For my final entry in my Costa Rican blog I wanted to direct my focus on my thoughts concerning ecotourism. Considering the class and I have spent our month doing just that, I feel that it is an important topic to consider.
Now that I am back in the United States, I have had time to truly reflect on my experience as a whole for the past month. I can confidently say that my views on many things involving ecotourism have changed heavily. For example, I have made it a point during the course of this class that I did not enjoy some aspects of certain tours because they seemed to exploit wildlife rather than just show it. I do understand that an aspect of ecotourism is showing foreigners, such as ourselves, parts of nature that would not normally be seen. However, to me that is the beauty of nature. Part of the ecotourism draw for me personally was the unknown. I enjoyed that at places with tours like the hanging bridges, I did not necessarily know if I was going to see anything let alone what specifically it would be. This unknown beauty of nature was not what was present for some parts of the ecotourism we were a part of because it was not an organic experience in my opinion. Instead, there were times where I watched as an animal writhed around while being held up for tourists to see. It is almost comparable to a zoo animal and the stresses they endure. While physical damage may not be done, there is physiological stress that can cause real negative symptoms (Fischer 2019). Once again, I do understand that this is part of the business, but I just appreciate ecotourism more when it feels natural to me in terms of wildlife.
As for some of the human focused aspects of ecotourism, I found there to be both positives and negatives. During our last week, our class was able to visit a local coffee plantation. This plantation seemed to be on the smaller side in relation to major producers. The owner was very willing to give information, and she mentioned that she does not do major exports. In this regard, I assume that ecotourism has a very positive influence on her livelihood considering it is tourists like ourselves that buy plenty of coffee from her and then spread the word of her business. On a small scale like this, I do believe that ecotourism is a promising thing that can bring money in for local people. However, there are also aspects of the ecotourism industry that do seem damaging. For example, when an area over devotes itself to ecotourism, it can feel that the area has lost some of its own culture. This was apparent in areas like Tortuguero during one of the early parts of the trip. These businesses were so invested in tourism that it almost seemed like an extension of an English speaking country. The menus were all in English and most everyone spoke to me in English as well. As convenient as this was for a person like me, I almost wished that these places would force us to adapt to them instead of them adapting to us. Once again though, I understand that this is part of the business but that is just my view on the whole situation.
For some final thoughts on the whole trip, I wanted to really speak on the amount that this experience changed me. From the small things like appreciating warm water at home, to the bigger (and scarier) things like knowing that climate change is a real global threat to not be underestimated, there is so much that I know now that I just did not fully grasp before leaving the United States. It is so easy to forget that not everyone lives the same way that you do, and that there is much more in the world to explore and experience. From the humid jungle in La Selva, to the mountainous and mild area in Las Cruces, there is truly nothing that I could compare at home to these locations. Pictures will never do this trip justice just because of how rich the entire experience was. The opportunity to dip my toes into the research field was something I have not taken for granted and I am thankful to have gotten the chance to do just that. Just as important as the actual trip itself, there is so much to this experience that was enhanced by the people that were a part of it. It is with great sadness that I have to say and accept that I will most likely never be driven on a bus by Marvin ever again. In all seriousness, I do want to thank Marvin, Eric, Dr. Libby, and Dr. Wasserman for enhancing the experience for all students. It was a pleasure to be a part of the group and an even better feeling to have built friendships with so many classmates along the way. From beginning to end and no matter the conditions, I always felt part of the team, and it was rewarding to have finished the trip as part of the team as well.
Even with the excitement over for now, I am happy to be able to say that I embarked on this journey early in my college career so I can start to think about what I learned for the future. In no way is my perspective without flaws, but I know that Costa Rica has taught me so much about another culture, and about the world in general. All I can ask for is improvement, and I know that this past month in Costa Rica has been a big step for me in terms of being a student and a person.
Works Cited
Fischer, Clare Parker, and L Michael Romero. “Chronic captivity stress in wild animals is highly species-specific.” Conservation physiology vol. 7,1 coz093. 4 Dec. 2019, doi:10.1093/conphys/coz093
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