After waking up in Monteverde, I headed to the Cloud Forest Reserve. The group hiked through the forest for a couple hours, stopping to observe birds, insects, and other animals. Unfortunately, there was no rain or mist today in the forest. Because of climate change, the number of days without rain each year has increased from one month to four months. This prolonged dry season has created many issues for the forest. In the afternoon, we listened to a talk at the Monteverde Institute. This is an institute that is aiming to guide tourism to be more educational. They are working to use tourism to support environmental progress and academic programs in Monteverde.
Although the institute is focused on sustainability and conservation, they also have to consider the competing interest of productivity. Sustainability is focused on making human’s actions more maintainable for the environment and economy. By making actions more maintainable, it helps to conserve the environment and biodiversity. Sustainability and conservation often go hand in hand by both working to maintain parts of the environment. This oftentimes can conflict with productivity as farmers often use all their land to grow crops or support animals. Before the 1970s, families moving to Monteverde were encouraged to cut down forests and start farms. This focus on producing crops to support the economy was not sustainable. It led to the loss of many species of plants and animals in the region.
Monteverde is facing numerous challenges that the institute is aiming to solve. One major problem is the increasing number of days without rain because of climate change. The dry ground does not absorb water as well; therefore, plants cannot get the necessary water they need after rainfall. This is common with other places in Costa Rica as a majority of the country is also receiving less water yearly. With increased tourism in the area, there is also pressure on local services such as garbage, water supply, and increased noise and light pollution. These problems are issues faced in Costa Rica as well. However a challenge unique to Monteverde is the increased cost of buying land. The workforce in Monteverde is often pushed 30 to 50 minutes outside the city to find affordable housing.
Sustainability has three major parts: economical, environmental, and social. When implementing a change into the community to benefit the environment, the social and economical effects must also be examined. I believe sustainability should be prioritized over conservation and productivity because it encompasses both other parts while promoting environmentally-conscious actions. Conservation is very important, but it needs to be maintainable. All of Costa Rica cannot be forests and protected reserves. Also, productivity is important; however, all of Costa Rica cannot be farms or shops. There needs to be a balance between conservation and productivity. Sustainability helps to ensure these parts are maintainable and can co-exist with one another. I believe that sustainability can help us save the environment, while ensuring that the economic and social aspects are also considered.
