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 Fair Trade Act (CAFTA) and foreign markets. Costa Rica's economy has shifted from one predominately based on agriculture to one driven by ecotourism and technology exports. At the same time, brisk population growth is straining natural and developed resources. 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 agro-ecology, 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 that are driving Costa Rica's policies as well as those driving change will be key as students analyze potential solutions for Costa Rica, and throughout the Central American region.

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Program Details

Credits	18 environmental studies credits
Dates	Summer Session I 2010: June 7 - July 6 Summer Session II 2010: July 12 - Aug 10 Fall 2010: Sept 6 - Dec 9 Spring 2011: Jan 31 - May 5 Summer Session I 2011: June 6 - July 5 Summer Session II 2011: July 11 - Aug 9 Fall 2011: Sept 5 - Dec 7
Location/Base	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. Volcanoes: visit Poas and Arenal National Parks to investigate parks and people relations and the pressures of ecotourism on small gateway communities. Learn about volcanoes and cloud 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 park's fauna. Monteverde Cloud Forest: visit the largest private reserve in Latin America initiated by donations and explore the difficult dynamics of private and public preservation policies and the impact of heavy tourism. Rinc?n de La Vieja National Park: camping trip to the cloud forest and volcanic mud piles. Students develop field research skills in data recording and analysis, ecological sampling techniques, population sampling of birds and butterflies, rapid rural appraisal, habitat assessment and mapping, species identification, infrastructure assessment in protected areas, ecotourism, visitor perception, interview techniques, and statistical analysis.
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	Community needs are the impetus behind our research goals. Conversations and collaborations 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 and Cacao watershed with the local high school, ministry of agriculture, and municipality. A full Spanish presentation of the results of the research conducted during the semester to government agencies. Long-term community projects: U.S. culture and English taught in the elementary school, fighting diseases in Atenas, and trail management and construction in the Municipal Forest. Soccer games, community festivals, and short home stays.

Language of Instruction
English

Application Deadline
Rolling admissions. Early application submissions encouraged for acceptance into your program of choice.

Housing
The 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.