To protect the river, the community organization was created to belong to the Blue Flag program, in the MicroNacientes category. Bandera Azul is a successful Costa Rican program for beach protection. It was extended to 11 different categories related to environmental education, public health and environmental protection. Sarapiquí won its first prize of one star in 2012. In 2014 the area grew from 12 to 27 km, covering the entire route used by tourists. On the fourth occasion, the region gets the 5 stars, the highest category. In 2015, we managed to maintain 4 stars. Blue Flag has become a model that guarantees the protection and conservation of this important tributary for future generations.
