On my final day in Costa Rica I have the feeling that this experience flew by, while also feeling like I have been here forever. It is bitter sweet this feeling of accomplishment and knowing that this course, which has been on my mind since the beginning of our Master’s program, is over. I can walk away from this experience with a greater clarity of the direction I want to go during this program. The research project that Teresa and I worked on in this short amount of time opened up questions and a potential area of research for the future. Through social analysis of surveys and interviews of the staff at Las Cruces Biological Station, we discovered that while there are community outreach initiatives happening at the station the success of these programs is not fully known. It seems that there is a disconnect between the stations goals for community outreach and what the community needs. This was a very short study, and we were only able to survey and interview the staff within the station, however it laid the groundwork for continued research if we are able to come back in the next year.
The shift in thinking about how countries manage protected areas, moving from the traditional National Park model to a community focused model, will be imperative for long term success of these areas. Conservation of natural resources cannot happen if the only goal is strict ecological preservation. The focus should be on improving how people interact with the land and working to protect environmental, economic, and social goals within countries. We saw this in Costa Rica as many of the ecotourism farms are attempting to bring growth economically, while also educating people on sustainable practices. We also visited the Guaymi Indigenous Reserve where we saw how the lack of understanding about the way Indigenous Peoples have lived on the land long before colonization has resulted in a poor quality of life. This community is an exceptional resource for institutions interested in conservation because of their knowledge of ecological systems and processes.
Overall I was amazed by the beauty of Costa Rica and the hospitality of everyone we had the pleasure of meeting. The country is rich in natural resources, culture, and people and I hope to have the opportunity to come back and continue the research we started. Of course I will need to sleep for about two months to overcome the utter deep tired that lingers in my body, but I would not have it any other way. Pura vida!