Costa Rica is considered as one of the world’s global leader in sustainability.

The main initiatives in sustainability made by the Costa Rican government are focused on the implementation of conservation. The two main initiatives that the government policies concentrate on are ecotourism and biodiversity. Sustainable tourism is geared towards protecting a country’s natural resources, while maintaining the demands of a country, economically and socially. For example, under this initiative, hotels and lodges in Costa Rica are evaluated based on their respect for local cultures, preservation of natural resources, and contribution to the economic well-being of the community. One of the most well-known programs for assessing the relationship between the companies and the surrounding environment is the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST). This program evaluates the businesses on how well the companies interact with the locals and how well they enforce their sustainable practices and policies.

Another main initiative for sustainability in Costa Rica is the conservation of biodiversity. The Payments for Environmental Services (PES) program provides incentives for landowners to maintain healthy land and conduct unharmful practices to the environment. These practices may include the preservation of clean water, the conservation of biodiversity, and maintaining quality of life for local residents.

Having done research on Costa Rica and learning about its strive towards sustainability makes me truly excited to be there in less than a week! Even though we are mainly staying in homestays, it would be interesting to see first hand, their initiatives for sustainability and how ecotourism is prevalent throughout different parts of the country. It is apparent, just from the initiatives mentioned above, the importance of local residents and their effects on sustainability to Costa Ricans. Estoy tan emocionada!