The recent pandemic is teaching us the best lesson to the entirety of the human race and we have to take the positive silver linings from it. Everyone is thinking how to survive and reinvent themselves, where only one thing is sure, we can not continue being the same way we were after this. Not only because of healthy restrictions, the situation is beyond that and I truly believe this is a call to reconnect consciously with ourselves, our relatives, friends and the most important with Mother Nature.

We have enough tools and information now to create a better world for our children and future generations but it’s a matter of stopping with greed and finding solidarity with everything around us. I am sure more people will come to this country to move, away from the big cities, and start new lives in the beautiful jungle of the Southern of Costa Rica and this is exactly why I am calling everyone to make a difference.

For several years I have been writing about the local situations that need to be addressed but we still need to do more (see online for archives). As you know the local Municipality has created a Zoning Map that does not include the environmental elements and therefore does not support sustainable building practices. This will have an enormous impact for the future development of the land.

In my personal opinion there are five main values that can be applied in order to make a difference for a correct and sustainable development:

1. LOVE: If we don’t love each one next to us, our land and our resources, we will be lost again. Like Mother Teresa once said: The greatest science in the world, in heaven and on earth is LOVE.
2. HUMBLE: If you are not humble you can not understand what life is giving you. This value is very important too because without it you will always feel empty and you won’t understand the abundance of Mother Nature.
3. SOLIDARITY: The Zoning Map requires analysis before it is approved – consider on your end the environmental elements and local communities and associations. before submissions as they too will need to approve.
4. MORAL ETHIC: Every developer or investor must be conscious for every new project, they have all the power to decide the path, of course with the help of professionals.
5. GRATITUDE: Programs of reforestation are to be mandatory by law, for every square meter that a developer will affect of the proposed land, they will have to reforest the same amount of area around in order to show gratitude to Earth.

If these FIVE values are all connected and local entities have control over them, I am sure the impact for our local environment will be positive and we can preserve a lot of wildlife and it’s diversity. I am not saying these are the only ways, I am sure there are many more ideas and many people can add more on, these last are just a humble opinion based on my experience of 12 years living and building down here.

If we educate our young kids and the new generations the integrity and the importance of these values, they will make a huge difference when they venture out into the world unknown and the world will be a better place. Remember that education is not only what you learn in school. Education is based on values and how a person behaves and treats others. No matter their position or title in the world, country of origin, color of their skin, or gender. No matter how rich or how poor, an educated person will treat the people and the earth with the same respect that is.

… Earth provides enough to satisfy every man´s needs, but not every man´s greed … – Mahatma Ghandi

Written by Adrián Coto

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Some years ago, I wrote about the importance of developing properties correctly, that is, all properties should be in compliance with the formalities established by law. As an engineer working with developing properties all over Costa Rica, I was highly aware that a potential problem concerning water sources on the Southern Area of Costa Rica was going to come under scrutiny in future years. After all, the implementation of the 1942 legislation was only a matter of time that it be applied Nationwide. Many people told me I was being dramatic, others told me “nothing was going to happen”, some told me “you know nothing” – to those who thought this problem would never need to be addressed, I want to tell them: “The wolf is here!”.

In the past, many projects in the area underwent an informal development process and now these properties are dealing with solving one of the biggest problems in our area: the legality of the availability of potable water. Irresponsible developers and attorneys, alongside with the Municipality, oftentimes skipped the legal steps of how to develop a property in a formal process, a process that would have all properties in compliance with existing law. The consequences of this neglect can be seen in the local economy. I would say construction is the second work source after tourism in Costa Rica, and truly they are very connected with each other. And so, with the Southern Zone now becoming a sought out region for property development, the architect of the Municipality of Osa is only acting in the best interest for all and in accordance with the law that has been set out many years prior. MINAET, the public entity responsible for the water control in Costa Rica, which is a National Environmental & Energy Entity, has notified the Municipality that some local projects of the area cannot obtain building permits anymore, that is unless they comply with the current law. The architect of the Municipality is very concerned about this issue and has decided not to provide more building permits unless the projects have a concession for their water source, or have the approval of a local Asada (the Water Association).

Nonetheless, all problems have solutions, and although there may be difficulty in solving existing problems, it isn’t impossible either. It will require that all entities, public and private, work together on a solution. It is the responsibility of each homeowner and developer to get involved in all meetings with professionals who understand the nature of the present issue at hand. It is my best advice to all that we do not make the same mistakes again, look for people who have extensive experience in property development IN Costa Rica. Before you decide to buy property, hire a professional with experience in development to analyze the due diligence report and get a third, unbiased and outsider, opinion. Note, that third opinion should not be one that comes from a Real Estate agency or the attorney responsible for the due diligence. Once again, an experienced property developer can help you in your final decision stages and should be consulted if you have any doubts – after all they would be the ones solving any issues for you after the purchase and will likely also be able to provide an idea of associated costs.

Written by Adrian Coto

My name is Adrián Coto, civil engineer with more than 20 years’ experience in the construction business in Costa Rica. Please feel free to contact me if you need any help: acoto@cotocompany.com

The post “Wolf! Wolf!” this time, the shepherd boy was not lying appeared first on Costa Pacifica LIVING.