Viewing page 30 of 107
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
T304A Atlas Pg. 11, 12 Honduras The Honduran government concedes that rivers in 90 percent of the urban centers are polluted with industrial and human waste. If deforestation continues at its current rate the country will be a virtual desert by 2020. Water levels at Honduras' hydro-electric plants have dropped so low, (related to deforestation), that the country has resorted to drastic energy rationing with blackouts of up to 18 hours a day. Panama Panama suffers from many of the same problems as its Central American neighbors but has found a measure of success that other countries have considered repeating. Since the 1980s the government has offered tax incentives to rural property owners who reforest their land, leading many to plant trees and draw praise from environmentalists. The Canal Zone is an 80 km shortcut linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a major route for world shipping. Gatún and Madden Lakes supply water for the operation of the locks and ships' boilers. There has been rapid deforestation of the watersheds of the lakes with resulting erosion and siltation. The water storage capacity of the lakes is declining. Long-term biological studies on tropical forests are supported by the Smithsonian Institute and Lake Madden and Soberania National Parks. There are no active volcanoes, but there are frequent earthquakes and landslides. Politics in Panama, and changing control of the Canal Zone suggest rapid landuse changes may continue. Costa Rica Tourism has replaced bananas as Costa Rica's top industry. Costa Rica is without a doubt the best example in Central America of how to achieve sustainable development. Its national parks showcase tropical splendors and fuel a $622 million-per-year tourism business. Private landowners have learned that land is more valuable if it is covered in forests, whether to preserve soil, give shade to milking cows or simply aesthetic reasons. But Costa Ricans destroyed 80 percent of their forests, largely to plant bananas, before changing tack. Costa Rica stands out among Central American nations because of a 25-year history of environmental protection. A landmark 1969 law guards the nation's forests against destruction, and 19 spectacular national parks showcase the tiny nation's rich tropical environments, making Costa Rica a major attraction for North American and European tourists. Before then, Costa Rica was losing nearly 150 000 acres of forest a year. Today that figure is down to about 12 000 acres, the lowest in Central America next to El Salvador--only because nearly all of El Salvador's forests already have been depleted. Costa Rica sets an example for Central America. In the past five years, "ecotourism" has boomed. Foreigners by the thousands travel here to see the cloud forests of Monteverde in the central mountains, or the magnificent Manuel Antonio National Park (see map). In the 1980s, Costa Rica was far from the top of many people's travel lists, considering that it was sandwiched between war-torn Nicaragua and Panama. But the regional conflicts later turned out to be great advertising for the country. Center Point: 15°N, 90°W Page 130
