Paso de la Danta: Protecting the Costa Rica You Came Here For

What Costa Ballena buyers should know about biological corridors—and how the right advisory team turns questions into informed decisions.

The forest beyond your terrace. The sound of toucans before breakfast. The green mountains that make the drive between Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal feel unlike anywhere else.

For many buyers, these are the reasons to purchase property in Costa Rica. Protecting them is part of protecting what makes living here special.

That connection was at the heart of a presentation at our Osa Tropical Properties office this week, when Alberto Sáenz, a founding partner of Invicta Legal, led a presentation alongside three partners from his firm to discuss questions affecting real estate transactions in our region. One topic stood out: the Paso de la Danta Biological Corridor, the attention it has received, and what buyers actually need to understand.

A property’s location within a biological corridor does not, by itself, mean that it cannot be bought, sold or built on. It means the property’s environmental conditions and the requirements for its intended use deserve careful, informed attention.

For buyers, that is where an experienced local advisor and a capable professional network become especially valuable.

A living connection between coast and mountains

The Paso de la Danta Biological Corridor helps connect habitats between the Savegre and Térraba rivers and supports the wider ecological connection between the Osa Peninsula and the Talamanca mountains. Its conservation goals include wildlife connectivity, watershed protection and preservation of the coastal landscape.

As ASANA explains, this effort grew from years of local conservation work, including encouraging landowners to restore vegetation along rivers. Private property is central to the landscape and to the success of that work.

Biological corridors are also a familiar part of Costa Rica’s national conservation approach. SINAC’s published corridor overview lists 54 corridors, including eight interurban corridors, together covering just over 38% of the country’s continental territory. Their presence extends well beyond remote forests into landscapes where people live and work.

The underlying idea is straightforward: wildlife, waterways and healthy ecosystems need connections between protected areas. A park boundary alone cannot provide everything they require.

Why Paso de la Danta has been in the spotlight

In May 2025, reporting on environmental damage near Portalón brought the corridor to wider public attention. MINAE reported that inspections had identified unauthorized earthworks, tree cutting, building terraces and impacts on waterways in private properties within an area of approximately 103 hectares. The case became the subject of administrative and criminal proceedings.

The lesson for buyers is the importance of verifying the land’s environmental history and the authorizations behind work already completed.

In a separate development, the Comptroller General issued a May 2026 order addressing environmental review in construction permitting across six municipalities, including Osa, Quepos and Pérez Zeledón. These developments have made the quality of environmental due diligence particularly relevant to transactions in our region.

They also reinforce why responsible oversight matters. Buyers choosing Costa Ballena for its forests, wildlife and natural surroundings have a direct interest in development that respects those features.

What does a corridor designation mean for your purchase?

A biological corridor designation is not the same as making every property within its boundary a national park. In its 2026 order, the Comptroller recorded SINAC’s explanation that there is no specific legal framework imposing a blanket prohibition on construction within Costa Rica’s biological corridors.

The practical question is what applies to the particular property and proposed project.

Forest, waterways, springs, protected areas and other environmental conditions can affect where and how construction is possible. Municipal land-use requirements and any necessary environmental authorizations must also be examined.

An existing home, a pasture lot and a wooded hillside may therefore require different investigations, even if all three fall within the same corridor.

During the presentation, Invicta explained that municipal land-use documents may flag a property’s overlap with the corridor or mapped forest cover and prompt requests for further technical clarification. That information needs to be interpreted alongside the property’s records and the buyer’s intended use.

The municipal land-use document, commonly called the uso de suelo, is an important part of that process. It is not, on its own, a construction permit or a complete environmental assessment.

Why an apparently clear building site still needs checking

Imagine viewing a lot with an ocean view and an existing flat building terrace, often called a plantel. It is easy to picture a house there.

Before relying on that terrace, a buyer’s team should establish when it was created, whether the work was authorized, and what historical imagery and official records show about the site.

A cleared surface does not, by itself, establish that the land can lawfully be developed. Earlier unauthorized clearing may still have legal consequences.

“Forest” also has a technical meaning under Costa Rican law. The Forest Law’s definition considers factors including area, canopy cover, tree density and trunk diameter. Identifying the applicable conditions can require specialist assessment rather than a visual impression during a showing. Smaller wooded areas can also be subject to other protections.

Costa Rica generally prohibits changing the use of forest land, while providing limited authorization mechanisms for specified activities. The availability of any such authorization must be evaluated for the particular site and proposal.

Turning a question into a practical plan

Invicta described an approach that starts with locating the property accurately and reviewing available maps, records and historical imagery. When the findings warrant it, a forestry engineer or environmental specialist can visit the site, assess conditions and prepare a technical report.

Depending on the property, that work may involve evaluating forest characteristics, identifying water-related protection areas, or clarifying differences between mapped information and conditions on the ground.

The legal team then uses the findings to establish what additional information, applications or approvals are needed from the relevant authorities.

For buyers, these answers can influence the proposed home’s location, the scope of a project, the transaction timetable and the terms agreed before closing. An additional professional assessment has a cost, but it can provide information essential to deciding whether a property fits your plans.

This is the value of coordinated advice: a question is investigated, documented and translated into a decision you can understand.

Why Invicta’s practical experience matters

One of the most valuable aspects of our conversation with Invicta was the perspective they bring as real estate participants themselves. During the presentation, the team discussed their own investment experience and the practical challenges of purchasing and managing property.

Alberto Sáenz, the founding partner who led our office presentation, brings extensive experience advising local and international investors on Costa Rican real estate. His practice includes real estate, water law, the maritime-terrestrial zone, foreign investment and trust structuring. He also advises clients throughout the development process, from project planning and structuring through condominium formation and sales.

That combination of legal knowledge and practical involvement matters when a property raises questions about water, environmental conditions or development potential. It helps connect the legal review with the decisions a buyer needs to make about the property and their plans.

They understand why buyers need clarity about timing, feasibility, costs and the steps required to move forward.

Their approach, as discussed at our office, involves speaking with surveyors, forestry specialists, municipal officials and professional colleagues to investigate an issue thoroughly. A capable legal team can establish the facts, identify lawful options and work through the appropriate process. Where a restriction genuinely limits a buyer’s plans, that clarity is equally valuable before a purchase becomes binding.

The value of having the right people beside you

At Osa Tropical Properties, we believe our clients benefit when our advisors keep learning, ask detailed questions and maintain relationships with professionals who can provide specialist answers.

That is why we invited Invicta to our office. Buyers deserve guidance informed by current developments and grounded in the realities of owning property here.

Our role is to connect your goals with the right properties, help identify questions early and coordinate with the professionals whose expertise the transaction requires.

These are the qualities that matter when you are making an important decision in a new country: responsiveness, local understanding, useful introductions and consistent support.

Read our client testimonials.

Buy with a clear understanding of what comes next

Paso de la Danta helps protect the landscape that draws so many people to Costa Ballena. Understanding it is part of choosing a property that supports both your plans and the region’s future.

Whether you are considering an existing home in Ojochal, a lot near Uvita or a mountain property above Dominical, start with advisors who know the area and can bring the right expertise into the conversation early.

Contact Osa Tropical Properties to discuss your plans. We will help you explore suitable properties, understand the questions that matter and connect with the legal and technical professionals needed for an informed purchase.

Start your property search with Osa Tropical Properties.

Buying property in Costa Rica? Contact Invicta Legal for experienced guidance tailored to your plans.

Editorial source notes

ASANA, corridor history and objectives: https://www.asanacr.org/donde-trabajamos/corredor-biologico-paso-de-la-danta/
SINAC, published national corridor overview (54 corridors; just over 38%): https://sinac.go.cr/ES/correbiolo/Paginas/default.aspx . Another SINAC page labelled as a demo presents different 2026 figures; the article explicitly attributes the figures to the published overview rather than claiming an independently reconciled current total.
Portalón: CR Hoy, 9 May 2025, reporting MINAE’s statement: https://crhoy.com/nacionales/minae-admite-danos-ambientales-y-obras-sin-permiso-en-bosques-de-portalon/ . The supplied MINAE page returned an access error during research. The article dates the public reporting, not the initial clearing, to May 2025 and does not claim a final judicial outcome.
Comptroller General, order dated 21 May 2026: https://cgrfiles.cgr.go.cr/publico/docs_cgr/2026/SIGYD_D/SIGYD_D_2026007628.pdf
INVU, municipal land use and construction permits: https://www.invu.go.cr/asesoria-preguntas-frecuentes
Forest Law 7575, including Articles 3 and 19: https://www.conagebio.go.cr/sites/default/files/2023-08/Leyforestal-7575.pdf
Invicta legal , legal team with Alberto Saenz Roesch
https://www.invicta.legal/albertosaenz_en/
OTP testimonials: https://osatropicalproperties.com/about-us/client-testimonials
Office presentation, professional workflow and the team’s investment discussion: supplied by OTP’s firsthand notes. No claim is made that every municipal office currently follows an identical procedure or that every property restriction can be resolved.