| After having collaborated with the Ostional Integral Development Association in Costa Rica and met some wonderful people in the process, I offered to make their website. The Ostional Community has for decades assured an optimum nesting ground for the massive waves of lora turtles that come visit multiple times a year.
Due to the popularity of this beach strip as a nesting ground, the turtle eggs laid from the first waves of turtles are destroyed by the later arrivals. In the 1980s, the government of Costa Rica legalized the commercialization of the turtle eggs in Ostional by the association. The eggs from the first waves are collected by the members of the association, then packed and sold. The revenues generated are used for community projects and divided evenly among the members. The ADIO assures a 24/7 security on the beach to avoid egg poaching, remove driftwood and the women guide recently hatched turtles towards the sea.
The community of Ostional should be an inspiration to us all. This highly resilient community has, throughout the years (and with little government support) organized themselves very well. One problem which concerns me greatly however, is their lack of control over the Ostional narrative and the local tourism activities. The ADIO lacks a way to 'market' themselves within the so-called 'eco-tourism' sector and many feel that outside businesses are profiting from the 'arribadas' (turtle) phenomenon without giving back to the community.
This website aims to inform future tourists and nature enthusiasts about the dynamics of Ostional and will serve as the official website of the ADIO.
Tools Used: Photoshop, Illustrator, PHP, HTML, CSS, Wordpress, Addthis.com for social media buttons
We are allowing the website to be viewed under construction to encourage a more transparent and open process. » URL: www. arribadasostional.com