Costa Rica’s Southern Zone is under threat from many excessive and irresponsible developments. Osa Vive wants everyone to understand the scale of development proposed and already under way in this critical part of the country. If left unchecked, these projects will transform the Southern Zone in ways that displace local people and irreparably degrade our precious environment. Most in the…

What Is The Risk? Step 1, a marina for super-yachts, may well be followed by step 2, condos for the yacht owners  in the mountains above. The proposed location of the marina is near Dominicalito Bay, at the bottom of the Cuña del Angel road (opposite the Jolly Roger road, aka Puertocito). It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out…

What Is The Risk? This shocking $125 million development of 25 acres (10 ha) includes 11 towers and more than 500 apartment units. Can you imagine the effects of 11 buildings of this size? The blight on the landscape, impact on wildlife, infrastructure pressure, traffic, dust, increased road-repair costs, loss of tranquility? This project would also be a major contributor…

What Is The Risk? This development of 18 lots in San Buenas is surrounded by many trees: What Is Osa Vive Doing About It? In response to our complaint, both SINAC and Direccion de Aguas visited the site. During the site visit, inspectors identified a gravel road crossing a watercourse. Subsequently, the Dirección de Aguas determined that the watercourse qualifies…

What Is The Risk? A massive amount of earth was moved to create building sites in Phase 11, a housing development of approximately 100 acres (40 ha) in Ojochal. A project of this magnitude requires layers of permits. Osa Vive believes that the first agency that should grant a permit in a development like this is SETENA. In this case,…

What Is The Risk? The 200-acre (81-ha) Phase 12 parcel in Ojochal is large enough for hundreds of lots and homes. This land is locally famous because in 2019 it was set on fire (intentionally, based on the opinion of the fire crew). Many residents of Ojochal saw—and inhaled—the smoke, and at least one person had to be evacuated. We…

What Is The Risk? This $700 million(!!) project covers 65 acres (26 ha) for luxury hotels, condos, villas, and townhouses. This would be enough housing for hundreds of people, but how much would the local community benefit? And we are concerned that a project of this size could cause irreparable harm to the ecosystem. Learn about the project at thedominicalproject.com.…

OSA VIVE’S (PARTIAL!) LEGAL CHECKLIST FOR WOULD-BE DEVELOPERS OSA VIVE’S (PARTIAL!) LEGAL CHECKLIST FOR WOULD-BE DEVELOPERS Osa Vive demands that developers respect Costa Rica’s environmental laws and we hold them legally accountable when they don’t. To help would-be developers respect the law and avoid fines, delays and jail time, we offer this partial list of questions to help developers (and…

The Costanera Billboard Project: A Message in Three Parts Osa Vive recently installed a series of three bilingual educational billboards along the Costanera highway between Ojochal and Uvita. Why? Because sometimes, you have to fight bulldozers with big signs. Why This Matters Costa Rica is a global gem: breathtakingly beautiful, fiercely peaceful, wildly biodiverse, and full of kind, proud people.…

OSA VIVE JOINS 1% FOR THE PLANET —ENGLISH VERSION BELOW— Osa Vive se complace en anunciar que nos hemos unido a 1% for the Planet como Socio Ambiental Verificado. Las donaciones que recibamos a través de esta colaboración aumentarán nuestro impacto e involucrarán a más empresas en el movimiento ambiental. 1% for the Planet es un socio responsable para las empresas…

OSA VIVE’S YEAR IN REVIEW —ENGLISH VERSION BELOW— RESEÑA DEL AÑO DE OSA VIVE  ¡2024 ha sido un año increíble para Osa Vive! Siga leyendo para conocer lo que hemos estado haciendo y cómo puede ser parte de nuestros esfuerzos para detener el desarrollo irresponsable en el delicado ecosistema de la Zona Sur de Costa Rica.  Costa Rica tiene leyes…

The plans that could destroy a mountainside forest The Dominical Project is a proposed $700 million mega project, planned to be built in and around Dominical. The project is split into two main parcels: Dominical Ridge, a 60 acre forested site on the mountain above Dominical, and Playa Dominical, currently pastured land, south of town. On Dominical Ridge, the proposal…

A $27 million museum in Dominical? The $700 million Dominical Project has many shocking elements: four luxury hotels totaling 500 beds plus 450 condos, town houses, and villas adding another 1,000 or so beds to a town with 400 people. A wastewater plant in the Maritime Zone. A desalination plant. You can read the details here. But wait, there’s even more:…

The Developers Who Want To Own Dominical What can we learn about the developers through their language to investors? The Dominical Project is a proposed $700 million mega project, planned to be built in and around Dominical. Developers, like realtors, have cliches that they like to fall back on in their promotional material. In the southern zone of Costa Rica, near…

Arrested SETENA Official Was Involved In Approving Megaproject “The Dominical Project” On June 19, 2024, agents of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) conducted raids on the offices of SETENA, an agency involved in granting building permits to developers. Among those arrested was Ulises Alvarez Acosta, on suspicion of influence peddling and other crimes – in other words, taking bribes in…

Have you heard about the plan to transform Dominical? Developers propose spending $700 million in Dominical on four luxury hotels plus condos, townhouses and villas totaling 1 or 2 thousand beds in a town of 400 people. Construction would occur near former wetlands and in mature forest. Osa Vive has been investigating the details and permits of this project. We…

Recaudación de Fondos y Annie’s Cumpleaños Date: 8/18/2024 / 18 de Augusto Location: Al Chile Que Si Time: 12:00PM-7:00PM (Food served till 6PM)

Dominical’s Water Crisis: The Shocking Truth Behind the Illegal Development Project Originally Posted on Tico Times Greed, corruption, land exploitation, and water shortages… these may sound like themes from Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, but the residents of Dominical will tell you that these issues are a reality in their own backyard. This situation is indicative of a larger trend in Costa Rica,…

HOW (AND WHY) TO FILE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS Download PDF: English how to file environmental reports Click Here to Download Descarga PDF Aqui: Español cómo presentar informes ambientales Click Aquí Para Descargar Costa Rica has many excellent environmental laws but unfortunately it does not have the resources to effectively enforce those laws. That is where we, concerned citizens, can help. There…

Festival del Día del Océano Date: 6/8/2024 / 8 de Junio Location: El Mecado de Bahia Ballena Time: 3:00PM-8:00PM

OSA VIVE’S FIRST MEETING IN 2019 Fighting the environmental damage caused by irresponsible real estate developments in the southern part of the country is the “Osa Vive!” Association, which residents of Ojochal de Puntarenas and representatives of organizations in the area founded last Friday, May 18. . Nearly 80 people thus committed themselves to the defense of their surrounding forests…

OSA VIVE: WHY WE WERE STARTED & HOW TO HELP Environmental Destruction. We can stop it, but we need you. Our organization, Osa Vive was formed in 2019 to stop illegal development. Chopping trees, then burning and bulldozing the waste into the rivers of Ojochal was a common protocol for one developer. We saw our rainforest, wildlife, rivers, reefs and…

PROTECTING COSTA RICA’S FORESTS AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE There are many reasons to visit or move to Costa Rica:  a stable and peaceful democracy with good health care, a tropical climate and wonderful people.  And on top of that, Costa Rica has incredible natural beauty and abundant wildlife. Costa Rica has geology to thank for its stunning biodiversity.  Three…