Chapter 8: Sustainability, Monteverde and the Social Sciences: Synthesis, Reflections, and Suggestions

Arriving in San Jose’s Juan Santamaria International Airport, one is struck by basic similarities to other tropical airports such as those in Miami, San Juan (Puerto Rico) or Nassau. The vegetation is ubiquitous, the public areas largely open air and the temperatures hot. After a short stay at an overnight hotel, however, one begins to alter one’s viewpoint as travel into the mountains begins. The trip along the coast and on the major inland highway soon becomes more challenging, as the road turns a bit rougher, climbing into the cloud forest toward Monteverde. Monte-verde is located in a Cloud Forest Reserve. A cloud forest is distinct from a rain forest in that the former is a tropical or subtropical area with a frequent, low-level cloud cover and higher elevations, whereas the latter is characterized by lower elevations, warmer temperatures and heavy rainfalls of more than 70 inches annually, often coming in monsoonal amounts. There is also the potential for heavy rains in cloud forests and these were experienced during the week in Costa Rica.