This Luxurious Resort Community is Working to Preserve Costa Rica’s Most Vulnerable Forests

Image courtesy of Costa Elena

The hospitality industry and the natural world have constantly butted heads over the past century, with the scrapped Disney Mineral King Resort and Jumbo Glacier Resort serving as two prominent examples of the negative impact that large-scale properties can have on native ecosystems—but in the modern era, these sprawling institutions can also serve as a force for good, with Costa Rica’s Costa Elena acting as one of Central America’s chief proponents for environmental preservation.

Located in the northern reaches of Guanacaste, this master-planned resort community spans more than 1,200 hectares, equipped with sixteen kilometers of pristine coastline centered around a lush region known as “the last frontier.” And while the property targets residents of all ages interested in sustainability, natural beauty, and adventure, humans are far from the only residents that thrive across the massive estate.

Managed by Nicaraguan businessman Don Carlos Pellas and his team Pellas Development Group, Costa Elena has seen resounding success within the realm of endangered species conservation over the past few years. There are now nearly 100 different individual jaguars that have been sighted across the community—a staggering increase from 2008 when zero cats were reported by the Universidad de Costa Rica, Fundación Jaguar, and the Área de Conservación Guanacaste. In addition to mammals, the yellow-naped parrot is also frequently seen by residents of Costa Elena, marking a welcome return after years of almost total absence from the area.

According to Pellas Development Group CEO Carlos Hernandez, the variety of ecosystems in and around the Costa Elena area have served as a “successful living laboratory for the conservation of species,” with the region’s vast swathes of tropical dry forest being a major focus for the organization. Working in tandem with the aforementioned Área de Conservación Guanacaste—a massive preserve that’s both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest parcels of protected land in northern Costa Rica—Costa Elena continues to work to secure a future for this sprawling swathe of highly-vulnerable woodland.

Image courtesy of Costa Elena

“Today, the ACG has grown through acquisitions to reach an area of approximately 183,000 hectares and continues to grow its conservation area,” says Hernandez. “The ACG represents the largest tropical dry forest regeneration project in the tropics. Tropical dry forest ecosystems have practically disappeared from the earth in the last 600 years, and it’s estimated that only 2% remain, with a large portion located within the ACG.”

In terms of sustainability, efforts at Costa Elena include a drinking water system that supports over 10,000 inhabitants, a joint partnership with Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica to support local artisans and artists, and homes that run entirely off of solar panels. The community has also been active in consistent beach clean ups (earning a Blue Flag Certificate as a result) while over 60% of the resort has been left untouched as reserve areas. And beyond the shores of Guanacaste, Pellas Development Group is also heavily involved with Nicaragua’s Mukul Resort, aiming to “[promote] a new Central American riviera where luxury tourism creates a positive impact in the communities of the southern Pacific of Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica.”

While resort communities certainly have the potential to wreak havoc on local flora and fauna, operating in harmony with the surrounding environment isn’t impossible—and Costa Elena serves as a prime example of the delicate balance between luxury tourism and wildlife conservation. While visitors can take advantage of high-end amenities scattered all across the estate, each one is accompanied by the vibrant hum of Guanacaste’s native bird and insect life, with each species living as they have for eons within the region’s carefully-preserved tropical dry forests.