Semester Program in Sustainable Development Studies
The School for Field Studies
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Location:
| Atenas - Costa Rica | |
Highlights:
| Costa Rica is currently undergoing a period of great economic and social change. | |
Term(s):
| Fall, Spring | |
Language:
| Spanish | |
English Instruction:
| Yes | |
Academic Credit:
| (16 - 16) | |
Subject Area(s):
| Conservation, Ecology, Environmental Studies, Resource Studies | |
Included:
| Academic Credit, Airport Transfers, Excursions, Ground Transportation, Housing, Meals (All) | |
Accommodations:
| Other | |
Participants:
| Undergraduates | |
Description:
| Costa Rica is currently undergoing a period of great economic and social change. In our ten years at this Center, the country has shifted from an economy predominately based on agriculture, to an economy driven by eco-tourism and technology exports. Costa Rica now faces a struggle common to developing countries: how to preserve beautiful (and economically valuable) natural resources while increasing prosperity. Our overall goal is to develop sustainable management models that promote biodiversity protection and ecosystem integrity. Our research will focus on determining the ecological and economic viability of organic agriculture and developing protected area management strategies that enhance biodiversity and protect natural resources. Students work with the local CoopeAtenas (coffee cooperative) to investigate organic coffee production costs, marketing, pest management and species diversity. All of this information helps local farmers obtain national certification as organic farms, and meausres the stability of organic farm ecosystems. Students also explore protected areas to collect data on biodiversity, and evalute the success of different management strategies. Visits to cloud forests, dry forests, volcanic parks and lowland rainforests offer the opportunity to examine management schemes and determine which systems offer the best option for economic development, the maintenance of cultural norms, and the preservation of biological diversity. Our days are spent in a combination of lectures, field trips, field exercises and research. Possible field excursions include trips to: Santa Rosa National Park to explore a tropical dry forest ecosystem that is rare and more threatened than better-publicized rainforests; Volcano Poas - the country's first volcanic national park; and Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and butterfly gardens. Community land-use choices are among our chief concerns. Therefore, we spend significant time with local residents, farmers and agricultural cooperative members to better understand their perspectives and needs. Students become involved in local activities such as informal Spanish lessons, soccer games, community festivals, tutoring in schools, holiday celebrations and a short homestay. Applicants must have completed a college level course in ecology or environmental studies and Spanish or demonstrate a working knowledge of conversational Spanish prior to participating. | |
URL:
| http://www.fieldstudies.org/ |
This listing is part of PlanetEdu's Study Abroad category.
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