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| Program Description
Costa Rica is currently undergoing a period of rapid economic and social change. As this resource-rich, wonderfully biodiverse country continues along a path of rapid development, it is increasingly influenced by global policy such as the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and foreign markets. Costa Rica's economy has shifted from one based chiefly on agriculture to one driven by ecotourism and technology exports. At the same time, rapid rural-to-urban conversion is straining natural resources in ecologically fragile areas. The country is at a critical juncture as resource management decisions are being made in an effort to keep pace with competitive global markets. Our goal is to study different development and resource management models that protect the biodiversity of Costa Rica's ecosystems while promoting socioeconomic benefits for its people.
Students will examine the effects of globalization on classic development issues such as agriculture, biodiversity protection, economic development, urban sprawl, population growth, waste management, and water resources. Students focus on evaluating the success of Costa Rica's world-renowned land and biodiversity management systems and developing alternative strategies for economic development and biodiversity conservation, such as land-use planning, organic agriculture, and conservation outside of protected areas. Visits to cloud forests, dry forests, volcanoes, lowland rainforests, and plantations offer opportunities to examine management schemes, identify the benefits of protected areas, and determine which systems offer the best option for economic development, the maintenance of cultural norms, and the preservation of biodiversity. Understanding the forces driving Costa Rica's policies as well as those driving ecological changes will be key as students analyze potential solutions for Costa Rica and the Central American region. Program Details Credits | 18 environmental studies credits | Dates | Fall 2010: Sept 6 - Dec 9
Spring 2011: Jan 31 - May 5
Fall 2011: Sept 5 - Dec 7 | Location/Base | The SFS Center for Sustainable Development Studies, Atenas, Costa Rica. Tour the field station. | Total Program Cost | Fall 2010 / Spring 2011: $17,065 (includes all tuition, room, board, local travel. Fee excludes airfare). | Prerequisites | One semester of college level ecology or environmental science; one college-level Spanish course; 18 years of age | Financial Aid | Need-based scholarships and loans available. Visit our financial aid section for more information. | Field Research, Lectures, & Exercises | The interdisciplinary curriculum informs students about the links among natural ecosystems and social and economic systems in Costa Rica. Courses in ecology, environmental economics, resource management, and language and culture lay the groundwork for research on sustainable development issues. Field trips introduce students to a diversity of ecosystems and social conditions. - Nicaragua: extended field expedition to compare and contrast development and resource use issues between the two countries.
- Camping trips to explore rare and threatened tropical dry forest ecosystems in Guanacaste Province to Palo Verde or Santa Rosa National Parks, one of the most sustainable management models for protected areas in Latin America.
- Vsit National Parks to investigate parks and people relations and the pressures of ecotourism on small gateway communities. Learn about forest ecology.
- Learn about bioindicators of ecosystem health and rainforest ecology.
- Develop management policies by continuing our long-term bird monitoring program and analyzing the impact of the road as a barrier and source of mortality for the fauna found in Carara and Santa Rosa National Parks..
- Visit Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve: visit the largest private reserve in Latin America initiated by donations, and examine the impacts of heavy visitation.
- Develop field research skills in ecological sampling for plants, birds and invertebrates, rapid rural appraisal, habitat assessment and mapping, species identification, infrastructure assessment in protected areas, and survey and interview techniques.
| | Sample Directed Research | - Management practices of Carara National Park.
- Evaluation of the socioeconomic benefits of Costa Rica's national parks for neighboring communities.
- Impact of road traffic noises on the avifauna of national parks.
- Evaluation of ecosystem services, sych as biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration, in agroforestry systems.
| Community Focus
| Conversations and collaborators with local residents, small business owners, and farmers to better understand their perspectives and needs provide the framework for SFS research plans. Activities might include: - Monitoring and maintaining trail infrastructure at the Municipal Forest integrating local schools and conservation organizations.
- Long-term community projects: U.S. culture and English taught in the elementary school, environmental education at the Municipal Forest, and recycling projects
- Soccer games, community festivals, and short home stays.
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Language of Instruction
English Application Deadline
Rolling admissions. Early application submissions encouraged for acceptance into your program of choice. Housing
The SFS Center for Sustainable Development Studies is a small farm on a hillside with spectacular views overlooking the Rio Grande River in the fertile Central Valley. The field station includes a large house, an outdoor classroom, an organic garden, a patio, and pool. Students live in a dormitory (up to four to a room) with bathrooms. There is a classroom, small laboratory, and a library/computer room with internet access. The field station is part of the small neighborhood of La Presa/Los Angeles. The friendly town of Atenas is a short walk from the field station while Costa Rica's tropical forests, beaches, mountains, and volcanoes are within a day's travel. Tour the field station. Courses
Semester students are registered in five academic courses accredited through Boston University:
EE(NS) 377 Tropical Ecology and Sustainable Development (4 credits)
EE(SS) 303 Economic & Ethical Issues and Sustainable Development (4 credits)
EE(NS) 374 Principles of Resource Management (4 credits)
EE 491 or 492 Directed Research (4 credits)
(LS) 205E Language, Culture and Society of Costa Rica (2 credits) See our course description page for more details.
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