Others? - If you have a passion for something that is not on this list, check with an instructor to make sure it is one that we will likely encounter on the trip.

Debates

Debates will be by groups of six people: three people adopting the PRO side, and three adopting the CON side. There will be 20 min per debate: 4 min per side for opening statements, 4 min per side for counter-arguments to each other's opening statement, and 2 min per side for closing remarks. The PRO side starts first. There will be no declaration of a "winner". The grade for the debate will be assigned by the course instructors (50%) and the class (50%).

With 18 students in the class, we can debate three of these topics. (The debate topics cannot be repeated by successive groups).

1.   What is the role and right of developed nations in conserving the tropics?

 PRO: We should conserve all tropical regions. The health and preservation of tropical forests are essential for the ecological health of the planet and all human kind. Forests produce oxygen for the planet, help mitigate global warming by consuming carbon dioxide, and provide habitat for millions of species of plants and animals. Wealthy developed nations have a vested interest in ensuring the health of its own citizenry. Wanton deforestation is a serious problem in tropical regions because much of the nutrient content of tropical forests is tied up in living biomass. When that is removed, the thin layer of soil that remains behind is exposed to erosion and quickly lost. Once a region is deforested, it takes hundreds of years to be restored. Industrialized nations have a responsibility and obligation to use their economic and political influence to ensure conservation of tropical forests.

CON: We should let local people live their lives. Tropical countries are rich in resources but have poorly developed economies. People in these regions are impoverished, and they rely on forest resources for firewood, lumber, and wildlife for income and sustenance. The land occupied by forest is land that could be developed for planting crops or grazing livestock. Mining mineral deposits requires removal of the forest cover. Conserving tropical forests requires economic sacrifices from cultures that often cannot afford it. Industrialized nations have obtained wealth from harvesting their natural resources. Why cannot tropical nations benefit from the same practices? How would we feel if another nation tried to dictate to us what we could and could not do?

2.      Biodiversity: How much is enough? How much is a species worth?

PRO: Our planet depends on a healthy, diverse ecology. Ecosystem health is measured, in part, by the diversity of life forms it sustains. The more stable an environment is, the more that life forms can specialize for ever narrower niches within the ecosystem. Tropical ecosystems provide a huge variety of habitats that remain stable except for annual cycles in precipitation. Over time, tropical habitats have given rise to tremendous species diversity. In recent times, human land use practices have led to the loss of tropical habitat and thereby decrease in species diversity. The rate of species loss in the past 100 years rivals the "big five" mass extinctions recorded in the fossil record over all of evolutionary time. The "human meteorite" is well on its way to decimating life on earth. Biodiversity is therefore an indicator of ecosystem health. Because humans are the cause of the current mass extinction, we are also uniquely positioned to prevent it from continuing. We cannot tolerate any further degradation of the planet's ecology, especially with human population levels projected to reach 12 billion by 2040.

CON: The risk of a "mass extinction" is exaggerated and based on erroneous assumptions of human impact on habitats. The planet is not in grave danger. Although some species are endangered, or have even gone extinct, these are species specialized for very narrow habitats. Extinction is a natural and normal part of evolution and all species go extinct eventually. Our planet is basically healthy. Human welfare is the most important consideration in deciding these matters, and if a few fragile species suffer as a result of human activity, that can’t be helped. It makes no sense to spend large amounts of limited money on a few charismatic species. Instead, we should spend money in ways that maximize the amount and diversity of habitats conserved.

3.      Ecotourism: loving the tropics to death?

PRO: Ecotourism is a tool of conservation. Ecotourism provides two valuable functions that directly support conservation of tropical habitats. First, the value of land as a preserved area is more valuable over the long term than the value of natural resources contained in the preserved area. Second, ecotourism is a valuable educational tool by which citizens from industrialized nations can learn the value of tropical habitats. Educated citizenry create the political will in industrialized nations to extend economic incentives to tropical nations to continue and increase conservation efforts.

CON: Ecotourism is a threat to conservation. Tropical habitats support biodiversity best if left alone. Human activity, even something as simple as a hiking trail, impacts the behavior and ecology of the forest fauna. The economic benefits of ecotourism promote local businesses to provide comfort services such as hotels, restaurants, roads, horseback trails, zip lines and the requisite infrastructure for garbage and sewage disposal services. For example, Monteverde comprises a tiny area but hosts over 500,000 visitors per year. The impact of tourist traffic has seriously degraded the ecology of the preserve and diminished the experience of those that visit the area. We should have more areas closed off to all human access. Cabo Blanco, at the southern tip of the Nicoya peninsula, was established as an "absolute" reserve for this reason.

4.      Global bioconservation and the tragedy of the commons: Who can afford the Rio Accord?

PRO: We must act now! The Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 was in recognition of serious global environmental issues that could not be solved by any one nation acting unilaterally. A number of emission targets were established for greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting products by participating nations. In 1997 (Rio + 5) a meeting in Kyoto, dubbed the Kyoto Protocol, set additional emission targets for greenhouse gases. Few, if any, of these targets have been implemented. The US is the largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world. However, soon after taking office, President George W. Bush announced that the US will not adhere to these limits because, he argued, the process was flawed. Other industrialized nations argue that without US compliance, the protocols are meaningless. No country wants to put itself at a competitive disadvantage by limiting greenhouse gas emissions. If we expect to sustain a global ecology hospitable to life (including human life) then we must act together to control the negative effects of human activity.

CON: The economic costs are too great and borne by too few. The standard of living that we all enjoy is based upon an ever expanding economy. We must produce and consume to keep out economy healthy. To meet the targets set at the Rio summit would require contracting the US economy, resulting in job layoffs and recession. As the leading industrialized nation in the world, the US is expected to bear the largest burden of this cost. This is unfair and unrealistic. That is why President GW Bush rejected these limits early in his first term as president. Instead, we should focus on technologies that reduce emissions.

Essay

Your essay can be on any topic related to Tropical Ecology. You might choose to research the ecology of a specific organism (leaf cutting ants, quetzals), groups of organisms (bromeliads, bats, trogons), ecological relationships (ant-acacia mutualism, vectors for seed dispersal and pollination, epiphytes), human efforts in conservation of a species (sea turtles) or habitat, or human activities that have had a negative impact on tropical habitats (bananas, coffee, gold mining). The essay should be about 10 double-spaced pages and include at least ten references. You may wish to choose the same topic for "Become an Expert" as for your essay.

Field journal

All serious scientific inquiry is observed and recorded. Field workers carry small weather-resistant note books for noting everything they see and think while in the field. This is not a personal diary per se (with private thoughts) but rather a permanent record of your field experiences for you (and perhaps others) to review later that evening or years later. On every page, include the date (and time of day), page number and include information of where you were. A field journal contains such things as data you collect in the field, observations of hermit crabs at the water tap, which bird species you saw on the morning hike, the number of howler monkeys in a troop, the weather conditions that day (and hour), notes from conversations and the name of who you talked to (this has saved me many times!), the dollar-colone exchange rate, price of coffee at the local pulperia, Spanish vocabulary, the smell of a leaf when crushed, etc. Even casual observations may (and often do) later turn out to be quite useful. Rite-in-the-Rain books are about $5 each. Each student shall bring their field book with them everywhere they go while on the trip to Costa Rica. Each person’s journal will be unique to them, not only in that you will each notice different things, but you will each interpret similar things differently. The grade for the field journal is our subjective assessment of your general engagement in the field experience as evidenced by journal entries.

7. How did the message of habitat restoration differ from the traditional conservationist strategy espoused by Conservation International, the Nature Conservancy, Parques Nacionales de Costa Rica, etc?

8. Why is Costa Rica uniquely suited politically for success in conservation biology?

9. What is debt swapping? How does it work to help obtain land for conservation?

10. What was Sweden’s motivation to donate $3.5 million to the ACG project?

11. How has the ACG contributed to global efforts to preserve and restore natural habitats?

Attendance policy:

Students are expected to attend all lectures and the field trip to Costa Rica. Excusable absences from lecture are permitted with consent of an instructor. However, no academic credit can be earned from this course without the trip to Costa Rica.

Academic honesty:

All students are expected to engage in professional behavior, including refraining from unethical and dishonest activity. Definitions and consequences of academic dishonesty can be found in the MSUM student handbook on the web at: http://www.mnstate.edu/sthandbook/2003studenthandbook.pdf

Special accommodations for students with disabilities: The field component of this course is required for course credit. The field trip involves extensive hiking over rough mountainous forest trails, canopy suspension bridges and the study of tidal pools amongst uneven rocky surfaces. No accommodations are available in these conservation areas in Costa Rica for people with physical disabilities.