Costa Rica: Darik Fait (Sustainability in Costa Rica)

Program: UW Banking Animal Biodiversity in Costa Rica, Spring Break

One of the learning targets on the “Banking Animal Biodiversity in Costa Rica” program is to study the uniquely successful sustainability-related practices which Costa Rica has adopted as a country. On the program, I was able to observe these practices at a variety of scales from individual to governmental.

Pictured left: An outdoor classroom to learn about reforestation.

I had the privilege of interacting with several local people and asking sustainability related questions. From these interactions, I learned that, in Costa Rica, there is a deepened connection between the land and the individual, with many local peoples targeting all of their daily choices at giving back to their country’s biodiversity. For example, a local gardener provided an insightful lecture on ethnobotany and the relationship between the indigenous peoples of Costa Rica and the species around them. I observed how careful he was to thank the land for its contributions to his health and how willing he was to give back to the land by removing invasive species, planting native species, and conserving water use in his everyday life. In fact, almost every bedroom I stayed in had signs encouraging the conservation of water and energy.

At the governmental level, Costa Rica is unique in its dedication to the preservation of land, regulation of genetic material, and encouragement of sustainable farming practices. On long bus rides I was able to observe a unique form of raising cattle called silvopasture, a technique where cattle pastures are not clear cut but maintain several native tree species. A number of lectures in the course highlighted the function of silvopasture as a steppingstone in the landscape, connecting national parks and preservations which hold around 5% of the world’s total diversity.