

About 80 representatives from the Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS) will gather later this month to analyze the agency's role in addressing different forms of violence facing communities across the country, said the state public health entity in a statement. The event is part of an institutional program to standardize a public health approach to violence prevention at a time when differ...

Costa Rica's drug control police unit raided the home of an alleged mother-daughter drug dealing duo Friday, bringing the number of family-run narco rings they have busted since the start of last year to 311, reported the Public Security Ministry. The team presumably led a drug dealing operation out of their home in a neighborhood in Sixaola, Talamanca, in the Caribbean province of Limón Pol...

Costa Rica's Administrative Court last week threw out a case filed by the San José Municipality, the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce (UCCAEP), the Chamber of Construction, the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce, and others against the Costa Rican National Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage Service (SENARA), according to a report in the daily Costa Rican Elpais.cr. The plaintiffs challenged a 201...

The First Encounter of World Marine Heritage Sites of the East Pacific took place from Wednesday to Friday this week in the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica. Representatives from the different Marine World Heritage Sites gathered in the country in the event organized by the Pacifico Foundation, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the UNESCO field office in Costa Rica in respons...

If you have a corporation, or several, in Costa Rica, be aware that as of September 1st the government will charge the annual corporation tax. For 2017 the amount will be prorated, meaning you will only have to pay September 1st through December 31; therefore this year’s amount is less, ranging from 21,308.00 colones (close to $38.00) for an inactive corporation, to 71,026.00 colones ($125.00 a...

The strategy implemented by the Costa Rica Tourism Board to promote the country for European tourists is paying off, according to data provided by the General Direction of Migration Costa Rica has received 8.4% more European tourists (through the airports) in the first semester of 2017 in comparison to the same period of 2016. The Minister of Tourism, Mauricio Ventura, has explained on several...

Tucked in the hills west of San José, beekeepers producing organic honey in San Ramón, Alajuela are petitioning the local government to ban herbicide use in the region to avoid contaminating their products, according to a report in the digital daily elmundo.cr. Association of Organic Beekeepers for the Conservation of the Environment (Asocapico, its initials in Spanish) made a request to the Sa...

HP Omen is hosting the fourth edition of the Connecturday gamers' tournament this weekend in Costa Rica, according to a report in Central America's Summa business magazine The event, taking place at the National Children's Museum in downtown San José, offers players some 48 different video game tournaments in which to participate Saturday and Sunday, August 12-13. A special one-on-one tourna...

One of the main recommendations of a recent report on Costa Rica by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) relates to the country failing to fulfill its human rights obligations regarding women's access to in vitro fertilization treatments. Gladys Jiménez, director of the ombud's office on women, reiterated the report's call for the state to act ...