When I first crossed the dangling high bridge at La Selva nearly three weeks ago, I was immediately swarmed by mosquitos, bugs, and other annoying pests. Standing outside of our bus, I couldn’t help but think about how I would deal with all these pestering bugs for three weeks. Now, following my trip to Palo Verde Biological Research Station, I now truly understand what it means to be swarmed by pests. I sit here typing with mosquito bites covering my fingers and all up along my legs. I continue to stop typing in order to scratch and itch these annoying insects bites. I’ll probably never have the answer as to what some of the weird scratches and bumps I have all over my body after three weeks in Costa Rica. Despite this, I am proud to say that I actually admire, respect, and care about these new, yet still annoying insects. I have a new profound perception of these small and often microscopic organisms. I have always known that these small organisms were important, but now I truly have learned that every member of an ecosystem, particularly the tropical rainforest we have studied these past three weeks, mean something. You never really appreciate or notice these small organisms until you start looking for them. I started looking and searching out the smallest and ugliest organisms on our nature hikes throughout the trip, not just the lovable monkeys or daring crocodiles. This made the hours of hiking and guided tours so much more interesting, insightful, and meaningful. I am enjoying reflecting on the new skills and new perspective I have on the natural environment around me. I have realized that I have been incredibly naive to the smallest, and seemingly meaningless, organisms that are in nature, not just here in Costa Rica, but back in Bloomington, Indiana as well.
With this new appreciation, comes a whole new perspective on the climate crisis and the current state of our planet. As a biology major, I have learned a lot about the possible effects of climate change, meteorology, and ecology. I thought that I new a lot about what could happen to our planet if we continue along the path we’re on with continuing to produce incredible amounts of carbon dioxide and methane. I knew that maybe sea levels rise by a few inches and maybe we would lose a few annoying insect species; I certainly didn’t think that we could lose half of Earth’s total biodiversity. I certainly didn’t know that if Earth’s surface temperatures rose by only four degrees celsius, Egypt’s second largest city and entire economy would collapse. Sitting here now, only three weeks after leaving my comfortable, air conditioned home in Indiana, do I understand how naive I was in regards to the climate crisis. I have been privileged to have been able to see so much these past few weeks, plants and animals that I didn’t even know existed, and now I couldn’t imagine planet Earth without them. These same mosquitos that have attacked me at Palo Verde, are actually vital to almost all life on planet Earth. Even after dozens of biology courses, it took me actually traveling to Costa Rica and seeing biodiversity with my own eyes, to fully understand the interconnectedness that every species has on one another. It took me actually traveling to Costa Rica and hearing about the species that have been lost and the changing weather patterns to learn that climate change is actually happening. I needed to see and hear, with my own self, in order to learn what I should have known after years of science courses. I have learned more in three weeks with a few lectures, than nearly a decade’s long worth of biology courses.
Being a science student, I do have a great appreciation for the natural world around us, so I thought. Only after hearing with my own ears and seeing with my own eyes the loss of biodiversity that will occur if we humans do not change our behavior, do I now have a great appreciation for our natural world. As humans, we naturally don’t exactly wish to change unless we are forced to. We don’t like to adapt to new situations unless we have to. I, myself, am guilty of these attributes. But after living in Costa Rica for three weeks, I wouldn’t even be able to recognize, let alone agree with my old self. Protecting and preserving all the life we have seen, is now a passion and priority. Something that seemed like a outlandish threat, I now know is real and is happening right in front of our eyes. We need to change and we need to take action. I know that it is much easier said than done. It seems as if we humans can’t agree on anything, let alone agreeing on changing our comfortable lifestyles and behaviors. I also know that very few people have the opportunity to live for 12 days at La Selva Biological Research Station. I know that so few people could learn and live alongside three expert instructors. I know that so few people could hear the planes spraying pesticides on to agricultural monocrops. I know that so few people could count 23,000 leafcutter ants and learn about their vital importance to life on Earth. I know that so few people could swim underneath a waterfall. I know that so few people will have even a fraction of the experiences and knowledge I gained in just three short weeks. Day by day, I am starting to realize just how fortunate I am to have been able to have these experiences because it literally changed my perception of the spinning rock we all have the pleasure of living on. For this new knowledge and experiences that I probably will never have again, I will be forever greatful.
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