Today I woke up bright and early for some morning yoga! It was a great way to start my day. We then ate breakfast at the hotel and headed to the cloud forest reserve. The cloud forest hike was an awesome experience! I had the chance to see rare birds and other animals only native to Costa Rica. My favorite animal I saw today was a special species of Toucan. It was slightly smaller than a typical Toucan and it was primarily green. A group of students and I hiked up to the Continental divide after the main hike ended and it had amazing views. Even though the trail was extremely hilly and long, it was definitely worth it. 

Later in the afternoon, we listened to a discussion at the Monteverde Institute about Monteverde and how they implement sustainability practices, the impact of climate change, and how they combat climate change. A couple of the largest issues affecting Monteverde is the flow of wastewater and the diminishing water supply.  This is due to untreated wastewater and over-consumption. One of the unique aspects of Monteverde is how many committees there are for addressing major issues in the community. Since the area is heavily influenced by Quakers, all community decisions are finalized when the entire group comes to a consensus. Therefore, decisions have every person in mind and are completely fair. Although decisions take awhile to make, sometimes even years, the end result is worth it in my opinion. When mentioning sustainability, the presenter detailed the three pillars: social, economic, and environmental. You cannot discuss one pillar without discussing another because these pillars all interweave together. In relation to climate change, one not only had to protect the land, but also work with members in the community directly impacting/getting impacted by climate change, such as local farmers.

A major focus in today’s lecture was conservation. With the long history of deforestation and the newer effects of climate change, conserving wildlife and land in Costa Rica has never been so crucial. Similarly, because Monteverde contains 2% of the world’s species, conserving wildlife is a top priority. I found the construction of biological corridors all throughout Costa Rica to preserve biodiversity a fascinating solution because it allows endangered wildlife in protected areas to cross over to other protected areas safely. Those living close in proximity to the biological corridors have no regulations in regards to the corridors. For this reason, conservationists need to convince people to respect the corridors. Within Monteverde specifically, the Monteverde Institute gives away thousands of trees to farmers in areas that need them most. The farmers just have to highlight how many trees they need and the institute will do their best to fulfill the request.