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Green light for the construction of security posts in the Volcán Poas National Park

 

  •  These constructions and the acquisition of a gas measurement device will meet the requirements for the re-opening of the protected wildlife area
  • MINAR, CNE and ICT are acting alongside community efforts to promote actions to support the revitalization of the area’s economy and tourism sector.
  • President Carlos Alvarado has ordered “relentless pursuit” of priority projects for communities, including the re-opening of the park.

Next Monday, May 28 will see the beginning of construction of five security posts in the Volcán Poás National Park, one of the requirements of the Technical Assessment Committee for the re-opening of this protected area, which was closed last April due to volcanic activity.

The announcement was made this Thursday, May 24, in a meeting held in the headquarters of the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) between the directors of MINAE, ICT and the National Emergency Commission (CNE) and the Committee for the Opening of Poás Volcano.

In the meeting, it was also announced that next week the bidding process would be finalized for a real-time gas measurement device, and the last phase in training community residents on the re-opening of the park would be initiated.

The other measures requested by the Technical Assessment Committee have already been carried out These include the reconstruction of trails, the posting of safety signs and training given to employees of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC).

The hope is that the security posts will be ready within a maximum of two months, at which point the training will also have been finalized and the gas measurement device installed, at which point the tourist center can be re-opened.

Next Thursday, an inter-institutional mission, comprised of MINAE, CNE and ICT will accompany the Opening Committee on a visit to Volcán Poás National Park to inspect the construction and monitor the re-opening process in general.

The Deputy Minister of the Environment, Pamela Castillo, noted that “the objective is to learn about the needs of the people of the area and design initiatives to promote the region's economic stability through inter-institutional coordination”.

María Amalia Revelo, Minister of Tourism, announced concerted efforts “to support the tourism operators of Poás and the neighboring regions. In this administration, we will focus on small and medium tourist operators. We believe in the potential and quality of local operators’ offerings.”

Luis Ángel Salazar Arrieta, spokesman for the Committee for the Opening of Poás Volcano, said “we are very positive because we have seen the care that the authorities are taking and the concrete actions they are carrying out to give a real response to the difficult situation we are facing.

“As a committee, we can express our worries about the economic needs of families and businesspeople affected by the closure of the volcano. We will work together with ICT and we have committed to generating new tourist options to attract visitors”, he added.

President Carlos Alvarado has committed to a “relentless pursuit” in solving the most pressing problems in the country. “The secure re-opening of Volcán Poás National Park will allow the reactivation of tourism and economic activity in the region”, he noted.