Author´s Note: Due to camera glitches I pulled many of these images from the web. I am working on the kinks and will correct this ASAP.
Personal Journal Week 10:
Throughout my travels here I have been impressed with the amazing diversity of life here in Costa Rica. I am also impressed in the sense of pride Costa Ricans have regarding their national parks. In an article by Newsweek about environmental stewardship, Costa Rica was identified as one of the most environmentally responsible and sustainable countries in the world. Within the last fifty years, this small nation has protected and conserved thousands of hectares of endangered habitats in a complex system of national parks and refugees.
While controversial in some rural areas that resent land use restrictions, Costa Rica´s unique geological, natural, and geographical importance is critical in this part of the world. According to the Lonely Planet, what is now Costa Rica rose up from the ocean 3,000,000 years ago linking North and South America. This provided a rich landscape for the biodiversity of both continents to comingle and diversify.
More than 46,000 species of plants and animals live within a diverse range of habitats in Costa Rica ranging from dry deserts and plains in Northwest Guanacaste to the rich montane and tropical forests in the central mountains and along the coasts. Costa Rica supports numerous marine species as well off its coasts and within the World Heritage island of Coco off the Pacific Coast.
In addition to it´s national park system, Costa Rica´s energy sector is more sustainable than any other nation in this hemisphere. Excluding imports for it´s automotive fleet, more than 95% of this countries electrical power comes from renewable 
resources (solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro-electric).
Despite Costa Rica´s success there are significant challenges as well. Costa Rica´s rapidly expanding population and development is overtaxing environmental and sanitation systems. Massive developments (including many luxury hotels and other tourist industries) threatens sensitive habitats. Future demands on the electrical grid will create significant
challenges (including whether or not to build more large scale hydroelectric projects in environmentally sensitive areas along the endangered Pacuare river.
While Costa Rica is a model for environmental stewardship in this region, there are still significant challenges here. However, it affirms my belief that many of the solutions to complex environmental and energy issues in our own country can be found in the environmental experiments and research that exists in other nations like here in Costa Rica. The key to solving many of the world´s most complex environmental problems will be founded on internation cooperation and research.
More than 46,000 species of plants and animals live within a diverse range of habitats in Costa Rica ranging from dry deserts and plains in Northwest Guanacaste to the rich montane and tropical forests in the central mountains and along the coasts. Costa Rica supports numerous marine species as well off its coasts and within the World Heritage island of Coco off the Pacific Coast.
In addition to it´s national park system, Costa Rica´s energy sector is more sustainable than any other nation in this hemisphere. Excluding imports for it´s automotive fleet, more than 95% of this countries electrical power comes from renewable 
resources (solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro-electric).Despite Costa Rica´s success there are significant challenges as well. Costa Rica´s rapidly expanding population and development is overtaxing environmental and sanitation systems. Massive developments (including many luxury hotels and other tourist industries) threatens sensitive habitats. Future demands on the electrical grid will create significant
challenges (including whether or not to build more large scale hydroelectric projects in environmentally sensitive areas along the endangered Pacuare river.While Costa Rica is a model for environmental stewardship in this region, there are still significant challenges here. However, it affirms my belief that many of the solutions to complex environmental and energy issues in our own country can be found in the environmental experiments and research that exists in other nations like here in Costa Rica. The key to solving many of the world´s most complex environmental problems will be founded on internation cooperation and research.
¡Pura Vida!
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