COSTA RICA
Endangered Species and Ecosystems Program

Background

No country in Latin America has been more successful than Costa Rica in creating long-standing economic and political stability. Costa Rica has aggressively protected its natural resources and, in the process, become a world model for the benefits of sustainable tourism. A quarter of Costa Rica’s land is officially protected and ten times that area off the coast has been set aside as marine reserves.

Costa Rica ranks among the top 20 countries world-wide for biodiversity, despite the fact that its land area represents less than a third of one percent of the planet’s surface. There are more than 1,400 species of orchids in Costa Rica and new ones are discovered each year! This staggering biodiversity stems from Costa Rica’s function as a land bridge between two continents and the country’s eclectic combination of ecosystems and geographic features – including rain and cloud forests, savanna, mountains, volcanoes, two separate coastlines, beaches and mangrove swamps. It is no wonder that National Geographic described Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park as “the most biologically intense place on earth.”

Issues

Despite the country’s political and economic stability, Costa Rica’s biodiversity is under threat from the same economic pressures that have ravaged much of Central America. Banana and pineapple plantations are encroaching upon the last of Costa Rica’s lowland forests. Farmers continue to cut down forests in the mountains to plant subsistence crops, which expose fragile soils to erosion. Poachers and land squatters operate with impunity in Costa Rica’s under-funded nature reserves. Foreign investors are sparking a real estate boom that has dislocated farmers and caused widespread development alongside many of Costa Rica’s protected areas. The real estate boom has sharply increased land prices, making it more expensive to create new nature preserves.

The Costa Rican government is promoting sustainable tourism as the best way to bring in foreign currency and finance future environmental preservation. The government is backing efforts to teach English in Costa Rica schools in order to help children find work in the travel industry. But much of the country’s rural population remains rooted in the tradition of clearing forests to make way for coffee and cow pastures. Environmental education is a slow process.

Solutions

The World Leadership School’s Costa Rica project is based at La Suerte Biological Field Station in Northeastern Costa Rica. The 700-acre field station contains a wealth of habitats including primary and secondary lowland forests, swamps, marshes and other riparian habitats. Much of the property lies along Rio La Suerte, a beautiful river that empties into the Caribbean Sea at Tortuguero National Park.

La Suerte’s lowland rain forests are home to thousands of plant and insect species as well as hundreds of species of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The species list includes three types of monkeys (white-face capuchins, mantled howlers and spiders), pacas, aguotis, keel-billed toucans, white-crowned parrots, strawberry poison-dart frogs, eyelash vipers and green iguanas.

Most of Costa Rica’s nature reserves are in the high, mountainous forests that were never cut down and converted into farmland. But La Suerte is unique in that it occupies a valuable and rare swath of flat lowland forest. La Suerte is composed of both virgin forest and areas that were logged in the 1960s before the property was converted into a nature reserve.

In the Endangered Species and Ecosystems Program, we begin by studying the status of deforestation and species extinction around the world. We use La Suerte as a case study for understanding both the amazing biodiversity of the lowland rain forest and also what happens when forests are cut down.

We work on an endangered monkey preservation project at La Suerte and also contribute to the ongoing effort to convert La Suerte’s remaining pastures back into forest. We harvest seedlings in the forest and plant them in the open, build bridges for nature trails, and help maintain nature paths. We also work in the schools of neighboring communities to teach English and cultivate appreciation for La Suerte’s rainforest.

During the program students we also visit Tortuguero National Park where we can work to preserve endangered turtle species such as the giant leatherback and green turtle. The work varies depending on the time of the year but can include waiting by giant nesting turtles in the middle of the night and safeguarding their eggs.

As with all World Leadership Programs, we do all of this wok in the context of building leadership skills. We meet local leaders and scientists and discuss how they lead. We also use self-assessment tools to reach a better understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. We spend time making goals and articulating our leadership vision.

There will be plenty of time to explore Costa Rica. We raft through the rapids and canyons of the Pacuare River, hike around the Arenal Volcano and experience its natural hot springs, and explore Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. Housing options include either home stays or lodging at La Suerte Biological Field Station.

Requirements

Spanish is not required for the Costa Rica program but an intermediate level is recommended for working in local schools.
We require that students have a satisfactory level of physical fitness in order to participate in manual labor and other physical activities.
Prior to being accepted, students are also required to fill out a detailed application and medical questionnaire.
Students should remain flexible to changing circumstances, delays and other hurdles that are common in Costa Rica. The specifics of volunteer work will be decided according to the needs of La Suerte shortly before the group’s in-country arrival.

Note: This program can easily be combined with a visit to our project on Ometepe Island in Nicaragua. Travel time between the two locations is approximately 6 hours on well maintained highway.