Today, we visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve where we hiked on the Heart of the Forest trail and looked for unique animals and plants. In the afternoon, we visited the Monteverde Institute where we had a lecture on sustainability and a tour of the campus. Both locations offered insight into how tourism and nature interact in Costa Rica.

During the hike, we were only allowed on one trail. This is an example of good stewardship between humans and the Earth. While this can be restricting for tourists, it is the reality of preserving the trail. The footprint of hundreds of thousands of tourists can do much harm to the forest’s ecosystem. This, in turn, can harm the natural beauty of the moss, bird, monkeys, etc. that tourists come to see.

The Monteverde Institute provided context for this restriction. Our tour guide explained that while the forest is a tourist attraction, most importantly, it supports the life of the local community. Restricting a trail as a minor inconvenience to a visitor helps to protect the resources (especially water) that are used for the local families. These restrictions ensure that nature and the local community come first, allowing tourism to stay as well.