Costa Rica Eco News – Since 2006, the Association for the Preservation of Flora and Fauna (APREFLOFAS) has been working on the new Law of Conservation of Wildlife, by collecting 177,344 signatures and writing and structuring of the new draft law.
This draft, among other things, would eliminate hunting as a sport, restoring and creating new fundraising mechanisms to support the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), and extending the concept of Wildlife taking it beyond the flora and fauna.
The new rules must be passed by the Members of the Legislative Assembly by 27 September this year.
APREFLOFAS has launched a campaign on social networks where local artists have joined the cause, not only to promote the cause, but also for mini-concerts supporting the law. In fact, this week several members of APREFLOFAS, will be visiting the Legislature to apply “pressure”.
The most important point of the new law is to rule out the possibility that our country has a sport hunting of wildlife.
In addition, the new law would keep the sanctions and penalties that currently apply, but modifying some articles or topics.
Harsher penealties are being proposed such as fines of ten to forty minimum wages, and by imprisonment of two to four years, for generating forest fires, both within and outside protected areas.
Also this law would come to criminalize giving food to wildlife species in their natural habitat, recreational and capture.
This reform law would only prohibit sport hunting permits, but permits will control hunting and subsistence hunting.
SINAC reports in the last 10 years have provided more than 28,000 licenses for wildlife and if the state has no way to control the users of these licenses, then permission should not given, the new draft purposes.
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
