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Costa Rica : Ecotourism and Sustainability on the Pacific Coast
November 20, 2009
- November 29, 2009
Costa Rica is a study in contrasts. Stunning scenery, abundant natural resources and diverse wildlife has made Costa Rica an immensely popular tourism destination in the past decade. With its extensive network of national parks, Costa Rica's name is in the forefront of the international conservation movement and has become synonymous with "ecotourism": socially responsible travel that theoretically conserves the environment while improving the welfare of the local people. With this reputation, it is not surprising that tourism has become Costa Rica's most important source of revenue.
Unfortunately, the country's heavy reliance on tourism has produced serious social and environmental problems. The extensive development of natural areas for tourism has caused the destruction of ecosystems and the displacement of local people whose livelihood depended on those natural resources. The government's insistence in attracting foreign investors has promoted the unrestrained development of beach resorts and real estate projects. This, in turn, has produced conflicts over land and water resources with peasants and local communities. The sexual exploitation of local women and children constitutes yet another distressing repercussion of Costa Rica's unregulated tourist industry.
Its natural wealth, ironically, has also led to other environmental destructive ventures. Oil exploration threatens to destroy fragile coastal ecosystems. Multinational fruit companies and US corporate backed cattle industries are responsible for a deforestation rate in Costa Rica second to none. The government's open door policy to foreign investors has promoted bioprospecting and the spread of genetically modified crops, activities that not only place the country's biodiversity in danger but also affect the local communities' health.
Join Global Exchange on a Reality Tour to Costa Rica as we travel across this naturally rich and strikingly beautiful country, examine the social and environmental problems Costa Ricans are facing and meet the important players who are creating sustainable solutions. The local solutions to these challenges will inspire our action and involvement with these issues.
Program Highlights:
- # Visit the active Poas Volcano and hike through its cloud forest.
- # Enjoy the beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park in the Central Pacific.
- # Learn about local efforts to create a biological corridor linking Manuel Antonio National Park to other parks and reserves in an effort to protect the squirrel monkey, a species in danger of extinction.
- # Meet with women community activists in the Manuel Antonio National Park area and learn about their proposed alternatives to counteract negative impacts of the tourist industry.
- # Learn how the conservation efforts of local Costa Ricans and Quaker immigrants led to the creation of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve.
- # Hike and enjoy a canopy tour through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve.
- # Learn what local youth activists are doing to promote community- based alternative tourism projects in the Tenorio Volcano area.
- # Take a boat ride around Culebra Bay and learn about the environmental and social impacts of large-scale beach resorts and real estate development on the Northern Pacific Coast.
- # Meet with grassroots organizations and locals united in an effort to preserve their natural resources (such as water at risk from large scale resort hotel development) and providing solutions to regulate the tourist development.
- # Learn about popular resistance against the recently passed ratification of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and examine the repercussions that this treaty will have for campesinos, workers, women, indigenous people, the environment, and the very sovereignty of the country.
- # Meet with activists fighting against bioprospecting ventures of transnational pharmaceutical corporations.
- # Examine the implications of genetically modified organisms (GMO's) on local farmers as well as on consumer's health.
- # Visit a GMO cotton plantation project and learn about the environmental and economic implications of GMO imports.
Cost:
$1575
Price Includes:
- * Double-room accommodations (Single rooms are available for an additional $200).
- * Two meals per day.
- * Transportation to and from all programmed activities.
- * Bilingual trip leader.
- * Entrance fees, program activities and honoraria to NGOs.
- * Preparatory reading materials.
- * NOT INCLUDED: international airfare, lunches, tips and personal expenses.
How to Register:
We must receive your application and a non-refundable deposit of $200 two months before departure. A late fee of $50 will be applied to late applications. Payments by Mastercard or Visa are welcome.
This trip will be as diverse as possible in terms of race, age and life experiences. We strongly urge people of color to apply. In some cases, a limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income applicants.
Make your reservation online now!
Contact Sneh with any questions about this trip,
or call toll-free 1-800-497-1994 ext. 221.
Trips on related issues: Environment and Sustainability
Fair Trade
Health and Healing
Labor and Economy
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