Reshaping the Environment: Benefits and Side Effects in and Around Palo Verde by Katherine Bryan

OTS Palo Verde Biological Station, Costa Rica: Admittedly, upon arriving at the Palo Verde Biological Station, my first thought was, “It’s so hot and dry!  How can anything or anyone live here?” This tropical dry forest certainly lives up to its name; recent droughts have sucked our home of one week even drier than usual. As we learned in class, the volcanic mountain range that runs down Costa Rica divides the nation into different climatic zones and creates a discrepancy in water resources. The Caribbean Coast receives an excess of rainfall, while Palo Verde on the Pacific Coast is parched. This is clearly problematic for the rice and sugarcane farmers in Guanacaste who rely on water to irrigate their crops. 

            In the 1970s, the Costa Rican government sought to distribute water to the Pacific Coast by embarking on the Lake Arenal Hydroelectric Project.  A canal system now moves water from the Atlantic slope to a reservoir, and then to the Pacific, where it supplies people with water for personal use and crop irrigation.  Generally, I think it was a smart decision to transfer an excess, unused resource to an area lacking it. The system makes it possible for humans to survive in the hot and dry climate. As an added benefit, the water flow powers hydroelectric dams and provides clean energy for the country. 

However, reshaping the environment is like prescribing medication; even if it serves its original purpose, it may have unintended side effects. Now that the Pacific Coast has an increased quantity of water, the “mountain effect” is increasing humidity as well. Further, agricultural irrigation results in pesticide-ridden runoff contaminating the Tempisque River, which has negative impacts on wildlife and human health. What will happen to the crocodiles, monkeys, and plethora of herons we saw on the riverboat ride if their habitat changes?

            This made me consider the following questions: To what extent should humans alter the environment to suit our needs? How can we make responsible decisions when we cannot fully predict the outcomes? And, more importantly, when altering the environment, can we ever really go back?

            Back home in Los Angeles, we face a severe ecological problem caused by diverting water from the Colorado River. We’ve created a livable sprawl of green lawns where sand dunes once stood. Now, we’re too reliant on the dwindling “stolen” water supply to give it up. 

            I’m glad that researchers working with OTS are carefully monitoring the environment in Palo Verde. Hopefully, the knowledge they gain can continue to protect the region’s biodiversity and prevent a situation like the one in Los Angeles.

Striking a Balance Between Trees and Money: Costa Rican Rice Farming by Jesus Barreto

During our stay at Palo Verde Biological Station, we took a trip that highlighted the agricultural systems of the region and illustrated their possible environmental impacts. We visited the area surrounding the station, which primarily is composed of rice and sugar cane fields. We were lucky to have a guide that actually owned one of the rice plots, and who was able to give us a firsthand account of the growing practices in this region.

            A common theme I have witnessed in Costa Rica, in regards to environmental protection and conservation, is contradiction. While Costa Rica boasts about being able to run on almost 100 percent renewable energy and is seen as a pillar in conserving biodiversity, there are many practices and factors that make the environmental quality of this nation quite terrifying. One shocking statistic is that Costa Rica utilizes more pesticides per hectare than any other country in the world. These pesticides then can create a slew of health issues for humans. So, is Costa Rica really that green? The agricultural sector makes me think it’s more an (agent) orange color.

            My point is not to mar Costa Rica’s environmentalist reputation. Rather, I aim to highlight the complexities that come with being environmentally conscious and living sustainably, and to praise those occurrences one finds that seem to strike a balance between the environment and economics.

            Earlier in the semester, we visited two different farms that employ different forms of agriculture: an organic pineapple farm and a conventional banana plantation. On one side of the spectrum one finds a relatively eco-friendly approach to pineapple farming that encompasses the smallest imaginable percentage of overall pineapple production in Costa Rica. On the other hand, we find a banana giant that produces just as many bananas as the quantity of pesticides they utilize in the production of this crop. With rice, we found something completely different.

            Pajarín, our guide, was open about his pesticide use. He uses pesticides to grow his crop. Do we need to chase him out of the village, torches in hand? Not at all. Pajarín has found a point that could maybe be called the equilibrium in the food matrix of producing enough rice to feed the world, while also not poisoning the life out of it. Our guide solely applies pesticides with the lowest toxicity levels, while employing several other biological and mechanical controls to eliminate pests. Along with him are many other small-scale rice farmers who, together, produce about twenty percent of the national rice production – no small change. This system is able to produce large quantities of rice while still being economically viable. Three new rice brands are emerging from this area.  Who knows what could come next?

Sunset at Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica

From Tica to Nica by Haylie Butler

This week we crossed the Nicaraguan border and spent a challenging, eye-opening, and wonderful six days working with Fundación VIDA (http://www.vidavolunteer.org/) in the city of Masaya. As volunteers of VIDA, we had a number of tasks to fulfill during our short stay. Over the course of just three days, we managed to assess and address the current health needs of a small community located just fifteen minutes from the center of Masaya, Los Manguitos. This was a dream come true for us pre-med and public health junkies as we got to work alongside dedicated and empathetic physicians, administer medical surveys, and perform meaningful community outreach.

            While I cannot explain the gravity of this experience nor put into words how I felt upon learning that potable water only exits the pipes twice a week in Los Manguitos, I will attempt to share a bit of what our OTS group was able to leave behind. Having identified the top health concerns as diabetes, hypertension, presence of contaminated drinking water, and respiratory issues due to smoke inhalation, we put into action three projects on our final day. We educated community members about water treatment, provided a recipe that included healthy and local foods grown in and around the community, and taught kids about recycling at the neighborhood grade school.

My classmate Brenna Hynes collecting trash and recyclables with schoolchildren in Los Manguitos, Masaya, Nicaragua. (Photo credit: Brenna Hynes)

  I focused my efforts mainly on the recycling campaign. When I discovered that families were burning their trash (including plastic, aluminum, and glass) right outside their homes because of a lack of funds to pay for trash pickup, I knew the issue had to be addressed. For two hours, we talked with children grades K-5, picked up trash and recyclables around the schoolyard, and showed them how to separate the items into separate barrels. It is our hope that the children will continue to bring their recyclables to school, their families will show support, and the schoolteachers will be able to exchange the recyclables for money every month in Masaya. With this money, they could help the school and eventually pay for trash pickup in the community to lower the risk of smoke inhalation.

            That being said, we are not naïve. We know that, compared to what they so desperately need, what we were able to provide in these three days was minimal—especially considering the amount of knowledge, experience, and joy we attained from spending quality time with the children and people of this beautiful community. I can only hope that, in the future, I will be able to return to Nicaragua, reconnect with Fundación VIDA, and see the progress they have made in Los Manguitos.

Some of my OTS Tropical Diseases classmates looking over the Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua.

Surviving in the Desert: Observations from Palo Verde Biological Station by Julia Erskine

One of the best places to see the diversity at Palo Verde – and the sunset.

Palo Verde Biological Station was an entirely different world. I had gotten used to humidity and rain, two things you are never going to encounter in the dry forest of Costa Rica in March. But, in what seemed to be a desert we were able to witness how life changes and adapts to deal with such stresses. I wrote in a previous post about nature taking back lost land after manmade disturbances. But, what is possibly even more impressive than witnessing recovery, is to observe how nature can withstand natural environmental changes. (Although we might not be able to say that the current changes in weather are ‘natural’.)

Looking across the vertisol it is difficult to imagine that the area is annually filled with water, becoming an aquatic habitat for countless species of plants and animals. But, this is what occurs every rainy season. The cracked soil expands with water, the dried seaweeds are revitalized, and the crocodiles expand their territory. At the same time, the cattle are pushed into the forests now blooming with color. The trees in this ecosystem have adapted to shed their leaves and put their energy into flowering during the dry season. They have developed ways to conserve water and protect themselves from the harshness of droughts.

These adaptations were easy to see along our hike. The trees were unlike any we had seen in the other research stations. Seeds coated the ground alongside dead, fallen leaves, and we spoke about how much these seeds could withstand while waiting to germinate and grow. Yet, at the same time, the cattails spreading across the plains and invading the wetland, show the vulnerability of the land. Iguanas were everywhere at Palo Verde, perfectly suited for basking in the sun. Similarly, along our river boat ride, we spotted crocodiles that also appeared happy to lay on the sunny river bank before sliding into the muddy water.

The drought creates a desert-like environment with layers of sand and dust. A constant breeze of this thick dust seemed to coat us within seconds of walking outside. Thirst immediately hit us, and we knew that this is not an environment meant for us. It is easy to imagine the difficulties that humans attempting to live in this sort of environment might face. And, it was clear that we would not be able to survive the extremes of nature in the dry forest, which makes the biodiversity that can survive all the more incredible.

Upon thinking of Costa Rica, we imagine the biodiversity of the jungle. It was a valuable experience to be able to witness the extreme differences in ecosystems that exist within fifty miles of each other. We found once again that nature, if given a chance, can thrive in the most unlikely places.