Hacienda “El Murciélago” `s incorporation to Santa Rosa National Park: a geopolitical scheme (1978-1986)

Abstract

This paper approach the emergence of Murcielago`s sector from Santa Rosa National Park. This not only as a protected area with remnants of dry tropical forest, and especially relevant because of its conservation of Costa Rica`s north pacific regional ecosystems. But rather as a power space, conditioned by its border location with respect to Nicaragua, as well as by Central American and international geopolitical contexts. This zone experienced several reconfigurations of social practices developed within it, during the temporal scale of study, due to changing elite policies: from an incipient conservationist tendency initiated by Hacienda “El Muciélago” expropriation during president Carazo Odio`s administration (1978-1982), to a military intensification and environmental transgression during Monge Álvarez`s administration (1982-1986), continued but gradually diminished at the first year of Arias Sánchez`s administration (1986-1990). Through a documentary analysis of archival, hemerographic, secondary and map sources:  the paper develops an historical tenure of the main processes of land use, territory exploitation and distribution occurred into the mentioned space; contributing to the demystification of official speeches regarding conservation projects held by Costa Rican State. Finally, the paper concludes that the strict implementation of binding conservationist policies inside Murcielago`s sector have been constrained by variable national security political agendas, because of the channeling of demands from various social sectors, due to economic crisis of the early 1980s and a marked institutional neglect in the park management.