Transcript Ecotourism in Costa Rica

Carly Schmidt
ESTU 303
Ecotourism in
Costa Rica
Human-Environment
Interactions
http://buildingzoneconstruction.com/costa-rica-real-estate-blog/2008/10/06/economy-in-costa-rica/
Overview of the System:
History
http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm
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Spanish colonization starting in 1563
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Achieved independence in 1821
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Peace and stability: Only two brief periods of
violence since the late 1800s
 No
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military
Now enjoys relatively high standards of living,
stability, and environmental health
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Costa_Rica
Overview of the System:
Social
http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm
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Human Development Index
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UNDP measure of health, education, and living standards
Ranked 62nd out of 169 countries
Ranked 6th in Latin America
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/CRI.html
Overview of the System:
Environment
http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm
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Tropical climate
Terrain: coastal plain separated by volcanic mountains
Main Environmental Issues
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Deforestation, land use change, soil erosion, marine pollution,
fisheries protection, solid waste management, & air pollution
Biodiversity
 Contains
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5% of the world’s biodiversity
Ecology
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25% of land is protected, the largest percentile in the world
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Costa_Rica
Overview of the System:
Environment Performance Index
http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm
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The EPI ranks countries on
25 performance indicators
according to ten
categories
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Shows how close countries
are to established
environmental policy goals.
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Costa Rica is ranked 3rd
best in the world out of 163
countries
http://lenteckhartproperties.com/costa-rica/costa-rica-news/costa-rica-ranks-3-in-world-for-environmental-performance
http://epi.yale.edu/Countries/CostaRica
Overview of the System:
Economics
http://www.cataratasnauyaca.com/ecotourism-costa-rica.htm
 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
Seven Natural Wonders
of Costa Rica
http://www.gogoworldwidevacations.com/tours/index.jsp?touroffset=25
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Costa_Rica
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"
http://www.catravel.org/
 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
www.ecotourism.org/
http://www1.american.edu/ted/costa-rica-tourism.htm
http://www.ecollo.com/?tag=/eco+tourism
Effects on the Environment
Pros
Cons
 Preservation

 Conservation

 Environmental

education
 Raising awareness

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
Effects on Humans:
Economics
http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/costa-rica/structure-of-economy.html
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
Effects on Humans: Social
http://www.horizontes.com/eng/hc_indigenous.php
Pros
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Education
Facilities and
Infrastructure
Empowerment of
oppressed/deprived
Community
organization
Promotion of local
cultures
Cons
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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
Connections to Course Content:
Brundtland Definition of Sustainability

How ecotourism is defined & implemented in Costa Rica
 Critique:
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Lack of Emphasis on the Environment
Environment as a base
Connections to Course Content:
Daily et al.: The Value of Nature and the Nature of Value
Ecosystem Services Payment Program

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.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rwvBFVRDQVRbV7Bh3GZyZQ
Connections to Course Content:
White: Land use, Environment, and Social Change
Impacts of Tourism
http://www.travelmuse.com/articles/costa-rica/costa-rica-family-vacation-overview
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Building tourism infrastructure (hotels & ecolodges)
Scenery as “a commodity that can be bought and sold”
Selection of preferred, most valuable species
(White, 1980, p. 145)
Conclusions
"They do ecotourism very well in Costa Rica."
References
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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.