Opponents of oil drilling along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast scored a victory against foreign oil companies last year when the government of newly elected President Abel Pacheco came down squarely against oil development in the region. Pacheco promised that instead of making Costa Rica an oil republic, he would fight growing poverty here by promoting tourism, already the nation’s top dollar-earner. But now, many of the same activists and community groups that fought oil drilling are preparing to battle the Pacheco government’s 10-year tourism-development plan, saying it unfairly favors large-scale hotels over sustainable, low-impact projects. Much of that opposition is concentrated on the Caribbean coast, where Afro-Caribbean culture meets the remnants of Costa Rica’s indigenous tradition. Local organizers say... [Log in to read more]