

German Television Challenges Costa Rica's Reputation As A Green Oasis



While German President Christian Wulff was in Costa Rica last week with the aim of boosting economic ties and partnerships in the country and the region, German television questions Costa Rica's "green oasis". In its report, "Rain Forest: Natural Source of Revenue", Deutsche Welle (DW-World.de) argues that "the rainforest is Costa Rica's biggest attraction, drawing in tourists from near and far. But the booming pineapple industry is threatening to destroy Costa Rica's reputation as a green oasis.



The report told German television viewers of their president's objective and that Costa Rica's agricultural industry is strong, but tourism has become the country's biggest source of revenue of late, especially eco-tourism.



While Costa Rica is the world's second biggest exporter of bananas, the report says that pineapple growing is now the country's biggest cash crop.



But environmentalists say pineapple plantations are starting to eat away at Costa Rica's tropical paradise: heavy pesticide use could contaminate the groundwater.



Following the German television report, the leader of Costa Rica's environmental group Asociaci�n Conservacionista YISKI, Maria Helena Fournier, sent a letter to Costa Rican president Laura Chinchilla warning about the bad image that is being forged outside of Costa Rica, because of the damage to the environment.



Some 50.000 Germans "eco-tourists" visit Costa Rica annually says Fournier in her letter, warning presidenta Chinchilla that the number could drop drastically or tourists could boycott Costa Rica for the "Pineapple" problem, given that German consumers are "more aware and better informed than Costa Ricans obviously. "



"Because of the pineapple monoculture ecological and rural tourism will suffer the consequences of the disaster that is being caused by pineapple producers, "Fournier said in the letter.







