1. Ecotourism in Costa Rica Human-Environment Interactions http:// buildingzoneconstruction.com/costa-rica-real-estate-blog/2008/10/06/economy-in-costa-rica / Carly Schmidt ESTU 303

2. Overview of the System: History  Spanish colonization starting in 1563  Achieved independence in 1821  Peace and stability: Only two brief periods of violence since the late 1800s  No military  Now enjoys relatively high standards of living, stability, and environmental health http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm http://www.eoearth.org/article/Costa_Rica

3. Overview of the System: Social  Human Development Index  UNDP measure of health, education, and living standards  Ranked 62 nd out of 169 countries  Ranked 6 th in Latin America http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CRI.html

4. Overview of the System: Environment  Tropical climate  Terrain: coastal plain separated by volcanic mountains  Main Environmental Issues  Deforestation, land use change, soil erosion, marine pollution, fisheries protection, solid waste management, & air pollution  Biodiversity  Contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity  Ecology  25% of land is protected, the largest percentile in the world http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm http://www.eoearth.org/article/Costa_Rica

5. Overview of the System: Environment Performance Index  The EPI ranks countries on 25 performance indicators according to ten categories  Shows how close countries are to established environmental policy goals.  Costa Rica is ranked 3 rd best in the world out of 163 countries http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm http://epi.yale.edu/Countries/CostaRica http://lenteckhartproperties.com/costa-rica/costa-rica-news/costa-rica-ranks-3-in-world-for-environmental-performance

6. Overview of the System: Economics  The services sector accounts for roughly 70% of GDP  Largely from tourism  Foreign exchange  In 2000, Costa Rica earned about $1.25 billion from ecotourism http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm http://www.eoearth.org/article/Costa_Rica Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica http://www.gogoworldwidevacations.com/tours/index.jsp?touroffset=25

7. Ecotourism and Sustainable Development  The International Tourism Society  " responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people"  Martha Honey’s Definition  Involves travel to natural destinations  Minimizes Impact  Builds Environmental Awareness  Provides financial benefits and empowerment for local people  Respects local culture  Supports human rights and democratic movements http://www.catravel.org/ www. ecotourism.org/ http://www1.american.edu/ted/costa-rica-tourism.htm

8. Effects on the Environment Pros  Preservation  Conservation  Environmental education  Raising awareness Cons  Land clearance and erosion (destruction)  Biodiversity loss (disturbance)  Increase in garbage, sewage, and air pollution (deposition)  Loss of biodiversity (destruction)  Monkeys, leatherback turtles Koens, J., Dieperink, C., & Miranda, M. (2009), Ecotourism as a development strategy: Experiences from Costa Rica http://www.ecollo.com/?tag=/eco+tourism

9. Effects on Humans: Economics Pros  Foreign exchange  Job creation Cons  Economic leakage  Dependency  Inflation Koens, J., Dieperink, C., & Miranda, M. (2009), Ecotourism as a development strategy: Experiences from Costa Rica http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/costa-rica/structure-of-economy.html

10. Effects on Humans: Social Pros  Education  Facilities and Infrastructure  Empowerment of oppressed/deprived  Community organization  Promotion of local cultures Cons  Loss of community  Degradation of local culture  Increases in crime rates, prostitution, trafficking, and drug & alcohol abuse  Loss of access to facilities for local people Koens, J., Dieperink, C., & Miranda, M. (2009), Ecotourism as a development strategy: Experiences from Costa Rica http://www.horizontes.com/eng/hc_indigenous.php

11. Connections to Course Content: Brundtland Definition of Sustainability  How ecotourism is defined & implemented in Costa Rica  Critique: Lack of Emphasis on the Environment  Environment as a base

12. Connections to Course Content: Daily et al.: The Value of Nature and the Nature of Value  In1996 Costa Rica established a nationwide system of environmental payments  Induces landowners to provide ecosystem services.  Accounts for sequestered carbon, biodiversity, watershed services, and scenic beauty. Ecosystem Services Payment Program http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rwvBFVRDQVRbV7Bh3GZyZQ

13. Connections to Course Content: White: Land use, Environment, and Social Change  Building tourism infrastructure (hotels & ecolodges)  Scenery as “a commodity that can be bought and sold”  Selection of preferred, most valuable species http://www.travelmuse.com/articles/costa-rica/costa-rica-family-vacation-overview (White, 1980, p. 145) Impacts of Tourism

14. Conclusions "They do ecotourism very well in Costa Rica."

15. References  Daily G., Söderqvist T., Aniyar S., Arrow K., Dasgupta P., Ehrlich PR., Folke C., Jansson AM., Jansson B-O., Kautsky N., et al. (2000). The value of nature and the nature of value? Science 289: 395-396.  Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons. Science 162: 1243-1248.  Liu, J., Dietz, T., Carpenter S., Alberti, M., Folke, C, Redman, C., Schneider, S., Ostrom, E., Pell, A., Lubchenco, J., Taylor, W., Ouyang, Z., Deadman, P., Kratz, T., and W. Provencher. (2007). Complexity of coupled human and natural systems. Science 317(5844): 1513 – 1516.  Moran, E. F. (2006). People and nature: An introduction to human ecological relations. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.  White, R. (1980). Land use, environment, and social change: The shaping of Island County, Washington. Seattle: University of Washington Press.