Today we began Monteverde Day 2 by starting our day early to go on the Cloud Forest Hike. By the time we finished the hike along with some extra time to explore around 11:30 am, I ended up with about 13,000 steps, which just shows how much walking we did. Even though all of the uphill climbing was very tiring, it was worth it as soon as we got to the top or a lookout point because the views were incredible. It was also amazing to see all of the wildlife, including a toucan and various birds. I enjoyed the green scenery all around, especially near the hanging bridge. Getting to see the continental divide was an incredible experience as well. 

After lunch, we learned about the economics of conservation at the Monteverde Institute. During both the hike and the lecture, we learned how important sustainability is specifically in Monteverde. The first thing that I noticed was that before all of us began the hike, they asked us to leave our plastic water bottles behind. I think this is an innovative approach to sustainability because it shows how Monteverde is making an effort to reduce the amount of litter on the hiking trail, and plastic water bottles are likely one of the most littered items. 

I think it would be most effective to focus on conservation, specifically for Monteverde, with all of the wildlife species that live here. With the cloud forest also located here, conservation is so important to maintain a natural environment for the endangered species and other wild animals that rely on the cloud forest as their natural habitat. This also shows how important sustainability is, because climate change is making the preservation of the cloud forest more difficult. After learning more about the conservation efforts here in Monteverde, I am looking forward to learning more about sustainability tomorrow before we return to Heredia.