In our Costa Rica program, students will have the unique opportunity to investigate rainforest ecosystems and wildlife biodiversity in a country renowned for being a global icon of environmental conservation and sustainable development. This program offers an adventurous immersion into conservation ecology in wildlife-abundant southern Costa Rica, where we will hike, camp, and occasionally backpack, through national parks and explore mangrove and marine ecosystems. Students will gain first-hand experience in plant and animal species identification and support conservation organizations in tracking and monitoring endangered fauna, including jaguars, pumas, sea turtles, scarlet macaws, monkeys and the Baird’s Tapir.

Conservation efforts will be studied critically in the context of Costa Rica’s growth-based sustainable development model, where eco-tourism is promoted as both a conservation and development strategy with important impacts worthy of deeper investigation. As we journey through the rainforests and coastal landscapes of the Osa Peninsula and Golfo Dulce, students will interact with conservation organizations, local indigenous communities, biologists, eco-tourism operators, non-profit workers, farmers and residents to examine the intersections among tropical ecology, landscape history, resource management, and community wellbeing. We will use a special lens to interrogate the deeper complexities of Costa Rica’s iconic image as a leader in biodiversity conservation. We expect our collective and individual field research findings to directly support existing conservation efforts while strengthening students’ hands-on field experience, igniting a deeper passion for wildlands study and wildlife preservation.

Background Information

Costa Rica, located between Panama and Nicaragua on the isthmus of Central America, is globally recognized as a leader in conservation and marketed as such to promote a thriving national tourism economy. However, tourism overdevelopment and industrial agriculture now threaten to undermine biodiversity conservation, affecting ecosystems and local ways of life. Many of these challenges are attributed to the country’s neoliberal environmental governance model and growth-based economic development strategies, making the country unable to reconcile conservation and development objectives beyond the very short term. As a wildlife-abundant epicenter for protected areas and sustainability initiatives, the southern zone of Costa Rica is an ideal field location for exploring rainforest ecology, tropical mangroves and marine ecosystems within a critical research context examining the complexities of conservation and development in growth-based tourism economies.

Our Costa Rica program provides students with an immersive exploration into Costa Rica’s globally exemplar role as an eco-laboratory for trends in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Field methods will integrate resource sampling and species identification, tracking, monitoring and evaluation to support biodiversity conservation, forest restoration and regenerative networks. Working alongside conservation organizations and species biologists, students will develop skills required to conduct scientific research and participate directly in wildlife conservation efforts. Course discussions will center on interdisciplinary approaches to biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, regenerative agriculture, and resource management. Providing students with the fundamentals of tropical ecosystem studies, conservation ecology and sustainable development, we will discover together the intricacies of integrating wildlife preservation and community wellbeing in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.

Program Goals and Activities

This program endeavors to teach vital research skills relevant to conservation ecology, expose students to the complexities of wildlife preservation efforts and community development priorities, and offer a life-changing immersion into the wild nature of tropical rainforest ecosystems and coastal landscapes in southern Costa Rica. We will familiarize students with the diverse ecologies and cultural histories of the area and plan to participate in conservation research initiatives from base camps in national parks, indigenous communities, farms, jungle environments, and rural lodges. As we develop wildland naturalist skills over the course of the program, student learning is focused on participant observation and field research methods, as well as course discussions, lectures, field notes, and journaling.

Our Costa Rica program strives to highlight the intricacies and interconnectivity among conservation ecology, sustainable development, tropical rainforest ecosystem studies, and human wellbeing in one of the most stunning and biodiverse environments on Earth. Engaging with conservation landscape histories, tropical forest ecology, eco-tourism approaches, endangered species research, and sustainable development practice, students can expect to come away from this program with field experience and broad insight into the complexities of reconciling conservation objectives with sustainable development priorities.

Species Identification and Observation
This program will provide a comprehensive introduction to tropical forest ecology and wildlife species observation and monitoring. Students will learn to identify, track, and evaluate plant and animal species of the rainforest, mangroves, and marine ecosystems, while learning important methods for researching these species in the wild.

Biodiversity Conservation
Learning from and working alongside conservationists and biologists, students will be exposed to the complexities of biodiversity conservation while supporting local organizations’ initiatives through applied field research. We will explore government-operated, private non-profit, community-based and integrative conservation efforts and wildlife management approaches in the context of conservation ecology, eco-tourism and sustainable development.

Tropical Rainforest and Coastal Landscape Ecologies
Our field studies will take us into diverse ecosystems ranging from tropical forests, rural farms and fjords, to mangroves, river estuaries and coral reefs. We will study diverse ecologies and ecosystem functions while observing the flora and fauna and monitoring natural resource quality across varying ecosystems. Together we will examine how land and marine species are faring in the wake of conservation efforts, increased tourism and agricultural production.

Nature and Culture
As an essential feature of the program, we will visit diverse local communities and experience the unique connections among cultures and natural environments. Through conversations and interactions with farmers, tourism providers, indigenous communities, business owners, fishermen and local residents in a number of towns and communities, students will gain deeper insight into the interdependent relationships forged between people and planet at the intersections of conservation and development.  

Field Research Methods and Naturalist Skills
Throughout this program, students will participate in adaptive scientific fieldwork and learn practical research methods for resource sampling, species identification, observation, tracking, monitoring, evaluating, recording and reporting field data. Similarly, field exposure and backpacking experience equip students with broader naturalist skillsets useful for future wildlands research endeavors. Prior field research experience is not required, and all field methods will be taught on-site in Costa Rica.

Academic Credit

Students will receive 15 quarter credits/10 semester credits from Western Washington University. Our staff will be happy to explain the program in further detail to the applicant’s advisor, if necessary. This field studies program gives credit in three courses:  

Environmental Wildlands Studies (5 quarter credits/3.35 semester credits)
Environmental Field Survey (5 quarter credits/3.35 semester credits)
Wildlands Environment and Culture (5 quarter credits/3.35 semester credits)

Students will be evaluated on the basis of: 1) active participation in our learning process and activities; 2) examinations and other graded assignments; and 3) presentation of an independent research project. 

Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a mature and responsible manner. Wildlands Studies reserves the right to require any student to withdraw from the program if their conduct is detrimental to or incompatible with the interests, safety, or welfare of any course participants. We ask all students to read the Student Program Manual before joining the program on-site.

Team logistics

Participants will fly into the Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa Rica. At the close of the program, students can choose to remain in Costa Rica and travel independently or return home from SJO.

Participants are required to bring their own camping and backpacking equipment (tent, sleeping bag, backpack, etc.). Our April-May field studies will take place in the North American spring, which coincides with the start of Costa Rica’s green season. At this time of year we can expect tropical temperatures, sunny days and regular afternoon or evening rainfall. A comprehensive packing list will be provided to all participants prior to the start of the program.

While we are committed to following the activities outlined in our course program, please understand that weather conditions and other considerations may affect our planned itinerary. We encourage participants to adopt an attitude of flexibility, patience and adaptability when confronted with unexpected situations. Changes in the program often provide for some of the most memorable moments of your experience.

Accommodations

We will be primarily tent camping. Most camping areas will have facilities such as restrooms and showers. In some locations we will be wild camping with no facilities. Participants can expect one to two 2-3 night backpacking field studies. We will also stay a few nights at rural lodges and hostels in coastal towns during specific transition moments where students can do laundry, shop for supplies and access wi-fi.

Food

Food is handled differently on each of our programs. Participants on this program will be responsible for purchasing and cooking approximately two-thirds of their meals.  The remaining meals will be provided by Wildlands Studies as group meals. Participants will also be responsible for purchasing snacks. Detailed information about food management will be provided in the Logistics Packet. If you have dietary questions or concerns, please call our office.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Each participant’s personal health and well-being are crucial to the success of the program and the health and well-being of its other participants.  Participants must arrive to the program having reviewed our Health and Well-Being Page.

Official documents/visa

A valid passport with at least six months remaining before its expiration date is required. No visa is required for U.S. citizens for travel up to 90 days. Non-U.S. citizens should consult their country’s embassy to determine visa requirements.

Language

This program is taught in English. Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica, and students will also hear Guaymi spoken in the indigenous community. Though familiarity with Spanish may enhance your experience in-country, students are not expected to have any prior experience with these languages. Many people in Costa Rica speak English, and translation will be available as needed. During the program, students will learn introductions and basic phrases in Spanish.

Pre-Program Logistics Packet

Detailed information regarding travel and flight information, equipment/gear requirements, food costs, meeting plans, payment of group expenses, medical recommendations and academic preparations will be sent to all team members in a logistics email about 10-12 weeks before the program begins.