Wildfires ravaging Costa Rica national park believed to have been set by hunters

Wildfires that have ravaged the Diria National Park in Guanacaste are believed to have been set by hunters. (Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Environment and Energy / MINAE)

April 21^st, 2015 (InsideCostaRica.com) Four wildfires over the last 15 days that have destroyed some 1,500 hectares of the Diria National Park, located in the cantons of Santa Cruz and Nicoya in Guanacaste, were likely intentionally set by hunters, Luis Diego Román, coordinator of Costa Rica’s National Fire Management Program, told the daily La Nacion.

“This will have a significant impact on wildlife.  Many animals will have to migrate,” Román said.

The wildfires could also have consequences for community water supplies, according to Román.  When it rains, “all the sediment from the burning is carried by rivers into water catchment tanks of several communities.  That could have consequences,” Román said.

Román said it is presumed that deer hunters are responsible for setting the fires, though authorities have not been able to identify any suspects.

Costa Rica’s national parks have been especially hard-hit by wildfires this year.  More than 2,000 hectares of protected area has been burned since the beginning of the year, while the whole of 2014 saw 699 hectares burned.