On June 5th – World Environment Day – Costa Rica will add its 29th national park.
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, announced that on this day the government will create the Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregón National Park, located in the Miravalles geothermal zone in Guanacaste.
The minister made the announcement during the recent celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE).
It’s in memory of Jorge Manuel Dengo. It will be the Miravalles protection zone where this great geothermal complex of the ICE has been developed,”
said the hierarch.
Jorge Manuel Dengo Obregón (1918-2012) was a renowned Costa Rican engineer. He is remembered as founder of the ICE, vice president of the Republic (1986-1990), minister (1982-1986) and expert in planning and handling of natural disasters. According to the minister, Dengo is also remembered for being a great conservationist.
Without the vision of Don Jorge, we would never have had this important national park that gives us half of the water we use in the metropolitan area and that generates a source of hydroelectricity,”
said the hierarch a couple of years ago.
The minister did not specify what will be the extension of the new national park or the investment that the Executive Power will have to make in the area to start the project.
More than 25% of the total territory in Costa Rica is occupied by the National Park System , which consists of protected forests, tropical dry forests, cloud forests, marine areas and wetlands.