Today brought a beautiful hike through the cloud forest along with complex questions regarding conservation and sustainability. Nacho explained to us that the once dense forests of Costa Rica were thinned out due to deforestation caused by the need for open land to farm for beef and milk. Obviously, this negatively impacted the ecosystem and the forests but allowed many to settle and the communities in Costa Rica to grow. Over time, people realized the impact of deforestation and the forests have returned to 56.87% of forests

Monteverde presents unique challenges due to the tourist market and how that and other  factors contribute to its economy. High tourist population leads to greater production of waste, release of pollution, higher energy use, and issues with water quality. In my opinion, conservation is the most important factor. Without the forest,  the tourist market would not exist and all of the money from gift shops and tours. Sustainability also goes hand in hand with the conservation of the environment and needs the forest to be conserved. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the hikes today and I loved seeing the different wildlife in the rainforest. In particular, I enjoyed seeing the monkeys in the morning hike, and the snakes and frogs during the night hike. I’ll miss Monte Verde as it has been a highlight of this trip but I do look forward to returning to Heredia.