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 November 19, 2008
Salem, Massachusetts - The School for Field Studies (SFS) Center for Sustainable Development Studies, located in the town of Atenas, Costa Rica, signed a five-year extension of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of the Environment, Energy, and Technology of Costa Rica (MINAET) on November 10, 2008.
The MOU was created in 2003 as an institutional cooperation agreement between MINAET’s Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion (National System of Conservation Areas, or SINAC) and SFS. Its primary objectives are: assisting communities in the development and execution of actions that contribute to sustainable development; capacity building for community leaders to carry out sustainable development actions; and generating knowledge through research that will orient the actions of the institutions in charge of promoting sustainable development in the communities around SINAC’s protected areas. SINAC members provide technical assistance to SFS to inform and orient the MOU’s actions. In return, SFS provides SINAC’s constituents with capacity building initiatives and community outreach.
“We are very proud of our long term collaboration with the Ministry and SINAC as part of the School’s research agenda,” said Bonnie R. Clendenning, president of The School for Field Studies. “Our work has included developing bio-indicators of water quality, monitoring avifauna, certification of small coffee growers adjacent to protected natural resources, and developing visitor data in support of the parks’ management plans. “
Clendenning and Center Director Dr. Gerardo Ávalos attended the event hosted by the headquarters of the Central Mountain Slope Conservation Area, and were joined by SFS Vice President Raimundo Salamanca, SFS Center staff and faculty, SINAC personnel, as well as park directors who came to witness the signing between the School and MINAET. SINAC representatives reviewed the contributions of the Center during the first five years of the agreement, and looked forward to continuing a fruitful collaboration among SFS faculty and students and the system of national parks of Costa Rica.
About The School for Field Studies
The School for Field Studies (SFS), the nation’s oldest and largest environmental study abroad program for college undergraduates, has combined hands-on environmental studies with scientific research to develop sustainable solutions to critical environmental problems. SFS students work with communities in developing nations to discover practical ways to manage their natural resources. In the process, SFS students undergo a transformational experience that helps them advance their careers as skilled professionals and to become globally aware citizens.
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