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In Costa Rica, conservation came before tourism, a strength that helped create ecosystems resilient to the externalities generated by the hotel industry. However, today, informal labor in the tourism sector, coupled with changes in land use and social dynamics, have put at risk the food security of host communities and thus their ability to contribute to conservation.

Thanks to the efforts of scientists, political will, the integration of communities and the support of international organizations, a conservation model has been established in our country since the 1960s, initially led by scientific organizations such as the Tropical Science Center and the Organization for Tropical Studies.

In 1970, after the founding of the National Park Service, evidence began to emerge of the economic benefits that the conservation system brings to local communities through visits to the different destinations.

The ideal host community from an environmental point of view is one where the ecosystem is healthy, with biological connectivity, providing ecosystem services to its inhabitants such as access to clean water, soil conservation, presence of dispersers and pest control, climate regulation, and contribution to air quality.

The ideal tourism from a social and economic point of view is one that generates linkages, promotes the circular economy, but also contributes to the community by allowing its inhabitants to take ownership of the decisions that are made regarding land use, landscape, and the type of tourism that they are willing to receive.

In 2000, the tourism sector contributed $3684 million dollars, generating more income than coffee, bananas, pineapples and pharmaceutical products combined. However, the tourism model has been characterized in recent decades by replicating a colonialist economic model and exploitation of the host community. Much of the income remains in the hands of international operators, there is a concentration of profits in a few hands and little linkage with local economies.

In addition, since it is a seasonal employment, many of the jobs are temporary, hired for professional services during the high season. This leaves workers vulnerable in the event of external situations that affect the flow of tourists, as evidenced by the zero season during the COVID-19 closures.

Can we really talk about conservation if there is labor informality that leads to food insecurity in the host communities? Much has been said about the relationship between poverty and conservation, where the ecological integrity of a destination is closely related to the ability of its inhabitants to obtain their basic needs for food, security, shelter, etc.

One of the projects that shows the current tourism situation is the Observatory of Tourism, Migrations and Sustainable Development of the National University Observatory of Tourism, Migrations and Sustainable Development of the Chorotega Region (una.ac.cr). From the academic point of view, it contributes to analyze the current situation in the Chorotega region of Costa Rica, from the perspective of tourism, human migration, natural resource management and sustainability of the region.