BIOL 105-901 – Winter Term 2016
The Economics of Biodiversity
Syllabus
Instructor:
Professor Mary R. Gunther
Department of Biological Sciences
Salisbury University
mrgunther@salisbury.edu
Course Objectives: This course is designed to help both biology majors and non-majors appreciate the
biodiversity of the planet using Costa Rica as an example. The emphasis will be on the methods used to
conserve biodiversity while developing the economy. We will examine the methods used on the ground in
Costa Rica by visiting national parks, research, agricultural and cultural facilities. Students will develop an
understanding of how complex conservation can be. Students will develop or sharpen their skills of scientific
observation through guided activities and time on their own to observe. They will maintain a Journal,
answering directed prompts as well as recording their own impressions of the day’s activities. In addition to
science, the course will include large measures of language, culture, art, history, and a general appreciation
for Costa Rica and her people.
Textbook: Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? Second Edition; Martha Honey.
In addition to the text assigned readings will be posted on MyClasses.
Prerequisites: There are currently no prerequisites for this course other than good standing at your
university. It is hoped that all students will have an enthusiastic attitude and desire to learn about the
Biodiversity of Costa Rica.
My Classes @ SU: Everyone registered for this class is automatically registered for our campus classroom
management system, MyClasses @ SU. MyClasses @ SU is where I will post your assignments, reading
materials, etc…
To use this system, go to the site (http://myclasses.salisbury.edu or click on the “My Classes” link at
the top of the SU Homepage) and log in using your username and password. Your username and password
will be either the same ones you use to check your e-mail in Groupwise (SU students) or those provided to
you by the SU Center for International Studies (students from other universities). You must have access to
MyClasses @ SU for this course.
Journal: All students will be required to maintain a Journal. You must provide the journal yourself.
Examples will be shown at the orientation meetings before the trip. The goal is to create a semi-permanent
record of your activities and observations while on the trip. Guide questions will be given at the end of each
day. Everything you do and think should be recorded; every single piece of information related to what you
are doing should be noted. Sketches, general notes, weather conditions, observations of any and all available
data/information should be recorded. Neatness is not a priority. The main priorities are accuracy and
completeness.
Your Journal will consist of your daily account, description, explanation, clarification, comments
and interpretations of the day’s events. Journal entries are most often made at the end of the day when you
are winding down and relaxing in the evening (but not always, it depends on your preference). Each day’s
Journal entry can be one brief paragraph or several pages of text. The length of each day’s entry is not
important. What is important is that that you and others should be able to “relive” every day of your trip
while reading your Journal at some future date.
There are many sources of appropriate notebooks for this purpose. Visit the bookstore and on-line
sources to find a notebook that you believe will suit your needs. The Journal is due when we land back in the
U.S. I will return them to you when you turn in your course paper after we are back from Costa Rica.
Alcohol Policy: The legal drinking age in Costa Rica is 18. However since it is 21 here drinking will not be
tolerated for those under 21. If you are going on this trip so you can drink please do not sign up. If you are 21
or over, mature and responsible drinking will be tolerated. Mature and responsible means exactly that.
Drunkenness and drinking games cannot be tolerated. Please remember that for every single moment of this
trip you are an Ambassador representing the United States of America in Costa Rica and that we are guests in
Costa Rica. Please behave accordingly.
Grading: Your grade for the course will be based on the following:
50% Journal
20%Participation / Attitude
30%Paper (directions will be given at orientation and posted on MyClasses.)
Course Agenda:
NOTE: We will have class on Campus at SU on the two days before our flights. You will need to be
back on campus for classes on Tuesday and Wednesdays January 6-7 at times to be determined.
In Country Itinerary:
Day 1
Flight to San José. Touch down in San José, the country’s bustling capital and cultural center. Founded in
1737 as “Villa Nueva de la Boca Del Monte del Valle de Abra,” the city’s name was later abbreviated in
honor of its patron saint: “San Jose.” As you tour Costa Rica, keep in mind that the country, by establishing
national parks and reserves, is one of the world’s most progressive in its efforts to save the earth’s
endangered rain forests. Costa Rica is home to one tenth of the world’s bird species and of the world’s
butterflies.
If time permits we will visit the INBioparque run by the National Institute of Biodiversity. Here we will get
an introduction to Costa Rica's unique ecosystems and efforts to catalog all species in the entire country.
Overnight in San Jose
Day 2
Transfer to Tortuguero. En route to Tortuguero we will make a stop at a Banana plantation and see how they
are cultivated and distributed. Founded in the 1930s by Colombians exporting sea turtles and coconuts,
Tortuguero Village today is accessible only by boat and home to just 700 residents. We will visit the
Caribbean Conservation Visitor center and Museum have some free time in Tortuguero Village.
Overnight in Tortuguero
Day 3
Boat Ride through the Tortuguero Canals. Howler monkeys, toucans and caimans are waiting to meet you
around every twist of the Tortuguero canals. Keep your eyes open and your ears tuned. Later we will join
our guide for a hike into Tortuguero National Park - the place to be for turtle watching. Tortuguero is the
most important Caribbean breeding ground for the green see turtles, who have lived here for over 100 million
years! In 1970, the Costa Rican government declared this stretch of land and sea a national park in order to
protect the turtles from extinction. Overnight in Tortuguero
Day 4
Travel to Sarapiquí, a county in the Heredia province known for its lush rainforests, outdoor activities and
incredible array of plants and wildlife—keep a lookout for the endangered Green Macaw, who makes its
home here. We will visit the Tirimbina Biological Reserve to get a better look at Costa Rica’s incredible
biodiversity. This reserve, designed specifically as an educational, eco-tourism facility, contains dozens of
acres of rainforest that allow for many outdoor activities. Today, you will enjoy the Chocolate Tour, which
takes you through how cacao becomes edible chocolate!
Overnight in Sarapiqui
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Day 5
Excursion to La Selva Biological Station: Averaging over 13 feet of rain per year, La Selva Biological
Station is the world's most popular site for tropical rain forest research. Originally established in 1954 as a
farm to improve natural resource management, La Selva became a biological reserve and research
station in 1968, when it was purchased by the Organization for Tropical Studies. La Selva's 1,600 hectacres
are home to over 400 bird species, as well as 114 species of animals and 44 types of frogs and toads. Be on
the lookout for poison-dart frogs, green Iguanas and giant tropical ants, among other interesting organisms
Day 6
Transfer to Arenal
Welcome to the magnificent Arenal Region. Dormant for centuries, Arenal Volcano exploded in a massive
eruption of molten lava and ash in 1968. Since that time, it has continued to spew great clouds of ash
and occasional lava. It is now one of the world's most active volcanoes and volcanologists from all over the
world come here to study this tropical volcano.
Kayaking on Lake Arenal
Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Arenal Volcano during a kayaking excursion across the lake. The volcano,
whose perfect conical shape emerges from the green hills of Alajuela, overlooks the San Carlos plain and the
Pacific lowlands. This mile-high volcano has been active for the last 4,000 years and has been in a state of
constant activity ever since its last eruption in 1968
Day 7
Transfer to Monteverde
Travel through the mountainous scenery to the Monteverde (Green Mountain) Reserve, one of the most
beautiful of the mystical Costa Rican jungles. Monteverde was founded by a group of Alabama Quakers.
Attracted by the country's pacifist history, they began dairy farming here in 1951. Now a biological reserve and still primarily an English-speaking community - this treasure land of natural phenomena stretches from
the lunch ferns and mosses that cover the ground to the dark canopy formed by the tallest trees.
Canopy Tour
Make like the birds and the monkeys who call the cloud forest home. Special trails and zip lines unveil one
of the planet's most fascinating ecological systems from a unique perspective-the tops of the trees.
With local expert guides at your side, you can decide which view you prefer-from below or from above!
Afterwards, enjoy a "Sky Walk" on suspension bridges.
Day 8
Excursion to the Monteverde Reserve
Explore the spectacular cloud forest of Monteverde, a paradise rich in diverse plant and animal life and
situated near the Continental Divide. Cloud forests are so named because they receive their moisture not
only from rain, but from the mist of the overlying clouds as well. Look for bromeliads, orchids, and quetzals.
Until recently, the reserve was one of only two places in the world that was home to the now-extinct
golden toad (sapo dorado).
Visit the Butterfly Garden
At the Butterfly Garden you'll see 40 species of local butterflies in four habitat gardens. Track the “Zebra
Longwing,” the “Owl” and the “Floating Tiger” as they flutter among the tropical leaves
Day 9
Transfer to Guanacaste via Palo Verde National Park
Today you will travel to this beautiful park, where the landscape ranges from mangrove swamps, marshes,
and lagoons to seasonal grasslands and forests. Renowned for its bird-watching sites, you may spot blackcrowned night herons in this bird's largest Costa Rican nesting colony, locally endangered jabiru storks,
spoonbills, egrets, and ibis. In the forest, keep an eye out for scarlet macaws, keel-billed toucans, and parrots.
Enjoy a boat tour which will allow you to see the wildlife and natural beauty of the wetlands surrounding the
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Tempisque River from a completely different perspective. Be sure to have your eyes peeled and your
cameras ready! Included in the boat tour is a deliciously authentic lunch consisting of local cuisine!
Arrive in Guanacaste
As you arrive in Guanacaste, take in the craggy bluffs cloaked in forests that stretch tall above you. Along
these roads you're bound to encounter local cattle ranchers driving oxen carts farther inland
Day 10
Excursion to Las Baulas National Marine Park
Today visit Las Baulas National Marine Park (Parque Marino las Baulas). It supports the largest nesting
colony of leatherback sea turtles (baulas) on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, with a population size of about
800 female turtles nesting per year.
Day 11
Transfer to the Airport for Your Return Flight Our tour director will assist us with our transfer to the airport,
where we’ll check in for our return flight home. Your Journals will be due when we land back home. I will
collect them at the airport. You will have a couple of days to write your paper using everything you learned
and observed in Costa Rica.
Papers will be due the week after we return but before the official end of Winter Term – the exact dates will
be determined in the fall. I will be in my office HS230H at a specific day and time so you can drop off your
papers and retrieve your journals.
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