I have returned after a much needed vacation in Costa Rica. It has been one of the most beautiful places I have ever been but in talking to the people there, I have found that it;s outward beauty goes more than just skin deep. Costa Rica is the only country in the world without a standing army which I had known, but not why until this trip. In 1948 there was a civil war and after the end of this, the president felt that violence was not the answer and that government money could be better spent. The army was disbanded so that more money could be put towards education and medical care. Since that time, the country has instituted compulsory K-6 education, and free education for K-12. There is talk about increasing the requirements from K-12. The standard of living has improved enough that teenagers are not needed to be working to support the family nearly as often as in the past. Medical care is growing in availability and there is universal health insurance through the government. Clinics and hospitals are not as widely available as is probably ideal, but this is slowly improving with time. What is more important is the fact that both areas are a priority of the government and that both areas are slowly improving in availability and quality every day. Another positive effort made by the government was to limit greenhouse gases and pollution and now 95% of the electricity that the country uses is generated by renewable means.



They still have their struggles. Battles for land from developers threaten the coastline, but the money generated from tourism is a large part of the country's income and to turn them away would threaten that source of income. The other large income generator, exportation of fruits and plants demands large areas of land risking loss of rainforest land to agriculture. About 60% of the rainforest in Costa Rica has been lost to agriculture and rainforest land is very poor in quality once the actual rainforest has been removed from it. The tourism industry itself puts the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest at risk with tourists coming to see the rainforest in increasing numbers. The government has been paying attention to this more now, but this is a more recent development and some things cannot be taken back. And while the country is not out trying to generate adversaries, they have no army and are essentially unguarded if another country were to decide they wanted the land. Nicaragua is just to the north and the political instability there has affected Costa Rica.

Striking a balance between "progress" and conservation is not easy. Trying to maintain the viability of the "ecotourism" industry without damaging the fragile ecosystem is tricky. Many governments that rely heavily on tourism pay too much attention to the needs of the tourists and neglect to realize the impact that this has on the people of the area. Big new highways that make it easier to get the beach take land away from family lands and pollute the surrounding areas. I have travelled to a lot of countries seeking respite from the cold air and for the most part, these countries are fairly impoverished. Some seem to be working towards pulling out of that position, some seem stuck. Costa Rica is by far the most forward thinking of all of them.