Productivity, conservation, and sustainability have been at odds for hundreds of years. While they can be balanced, civilization has allowed that balance to tilt, usually in the name of profit. In Montverde specifically, productivity was prioritized at the expense of conservation and sustainability as forest cover was cut down drastically. When introducing climate change to the equation, sustainability and conservation is further jeopardized. Once species go extinct, they cannot come back. Monteverde has already seen several species wiped out by climate change, causing irreparable damage to the local ecosystem.

Monteverde faces challenges unique to Costa Rica. About 90% of the town’s economy is based on one industry: tourism. When Covid essentially stopped tourism, much of Monteverde’s economy halted. Other Costa Rican industries, like coffee harnessing/processing, were actually helped by covid, and did not face the drastic changes that Monteverde did.

I would prioritize sustainability, if I had to choose. Prioritizing production obviously will have extreme negative effects on the ecosystem. Conservation is important but can be very limiting for a community. That leaves sustainability, which allows for production but also keeps conservation in mind, and is a good middle ground to sustain the community through the future.