Costa Rica Warning about Feeding the Monkeys which is just one reason why the monkey population has declined almost in half in the last 10 years.
A few days ago I wrote about how over feeding monkeys can kill them. The other day I read a recent report of, how Costa Rica has lost over half of its monkey population since 2000.
What these eco- gurus are saying, “There are three reasons why the population is dwindling. 1) Developers are the main cause by expanding their developments into the monkeys habitat, thus it isolate them in small communities and 2) or they migrate to populated areas where tourist overfeed them, causing them to die and 3) “Global Warming” has lead to lower growth of plants eaten by the monkeys, further hurting populations.
Even if tourism in Costa Rica has declined for the last 16 months, it still continues to played a role in the population decline. Junk food like French-fries, potato chips, pizza, and health bars, offered by well-meaning tourists (and eco-gurus for that matter) is hurting the monkeys’ health. On a friends recent trip to Manual Antonio, she was shaking her head at some Greenpeacers, who were throwing pizza crusts to them.
The Spider Monkey - the most threaten with a decline of almost 75%
The howler, white face, squirrel and the spider monkeys are the most effected with the spider monkey being the most, its population falling from 22,000 ten years ago, to 6000 in 2009, said some University of Costa Rica ecologist.
The Costa Rica government pretty much tries to protects the environment, but due to the down swing of the world-wide economy, funds that were normally set aside for environment have been lacking. Past urban developments, like the over-building of the North Pacific coast, including new tourist hotels and condominiums, by greedy developers, have fragmenting the monkeys’ habitats and inhibiting genetic diversity needed to keep them healthy. Now add that with lack of tax resources, eco-mismanagement, and tourist kills and it is a wonder, “Why the Monkey population is not lower!”
One of the reasons why the decline is not more, is the increase of private awareness, funding and control.
To restore the populations, eco-guru have taken matters in their own hands, and have demanded the government to increase protected areas, force heavy fines on those that over-feed monkeys, and create greenbelts reconnect the isolated patches. Obviously, it is going to be a huge and neverending battle.
It’s interesting to read the article above and then see that it is immediately followed by an Advertisement by Ocean View Vistas. I guess maybe they won’t cut down anything or affect the monkeys in any way.
If you look at developments like Ocean View Vistas (and many more) they are private developments with large areas (including the lots themselves) that set aside for Green Belts unlike many developments that rape the land to get as much on it as possible. For Ocean View, they had to go through a environmental impact study, before one ounce of construction was done