COSTA RICA ECO TOURISM
Costa Rica eco tourism, Teddy Roosevelt, and Mount Matterhorn are wedded in an unusual way, from an experience that led to an idea which led to an experiment and success. Like many of life's greatest achievements, it began by accident. It started with one unique visionary on an intriguing but beautiful mountain. The man was Teddy Roosevelt; the Matterhorn was the mountain where an idea that changed our world germinated. Today, we call it "eco tourism" and every year it leads thousands of people to a small gem that Christopher Columbus named "Costa Rica" five centuries ago. 
A couple of decades before he became one of America's greatest presidents, Roosevelt, ever the inquisitive, traveled to Europe to climb the famous Mount Matterhorn in Switzerland. He was amazed by what he saw on the mountain or, more accurately, what was missing. The mountain was nearly lifeless. Where once there had been many, there were no longer bears, wolves, goats, mountain sheep, or other wilderness creatures. Just ghosts of creatures. Only memories. Though "eco tourism" was still about a century away from being coined, Theodore Roosevelt was the world's first eco tourist and the father of modern ecotourism.
How do Roosevelt and the Matterhorn relate to Costa Rica eco tourism? Perhaps more than you might think. From his observations at the Matterhorn, Roosevelt realized that unless vast tracts of land were set aside, relentless exploitation would ultimately lead to disaster. So, when he became President and, despite the powerful robber barons and vested interests who fought him, he was the first to set aside wilderness and parks---an incredible 230,000,000 acres---an extraordinary achievement for America and singular accomplishment for the world. President Roosevelt's exceptional foresight led to a wonderful discovery. The American public will gladly pay to see wilderness and wildlife. Sustainability can bring more long-term value to more people than exploitation---in the U.S. But, America's experience was one thing. It was wealthy and developed. Costa Rica was, seemingly, very different. Here was a place that in 1519 its Spanish Governor called "the poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all Americas." Four and a half centuries later, now independent and free, most of its forests had been cut or burned to make farm land. Big (American) business dominated its primary product, bananas, and the country was almost completely dependent upon the export of bananas, coffee, and other agricultural products for its economic life. United Fruit Company controlled the banana market and its relations with Costa Rica were often stormy, sometimes icy. Then, in the early 1970s, prices for coffee collapsed during a glut of the product on the world market. The country's future looked bleak. Of course, nothing in the world is predestined. From the economic crisis arose Costa Rica eco tourism. Challenge always breeds opportunity and, in a seemingly unlikely alliance, conservationists and business interests argued that sustainable development needed to be given a chance rather than simply continuing to exploit the country's rapidly declining resources. The government joined forces with conservationists and businesses and embarked on an ambitious experiment, ultimately setting aside nearly 25% of the country for parks and preserves over the next years. It gambled that Americans and others would take Costa Rica vacations and lift up the country's economy based upon sustained development. By any measure, and in the span of just three decades (about as long as The Simpsons have been on television!), the results have been stunning. While many countries were slashing, cutting, and burning their forests, Costa Rica chose to reforest. Today, there are 20% more forests than only 25 years ago. Jaguars, peccaries, and other wildlife are returning to places where they haven't been seen for more than a generation. And, with their return have come eco tourists from across the globe, many armed only with a camera for exquisite Costa Rica photography. Costa Rica eco tourism demonstrated that exploitation is not necessary for prosperity and now the country has enthusiastically embraced sustained development across the board, refusing to allow off shore drilling for oil in favor of building renewable, nonpolluting hydroplants. Impressively, 99% of its electrical power now comes from hydro---and it is beginning to install wind turbines as well. Columbia and Yale researchers now put it in the top five of all environmentally sensitive countries in the world, the other four being Switzerland and three Scandinavian countries. This feat is all the more remarkable when you consider two things: (1) Costa Rica accomplished this in only a couple of decades (2) with a per capita income of only a third of these other top countries.
See more about Costa Rica's accomplishments, including its Blue Flag Beaches here
To close, we need to return to the Swiss Matterhorn, the impetus behind Roosevelt's vision that parks and preserves were essential to saving wildlife and Costa Rica's wise extension of that idea leading to today's incredibly successful Costa Rica eco tourism. There is irony here. Costa Rica is often called the "Switzerland" of the tropics but it learned from Swiss failures. Today, Costa Rica's mountains are filled with life and eco tourism helps fuel its economy. Meanwhile, the magnificent Matterhorn remains silent because its life was exploited and destroyed, not cherished and preserved. Perhaps a Swiss visionary needs to climb a Costa Rica mountain and learn something he can take back to his country.
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