The Isla Tortuga Case: Private/Public Property and Sustainability

Synopsis:

July 18, 2009 I visited Isla Tortuga in the Gulf de Nicoya on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. Isla Tortuga, as it was described to me, is a privately held island in which the government will eventually gain control of based on certain land owner/leasing agreements that typically last well into hundred year periods. As one of Costa Rica’s most popular tourist destinations, Isla Tortuga has provided multiple opportunities for many individuals to develop successful business models centered on visiting the isolated private island. One of the most important characteristics about Isla Tortuga that makes it such a unique Costa Rican tourist destination is that the island title is held under private control and therefore the Costa Rican government has little control over its use. These circumstances have made Isla Tortuga what it is today, a completely tourist driven entity that has no other means of funding other than private equity from the island’s legal owners. It is important to view Isla Tortuga as more than just an incredibly beautiful and stimulating tourist attraction but to also analyze it more critically from an ecotourism perspective.

Analysis:

A unique aspect about Isla Tortuga is it is so isolated that a boat is the only means of transportation for reaching the island. It was also very apparent from taking a Calypso Cruise (one of Isla Tortuga’s prominent tourism service providers) that the tourism providers were conscious of what ecological impacts on the island could mean for their bottom lines. It appeared evident that the tour operators knew that if Isla Tortuga’s environment became degraded, so would their profits. This understanding has resulted in very primitive amenities like non-drinkable water and no bathrooms, but has also facilitated the sustainability of the Islands original fauna.
It is also interesting to note that no person is capable of legally owning a portion of coastline or beach in the country of Costa Rica. This is also the case for the owner of Isla Tortuga and this was very apparent as there were multiple other individuals utilizing the island the day I visited by using their own vessel as a means of transportation as opposed to the companies that I would assume have some kind of connection to the island’s ownership. This distinct government mandate would make it difficult to police certain aspects of Isla Tortuga simply due to the fact that any individual has the right to visit the beach at any time of their discretion. This also means that they would be able to engage in unsustainable activities whilst visiting the island whether these activities are legal or not as there was clearly no police force or environmental group present as an authority.