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Katie Feikema

ENVIRONMENT-COSTA RICA: TOURISM TURNS INTO GREEN GOLD. - 2 views

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Costa Rica's environment

shared by Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • The success of eco-tourism is bringing about a change in the attitudes of rural communities in Costa Rica
  • begun to see the natural beauty surrounding them in a new light, and hopes for development have begun to encourage civil society and businesses to organize, while boosting conservation efforts and investment in green-friendly projects.
  • has begun to have an impact on the economy of this Central American nation of 3.5 million, which not only provides abundant natural beauty, but enjoys the advantage of being one of the safest and most politically stable countries in Latin America.
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  • "We know that although there is still much to be done, tourism is an activity that can generate economic resources," Mayor Juan Flix Matute told IPS.
  • in recent years, lodges and inns promoting eco-tourism have begun to crop up in the tropical rainforest surrounding the town.
  • "We want to protect nature while promoting development in the area," the president of the local chamber of tourism, William Rodr[inverted exclamation mark]guez, told IPS.
  • The members of the local chamber of tourism are interested in making sustainable use of the area's historical heritage and biological wealth.
  • "We know nature is our livelihood, and that is why our mentality now is to take care of it. This is how businesses in the region see things today," said Rodr[inverted exclamation mark]guez, who pointed out that eco-tourism already provided steady jobs for 1,500 local residents.
  • In Sarapiqu[inverted exclamation mark], a chamber of tourism has been set up, local attractions are marketed over the Internet, and part of the tourism revenues are used to offer English and computer courses to the local community.
  • Tourism activity grew nine percent last year, compared to an average of between three and four percent worldwide,
  • Tourism is the main foreign exchange-earner in Costa Rica's services sector, with more than one million arrivals by foreign visitors last year, and $339 million in revenues in the first quarter of this year alone.
  • The biological wealth of the surrounding rainforest has also become a magnet for scientific projects set up by international organizations.
  • Visitors to the museum can see traditional graves of Huetar indigenous people, and can stay at a special villa designed to reproduce the lifestyle of local Indians in the 15th century, before the Spanish arrived.
  • "The money generated by this institute will be reinvested in the research carried out by the center," Knockaert explained.
  • Other scientific organizations are also active in the area, with their research centers open to the general public.
  • Among the attractions marketed on the local community's Internet website (www.sarapiquirainforest.com) are whitewater rafting, birdwatching, horseback riding, nature walks, tours of a butterfly garden and banana plantations, and an aerial tram, on which visitors can "fly through the rainforest canopy."
  • Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What effect does Costa Rica's ecological conservation have on it's environment and economy? Source: Munoz, N. "ENVIRONMENT-COSTA RICA: TOURISM TURNS INTO GREEN GOLD." Environment Bulletin (2000): ITEM00151001. General OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summery: this article tells of the environment pulling in tourism and bringing to the economy. Reflection: The different things offered to tourists sounds amazing and like something that will be worth seeing for a long time. I don't think this resource will die. Questions: 1) how do they plan to expand this resource to bring in more economic growth? 2) Will the tourism business begin to ruin the environment?  
  • Jessica Ruthsatz on 28 Feb 11
     
    HI Katie, Nice job on the annotations. Please make sure that next time however that your Summary and reflection are a bit more comprehensive. Thanks:)
Katie Feikema

Costa Rica's citizens of conservation: in their newly adopted homes, enclaves of foreig... - 0 views

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costa Rica environment

shared by Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Historically, Costa Rica has been ecofriendly. It has set aside a higher percentage of land as national parks than any other nation in the Americas. Government programs assist landowners with reforestation, helping to bring land back to its natural state.
  • a number of examples exist where foreigners have become agents of change who add to the richness of Costa Rican fife. The Costa Rican government hopes to encourage such balanced exchanges.
  • Out of the Kyoto Protocols and through the World Bank, Costa Rica was selected to sell carbon credits. "They are paying people to produce oxygen,"
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • Several times a year, they bring groups of university student volunteers to work in this small Costa Rican community. Last year, the volunteers renovated the school by painting it, sanding and varnishing the desks and chairs, and repairing windows. They also helped build an organic garden and learned about the value of growing their own foods.
  • The group also had a dream to create a library to serve the schools in the four communities of the Valle de Diamante. This past February the library opened right next to the freshly renovated school in La Florida.
  • The library, which serves the four community schools, will enhance the quality of education and create long-lasting opportunities for the areas children.
  • Villages are looking for a new ways to sustain themselves and their culture. This library, along with new skills related to farming organically, composting, using bio-fuels and alternative energy, and rehabilitating and reforesting land will bring greater financial abundance to the communities.
  • Their dream is to create a sustainable environment and a balanced ecology benefiting their region and the entire planet.
  • Hacienda Barti National Wildlife Refuge. The densely forested 830 acres belie its previous incarnation as a cattle ranch and rice farm.
  • Over time, Ewing's interest in cattle was replaced with an enthusiasm for the natural world of the Costa Rican forest. Little by little, he began thinking of the hacienda as a nature preserve.
  • Ewing allowed other parts of the hacienda to regenerate naturally. The rich, fertile, volcanic soil of the region, along with the vast seed bank of the primary forest and the average 150 inches of yearly rainfall, brought rapid reforestation.
  • In August of 1995, President José María Figueres signed a decree designating Hacienda Barú as a National Wildlife Refuge. The forest continues to regenerate.
  • Hacienda Barú's story is one of enormous success, and it is not just an ecological success, as spectacular as that is. Perhaps more importantly, the experience of Hacienda Barú has pioneered a way for others to follow.
  • I see my role as making them aware of what's available through national programs and then facilitating the implementation." When he leaves after two years, the community will be more aware of the resources available to them and more able to fight for their own development.
  • Source Citation"Costa Rica's citizens of conservation: in their newly adopted homes, enclaves of foreigners support their local communities by using sustainable methods to preserve the land and the environment." Americas [English Edition] July-Aug. 2010: 22+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.
    • Katie Feikema
      Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11
       
      Reflection: I think that what these people did in Costa Rica seems to have been very beneficial to them and the native Costa Ricans. Through the experience they are able to serve and get close to nature which can be a very relaxing and rewarding experience. They are also able to improve the education, environment, and quality of life for the Costa Ricans. They are teaching them a bit about how to farm better as well wich will be a great asset to the natives as they build up their economy through better agriculture.Questions:1) I wonder how the natives feel about what American's are doing there. Do they give their full support? Or are they skeptical?    2) Is the impact they have made becoming more noticeable in the economy as well as the environment?3) Do they plan to slowly back out of the leadership positions and teach the natives how to carry on for themselves? 
  • Katie Feikema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: What effect does Costa Rica's ecological conservation have on it's environment and economy? Source: "Costa Rica's citizens of conservation: in their newly adopted homes, enclaves of foreigners support their local communities by using sustainable methods to preserve the land and the environment." Americas [English Edition] July-Aug. 2010: 22+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: This article is about the success and help that people, not native to Costa Rica, have been able to bring to their "adopted land" in Costa Rica. They tell about what got them interested, what they did and how it has helped the country of Costa Rica. 
ni iang

Eco-Luxury - - 0 views

www.time.com/...0,9171,995191-2,00.html

What are the effects of ecological conservation in Costa Rica.

shared by ni iang on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Matthew Cook, executive director of the Association for the Conservation of the Mono Titi (ASCOMOTI), a nonprofit dedicated to saving the endangered Costa Rican red-backed squirrel monkey, says an industry-wide drive is needed to prevent further environmental destruction. In Manuel Antonio, the organization has the support of 28 businesses that fund conservation and reforestation programs. Thanks to the efforts of some forward-thinking hoteliers, for travelers who relish a cocktail by the pool, conservation could not get any easier.
  • ni iang on 14 Apr 11
     
    Miranda, Carolina A. "Eco-Luxury." Time 20 Sept. 2004: 5 pars. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summery  This article talks about that some of the Hotel in Costa Rica are trying to help the environment by doing little thing that will help the environment.  Costa Rica has  been grappling with new challenges to their environment and it has growen well, all the natural beauty has attracted  millions of visitors.  But hotels and businesses increase their businesses into untouched areas.   New hotel in Costa Rica called the Four Seasons Resort has supported the environment by planting grass that can live on 50% of ocean water and 70% of the land will  remain in its natural state.  Another hotel Hacienda Pinilla also try to help environment.  The 4500 acre resort which is in the untouched area of the  Nicoya Peninsula, will maintain main areas of undeveloped land.  El Remanso hotel on the Pacific Coast have used fallen wood to build their cabins.  And also another association for the conservation of the Mono Titi, nonprofit, said that the industries need to prevent further environmental damage.  This organization support 28 businesses that work for conservation and reforestation programs. 
ni iang

Eco-Luxury - 0 views

www.time.com/...0,9171,995191-1,00.html

What are the effects of ecological conservation in Costa Rica.

shared by ni iang on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Costa Rica is coming of age--and grappling with new challenges to the environment that has fueled its growth. As word about its staggering natural beauty has slipped out, the country has become one of the world's leading eco-destinations, attracting a million visitors a year
  • With this boom, upscale resorts are establishing beachheads up and down the Pacific Coast, offering championship golf courses, world-class restaurants and plenty of spas. But as hotels and other tourism businesses increasingly set up shop in remote and pristine areas, the government--which lacks the resources for effective enforcement--is facing issues such as deforestation and waste disposal.
  • They have begun to work on ways to protect the environment. The newly opened Four Seasons Resort fourseasons.com/costarica on the Papagayo Peninsula sacrifices nothing in the way of luxury.
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  • There are tennis courts, pools and a golf course. The hotel has made concessions to the environment too: 70% of its land area will remain in its natural state, and the golf course uses a type of grass that can be irrigated with a 50% ocean-water mix, conserving valuable freshwater.
  • In a similar nod to the eco-ethic, Hacienda Pinilla haciendapinilla.com) a 4,500-acre resort and residential community on the Nicoya Peninsula, will maintain extensive tracts of its terrain undeveloped.
  • Hidden in the heart of cattle country--Costa Rica's Wild West--this tropical dry forest is inhabited by dense populations of howler monkeys, iguanas and birds
  • Smaller boutique hotels, such as El Remanso elremanso.com on the Pacific Coast, have found ways to be environmentally conscious from the ground up. Fallen wood was used to build El Remanso's roomy cabins, so no rare hardwood trees were logged. Each unit is surrounded by a moat of moving water that keeps ants out of the rooms, eliminating the need for pesticides.
  • ni iang on 14 Apr 11
     
    Miranda, Carolina A. "Eco-Luxury." Time 20 Sept. 2004: 5 pars. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summery  This article talks about that some of the Hotel in Costa Rica are trying to help the environment by doing little thing that will help the environment.  Costa Rica has  been grappling with new challenges to their environment and it has growen well, all the natural beauty has attracted  millions of visitors.  But hotels and businesses increase their businesses into untouched areas.   New hotel in Costa Rica called the Four Seasons Resort has supported the environment by planting grass that can live on 50% of ocean water and 70% of the land will  remain in its natural state.  Another hotel Hacienda Pinilla also try to help environment.  The 4500 acre resort which is in the untouched area of the  Nicoya Peninsula, will maintain main areas of undeveloped land.  El Remanso hotel on the Pacific Coast have used fallen wood to build their cabins.  And also another association for the conservation of the Mono Titi, nonprofit, said that the industries need to prevent further environmental damage.  This organization support 28 businesses that work for conservation and reforestation programs.    
ni iang

Campaign to plant 5 million trees in Central America - 0 views

www.ticotimes.net/...l-America_Monday-April-11-2011

Campaign to Plant 5 Million Trees in Central America. Tico Times 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 .

shared by ni iang on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • A youth organization in Costa Rica announced Wednesday that it will plant at least five million native trees throughout Central America in June, with the goal of reforesting the region and mitigating climate change.
  • A youth organization in Costa Rica announced Wednesday that it will plant at least five million native trees throughout Central America in June, with the goal of reforesting the region and mitigating climate change.
  • The campaign “Reforestando Centroamérica” ("Reforesting Central America") involves social and environmental organizations and businesses from Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
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  • The organizations have the goal of not only planting trees, but also monitoring their growth. The Union for the Conservation of Nature supports the initiative.
  • Guatemala accomplished a similar project last year through the work of 10,000 youth volunteers.
  • In Costa Rica, the initiative hopes to plant at least 5,000 trees in mangrove areas in towns in the Caribbean and Pacific as well as metropolitan areas. The main day for planting the trees will be June 25.
  • ni iang on 14 Apr 11
     
    "Campaign to Plant 5 Million Trees in Central America." Tico Times 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . Summary  In Costa Rica, a youth organization is planning to plant five million trees throughout central America to support the environment.  And also not just planting them, they are planning to continue to take care of all those trees and make sure that they grow well.  The group also is going to plant at least five thousand trees in the City in Costa Rica but also bigger areas of their neighbor's land like Caribbean and Pacific as well.  They announced that the big planting day will on on the 25th June.   Reflection  I think this plan is really good plan because iit s not hard to plant a tree, but it will help a lot of the environment as long as they take care of them as they plan.   They seem very serious about this plan because they are even going to plant to their neighbor's land, which shows that they really care for the environment.  Since this plan is coming soon, I'm excited to learn about how it will go.  This makes me think that if the rest of the world will  care like them, our world would be so much healthier than today.  How old are the  youth  who volunteer?How would the neighbor's country respond? How much will it help the environment from this many tres being planted and how long will it take to grow?
Mallory Huizenga

"Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index" - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8498456.stm

BBC

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11 - Cached
  • It was also the first developing country to state its aim of being carbon neutral (by 2021), in part through the mass planting of trees.
  • more than half its territory is now covered in trees, compared to 20% in the 1980s.
  • Costa Rica was placed third out of 163 countries, up from fifth two years ago.
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  • "But basically the country does care about the environment. Other governments shove it down towards the bottom of their priorities."
  • The latest version of the Happy Planet Index compiled by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), placed Costa Rica on top of every country in the world. It makes an explicit link between happiness and the environment, and combines three key variables - what people say about their life satisfaction, their longevity and their ecological footprint.
  • Well over 90% of its energy supply comes from renewable sources.
  • He points out that Costa Ricans often answer the question 'How are you?' with the phrase "pura vida". It literally translates as "pure life" but roughly means "cool" or "everything's fine".
  • "I am very aware of my carbon footprint," says Pilar Saborio, Costa Rica's ambassador to the UK.
  • a range of green initiatives, including "ecological sanctuaries" where congregations learn to grow crops, including medicinal plants, in an environmentally sound way.
  • says Mr Ulate. "Now I have a simpler, less materialistic life, more in tune with nature."
  • "Every time I construct any new building, I have to get a certificate from the national environment office that I am not damaging the environment," says Juan Francisco Montealegre, who owns a construction company.
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11
       
      Research Journal #1 continued...  Reflection: I found this article to be extremely helpful as I begin my research on Costa Rica. It gives a great summary of where Costa Rica stands as a country. I didn't know that Costa Rica scored so high on the "Happy Planet Index". This article surprised me on a number of levels regarding the life in Costa Rica. I never knew that they were and are trying so hard to lower their carbon footprint. I believe that living a "green" lifestyle is important, and when the whole country is striving for the same goal it makes it easier for the individual to strive as well. I think what Costa Rica is doing is awesome! They are setting a great example for other countries. Costa Rica is focusing on living a "simpler, less materialistic life, [and] more in tune with nature" lifestyle.  Questions: 1) What does the daily life of a Costa Rican look like? 2) How is Costa Rica enforcing ecological conservation? 3) What happens if Costa Rican don't follow the "green" rules? 4) In terms of my research question I am wondering how I can better and fine tune it. 5) For our exhibit I think we are going to have to properly include how Costa Rica is benefitting from their conservation.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Journal #1: Article One Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: BBC News: "Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index" by James Painter Citation: Painter, James. ""Why Costa Rica Scores Well on the Happiness Index"." Costa Rica. BBC, 7 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. . Summary: This articles focuses on Costa Rica's happiness level, and how it directly corresponds to its "go green" attitude. The article is broken down into three sections: Costa Rica- green and happy, Open cast mining, and Pura vida. The section Costa Rica- green and happy talks about how Costa Rica is the first developing country working towards being carbon neutral, and how the country has improved ecological. It states that "the country does care about the environment". The end of this section leads into the next section talking about Costa Rica's "happy" lifestyle. In the section open cast mining the author talks about the people of Costa Rica and what they are doing to keep their country "green". The population works hard to make sure their carbon footprint is as small as possible. New buildings that are constructed must be certified by the national environment office. The people of Costa Rica are coming together to find ways to support and healthy and happy planet. The last section of the article is Pura vida. This section talks about the benefit of living a "green" lifestyle: how both the population and land are benefitting. Costa Rica knows it isn't perfect, but they are striving to create a country that helps the greater good of our plant. Reflection & Questions on Sticky Note (Part of Annotations)
Katie Feikema

THE GREEN REPUBLIC: A CONSERVATION HISTORY OF COSTA RICA.(Review)(Brief Article). - 0 views

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Conservation Costa Rica

shared by Katie Feikema on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The conservation of nature is a socio-historical phenomenon that expresses the awareness and ethical values of those who propose to carry it out
  • easy to read book. The Green Republic is about the establishment of Costa Rica's internationally recognized system of protected areas
  • Like all social processes, however, the history of natural resource conservation in Costa Rica is riddled with paradox, passion, and self-interest as well as dedication and commitment.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • the greatest paradox of all is that this nation continues to have one of the world's highest rates of deforestation while simultaneously possessing an immense system of conservation areas in relation to its size, with 25 percent of the country under some form of protection.
  • and other contradictions in both the governmental arena and civil society.
  • Cuello, Cesar. "THE GREEN REPUBLIC: A CONSERVATION HISTORY OF COSTA RICA." Environment 42.1 (2000): 43. Student Edition. Web. 10 Mar. 2011.
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  • Katie Feikema on 10 Mar 11
     
    Summary: This article tells about a book that was written about the ecological conservation in Costa Rica.  Reflection: I found it interesting that this article tells us about the social aspect that any new process goes through. While most articles tell of all the good that has been done, this one tells of the less shining aspects of the process. We are also told of the slightly hypocritical deforestation that is going on in Costa Rica even though they are so in favor of saving the environment.  Questions: 1) When will they begin to protect their forests as much as the rest of their environment? 2) How much would their economy suffer if they stopped the logging? 3) Have they cut down on the amount of logging since the book was written.
Katie Feikema

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES ANNUAL DEBATE ON LAW OF THE SEA ADOPTING TWO TEXTS BOLSTERIN... - 0 views

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Costa Rica Environment Food

shared by Katie Feikema on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES ANNUAL DEBATE ON LAW OF THE SEA ADOPTING TWO TEXTS BOLSTERING UNITED NATIONS REGIME GOVERNING OCEAN SPACE, ITS RESOURCES, USES.
  • States News Service 
  • deep concern at the serious adverse impacts on the marine environment and biodiversity,
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • the links between the health of the world's oceans and sustainable human development,
  • the essential need for cooperation, including through capacity-building and transfer of marine technology, to ensure that all States, especially developing countries, small islands and coastal African States, were able to implement the Convention and to benefit from the sustainable development of the oceans and seas
  • omnibus resolution on oceans and the law of the sea, reiterating,
  • the Assembly called upon all States that had not done so to apply widely, in accordance with international law, the precautionary and ecosystem approaches to the conservation, management and exploitation of fish stock.
  • fish stocks in many parts of the world were overfished
  • particular concern that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing constituted a serious threat to fish stocks and marine habitats, to the detriment of sustainable fisheries, as well as food security and the economies of many States, particularly in developing countries. It urged States "to exercise effective controls over their nationals [a] in order to deter and prevent them form engaging in" illegal fishing activities.
  • topics central to the debate were the protection of the world's deep waters, their biological diversity and fishing stocks, as well as international capacity-building in marine science and ocean affairs.
  • Least developed countries and the small island developing States, the success of capacity-building, and related transparency, depended to a large extent on international cooperation. That was true for Costa Rica. He urged promoting cooperation among all countries, including South-South cooperation, saying that for its part, Costa Rica had implemented national measures for the sustainable use of its marine resources. In July 2009, Costa Rica created two new management categories to sustainably use its marine wealth, designed to protect ecosystems.
  • Through a broad consultation process, Costa Rica last year had adopted a national strategy for managing marine and coastal resources, which established policies for integrating conservation efforts with socioeconomic development.
  • The Secretary-General's report was clear in showing that oceans and coastal ecosystems played a key role in mitigating the impacts of climate change, and he called on United Nations bodies to cooperate in the promotion of capacity in that regard.
  • he reiterated the importance of using scientific criteria in conservation management decisions. It was vital to ensure more information exchange on fish stocks and to implement the precautionary principle. He urged sanctions be carried out in the practice of shark finning, and in the transhipment of sharks on the high seas.
  • cooperation was important in identifying coastal marine areas' vulnerability to climate change.
  • referred to the importance of regional seas agreements and conventions in protecting and preserving the marine environment, and such schemes had proven useful in helping countries enforce multilateral treaties on such protection.
  • the draft resolution
  • Source Citation"GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES ANNUAL DEBATE ON LAW OF THE SEA ADOPTING TWO TEXTS BOLSTERING UNITED NATIONS REGIME GOVERNING OCEAN SPACE, ITS RESOURCES, USES." States News Service 7 Dec. 2010. Student Edition. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.
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  • Katie Feikema on 14 Apr 11
     
    What are the effects of Costa Rica's ecological conservation, on their people, economy, environment, and food?  Source: Highlighted Summary: This article is discussing the United Nations law of the sea. It tells about the concerns they have for the low number of fish and other sea life. They are also pushing for this law in order for there to be a support system or larger more developed nations along with the newer smaller developing nations. Reflection: I think that what the United Nations was doing was a good idea. We always put a lot of pressure on protecting the earth, but less is done for the seas. Costa Rica is strongly green on land, and they seem to have been and still are taking steps to protect the sea. They are also protecting a good source of food for their country. Questions: 1) Does this article cover enough on green food sources to cover that section of our research question? 2) Should we rethink the "green" food part of our research question? 
Haley Luurtsema

Part II (RJ 1) - 0 views

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shared by Haley Luurtsema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Haley Luurtsema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Reflection: I think that It is really good to see engineers working in Haiti. The fact that they want to change their ways of building to have a safer environment to life in. Nevertheless, it makes me wonder if they could have saved many more lives if the buildings were built better. Because many of the houses were build by "captive columns," so much more was distorted in the mist of it all. I also know that many of the towns and villages were poor and probably didn't have enough money to build a better living environment. Its really hard to blame the lose of so many lives on something the people really couldn't control. However, with the help of different engineers and volunteers, I believe that as time goes on, the Haitian people will be helped.  Questions:  1) How many lives might have been saved if the living conditions/homes were better? 2) What will this system cost for the people? 3) Was there any other flaws in buildings that might have also caused them to be destroyed easier? 
Mallory Huizenga

"Costa Rica Expands Marine Protected Area Around Cocos Island" - 0 views

blogs.nationalgeographic.com/...-rica-expands-marine-prot.html

National Geographic

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Costa Rica has just announced the creation of a large new marine protected area (MPA) around Cocos Island National Park.
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: I found this article very helpful. The articles shows that Costa Rica is stepping beyond, and is beginning to conserve the water as much as the land. Costa Rica is working towards accomplishing a goal of ecological conservation. In protecting the water, and the ocean life community they are getting one step closer to their goal. National Geographic writes a wonderful article. This article shows the positives this protection has created, but it also highlights what Costa Rica still needs to work towards. The articles ends by saying, "The protection of the seamounts south of Cocos Island, by contrast, is a very important step in preserving a sensitive habitat that previously had no protection at all in Costa Rica". Costa Rica is taking the steps that need to be taken, and they are continuing to take the steps that are need to conserve the environment. Questions: 1) Will Costa Rica ban fishing in the park? 2) What other steps is Costa Rica taking in the protection of their waters? 3) How do fisherman feel about the possibility of losing their fishing grounds? 4) If fishing is ban in these waters how will the life of Costa Rican dependent on fishing change? 5) How does this broaden the answers to our research question?
  • called the Seamounts Marine Management Area
  • 35 miles south of Cocos
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • after more than a year of discussions between the Costa Rican government and conservation organizations, including National Geographic
  • highest abundances of large ocean predators (such as sharks) found anywhere in the world.
  • The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Fundación de Amigos de la Isla del Coco--recommended the creation of a no-take marine reserve covering 25,000 square kilometers around Cocos Island National Park.
  • The government of Costa Rica instead created a 9,640-square-kilometer MPA that excludes purse seining for tuna, but will allow long-lining for tuna in some of its waters.
  • This is great news for marine conservation, and a good first step for Costa Rica to fill its gaps in ocean protection.
  • I believe this will not be sufficient to accomplish the goal of protecting Cocos' extraordinary undersea communities, however, because long-line fishing--which already accounts for the largest amount of illegal fishing at Cocos--will be allowed in much of the new MPA.
  • The protection of the seamounts south of Cocos Island, by contrast, is a very important step in preserving a sensitive habitat that previously had no protection at all in Costa Rica
  • Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Journal # 2: Article One Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: National Geographic: "Costa Rica Expands Marine Protected Area Around Cocos Island" by Enric Sala Citation: Sala, Enric. "Costa Rica Expands Marine Protected Area ." NatGeo Newswatch. National Geographic, 6 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.. Summary: This article focuses on how Costa Rica is expanding their conservation to the waters. Costa Rica "has created a huge new marine park". The waters are being protected around the Coco Island National Park. The water houses tuna, sharks and other large ocean predators. The area is called the Seamounts Marine Management Area. The Costa Rican government has been in discussion of this protected area for over a year. Studies show that the Coco Islands National Park has one of the "highest abundances of large ocean predators". One problems remains. Fishing is still allowed in the park. Until fishing is no longer allowed the goal will not be accomplished. Costa Rica has taken one step forward in protecting the ocean life community, but more steps still need to be made. Reflection & Questions located on Sticky Note
Brielle DeFrell

Nigeria and Oil - Global Issues - 0 views

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oil nigeria effects

shared by Brielle DeFrell on 11 Mar 11 - Cached
  • There is a symbiotic relationship between the military dictatorship and the multinational companies who grease the palms of those who rule….They are assassins in foreign lands. They drill and they kill in Nigeria.
  • Human Rights Activist Oronto Douglas
  • Niger Delta in Nigeria has been the attention of environmentalists, human rights activists and fair trade advocates around the world. The trial and hanging of environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other members of the Ogoni ethnic minority made world-wide attention. So too did the non-violent protests of the Og
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  • oni people
  • Ogoni, Ijaw and other people in the Niger Delta, those who have been worse affected for decades have been trying to stand up for themselves, their environment and their basic human and economic rights.
  • divide communities by paying off some members to disrupt non-violent protests.
  • threaten the livelihood of neighboring local communities. Due to the many forms of oil-generated environmental pollution evident throughout the region, farming and fishing have become impossible or extremely difficult in oil-affected areas, and even drinking water has become scarce. Malnourishment and disease appear common.
  • loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and irresponsible fathering by expatriate oil workers.
  • Organized protest and activism by affected communities regularly meet with military repression, sometimes ending in the loss of life.
  • While the story told to consumers of Nigerian crude in the United States and the European Union—via ad campaigns and other public relations efforts—is that oil companies are a positive force in Nigeria, providing much needed economic development resources, the reality that confronted our delegation was quite the opposite
  • oil company operating in the Niger Delta employing inadequate environmental standards, public health standards, human rights standards, and relations with affected communities.
  • Far from being a positive force, these oil companies act as a destabilizing force, pitting one community against another, and acting as a catalyst—together with the military with whom they work closely—to some of the violence racking the region today.
  • Oil For Nothing: Multinational Corporations, Environmental Destruction, Death and Impunity in the Niger Delta, Essential Action and Global Exchange, January 25, 2000
  • in the killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa to Chevron-marked helicopters carrying Nigerian military that opened fire upon protestors,
  • The military have been accused of thousands of killings, house/village burnings, intimidating people, torture and so on.
  • oil companies have neglected the surrounding environment and health of the local communities
  • oil spills that are not cleaned up, blatant dumping of industrial waste and promises of development projects which are not followed through, have all added to the increasing environmental and health problems.
  • corruption and religious tensions between Muslims and Christians
  • into 2004
  • Shell companies have worsened fighting in the Niger Delta through payments for land use, environmental damage, corruption of company employees and reliance on Nigerian security forces.
  • Shell companies and their staff creates, feeds into, or exacerbates conflict.
  • Voilence in the Niger Delta kills some 1000 people each year,
  • With over 50 years of presence in Nigeria, it is reasonable to say that the Shell companies in Nigeria have become an integral part of the Niger Delta conflict
  • Human Rights Watch’s 2010 report. They note although free speech and independent media remain robust and there have been some anti-corruption efforts. However, this is overshadowed by religious and inter-communal violence that has seen Muslims and Christians killing each other and by Nigeria’s political leaders’ “near-total impunity for massive corruption and sponsoring political violence”.
  • latest escalation of violence began in early 2006, hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between rival armed groups vying for illicit patronage doled out by corrupt politicians, or between militants and government security forces. Armed gangs have carried out numerous attacks on oil facilities and kidnapped more than 500 oil workers and ordinary Nigerians for ransom during this period
  • June 2009, followed a major military offensive in May against militants in the creeks of Delta State, which left scores dead and thousands of residents displaced.
  • — Nigeria, World Report 2010, Human Rights Watch
  • Brielle DeFrell on 11 Mar 11
     
    Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  Shah, Anup. "Nigeria and Oil." Global Issues, Updated: 10 Jun. 2010. Accessed: 10 Mar. 2011. Reflection: The more I research the problem the more I realize how big of a problem this really is. There are so many environmental issues and protests that have come with drilling in Nigeria.  Summary: The presence of oil companies have hurt many of the communities on the Niger Delta in Nigeria including environmental pollution, farming and fishing difficulties because of oil spills, drinking water is getting scarcer and scarcer, and malnourishment and disease is showing up more and more. Not only is it bring environmental issues, but economic and societal one too including loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and bad fathering by oil company workers.Many people have lost their lives to the violence that goes on with both violent protests and non-violent ones. The government is corrupt and there are religious tensions going on between Muslims and Christians in the midst.  Questions:  *What would be best? To stay and get oil or to get out to stop the violence? *Is there a way to stop the violence? And should we take the step in doing so even though it may hurt us? *How many oil spills have happened in Nigeria?
Katie Feikema

COSTA RICA GETS $56 MILLION FOR CONSERVATION. - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...retrieve.do

Costa Rica Conservation

shared by Katie Feikema on 09 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Katie Feikema on 09 Mar 11
     
    What are the effects of Costa Rica's ecological conservation, on the country? Summary: This article tells of the financial aid and support that Costa Rica is receiving from other countries and organizations, to aid their conservation efforts. It also tells that some countries, including the US, are buying back debts, so that Costa Rica can have more resources to increase their protected areas.  Reflection: I think it is very cool to see that other countries including the US is willing to chip in and help a country that is striving to protect it's environment and natural resources. It is amazing that so much of Costa Rica is protected and they are almost up to meeting the U.N.'s goal for protected areas. The economy is being helped by all the donations, because of all the protected areas they already have. There is still stuff to do though especially for their waters.  Questions: 1) When are they going to start concentrating on the water's protection? 2) How far will they go past the U.N.'s goals for protected areas? 3) Will other countries begin to follow Costa Rica's great example?
William Leys

Flood study to examine health effects of mould and mud - News - Virtual Medical Centre - 0 views

www.virtualmedicalcentre.com/...16014

Australia

shared by William Leys on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Homeowners in flood-affected Brisbane suburbs are being asked to participate in a study that will examine the effects of mould and mud on people's respiratory health.
  • Laboratory director, Professor Lidia Morawska, said although the flood waters had receded in Brisbane, there were numerous public health issues associated with its aftermath.
  • Mould and dust from waterlogged materials and silt and organic debris in flood-affected areas could impact on residents' respiratory health, with the greatest effect typically seen in children and asthmatics, she said.
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  • "Understanding human exposure is very important to know whether there's any risk to our health from mud and mould," said Professor Morawska."It is clear that after flooding there is quite a big problem with mould. This has been seen in many other parts of the world, including after Hurricane Katrina.
  • Professor Morawska said 15 households that were flooded and 15 homes that were unaffected were needed for the study, which would take place in coming weeks.
  • William Leys on 10 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: What are the effects of the Australian Flooding? Summary: Mold and dust have worked their way into people's homes. Test have to be done to see how bad that could be for the owner's health. Reflection: Much like the Katrina situation, they need to insure that they have a clean environment to live in. Questions: How invasive will the tests be? Is it something you have to be out of your home for a full 24 hours? "Flood study to examine health effects of mould and mud." VirtualMedicalCentre.com (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 Mar 2011. .
Laurel Ackerman

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Effects on Israel - 0 views

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Israel Decline Society

shared by Laurel Ackerman on 16 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Avoidable because there was a reasonable chance that the conflict might have been resolved long ago, had the Israelis acknowledged the inevitable harms done to the Palestinians by the creation of Israel as well as the subsequent expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and villages, and resolved to do everything possible to make up for these injustices in any manner possible, short of abandoning the Jewish state in one part of the land of Palestine
  • he real goal of Israeli policy has been, at a minimum, to unilaterally annex some 40 percent of the West Bank, including the most productive lands and most of the water resources of the area. Beyond that, Olmert is continuing the process of what Reinhart openly calls "ethnic cleansing" that began with the expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians in 1948.
  • The tactics used to achieve this goal include the killing of more than two thousand innocent Palestinians as the result of Israel's indiscriminate attacks on "militants" or "terrorists" via bombs, missiles, artillery fire, and the like.
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  • Beyond even that, other measures seek to destroy the Palestinian economy and ordinary life, including the destruction of Gaza's main electrical power plant; the severe restrictions placed on Palestinian drinking and agricultural water; the daily humiliations and often severe hardships imposed by draconic Israeli laws against the free movement of Palestinians throughout the West Bank; the disruption of the private and public health systems--and more.
  • Reinhart focuses primarily on the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. She might well have added that the Occupation and repression have had devastating direct and indirect effects on Israeli institutions, society, and quality of life.
  • The judiciary in general, and the Supreme Court in particular, have largely abandoned their imperative role of upholding law and human rights against widespread governmental abuses, so long as the government cites "security needs" as its justification. Not surprisingly, the power of the military and security services in Israel are greater than in any other Western democracy.
  • There are many Israeli commentaries about the radical decline of values and ordinary moral norms and constraints. Among the consequences are the growth of (1) class and intra-Jewish ethnic and religious conflict; (2) organized and unorganized crime, including routine intra-Jewish violence; (3) anti-Arab sentiments and other forms of racism; and (4) the abuse of women, including white slavery. As academics like Aviad Klein-berg and journalists such as Tom Segev have concluded, "interest in human rights has never been so negligible," and Israeli society, gripped by "moral and political paralysis," is "gradually coming undone."
  • Israel has completely abandoned its earlier goal of creating a democratic socialism in favor of "rampant capitalism." Consequently, while some Israelis grow fabulously wealthy, other sectors of the society suffer through high unemployment rates, high inflation, and continuously widening income inequalities.
  • Sharon and his successors has created an environment in which academic freedom is under severe attack, Israel's intellectuals are increasingly regarded with scorn, and the education system as a whole has radically declined, becoming increasingly government-controlled, politicized, and ineffective
  • As Rein-hart puts it, Israel is a "small Jewish state ... surrounded by two hundred million Arabs," and it "is making itself the enemy of the whole Muslim world. There is no guarantee that such a state can survive. Saving the Palestinians also means saving Israel." Sooner or later the most fanatical of the Islamic fundamentalists by one means or another are likely to acquire nuclear weapons--and they may very well use them against Israeli cities, regardless of the obvious consequences to the Muslim world from Israeli retaliation. And that will be the end of Israel, and much of the Middle East.
  • Laurel Ackerman on 16 Feb 11
     
    How does the conflict in Israel affect the futures of Palestinian children compared to Israeli children? Slater, Jerome. "The need not to know: the American Jewish community and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.(The Road Map to Nowhere: Israel/Palestine since 2003)(Book review)." Tikkun Jan.-Feb. 2007: 65+. Student Edition. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. Student Edition Infotrack searched "Israel Palestine Conflict" http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=STOM&docId=A156555584&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Summary: The conflict between Israel and Palestine does not only negatively affect the Palestinians, but it also negatively affects the Israelis. The Israeli Democracy, Human Rights, Economic Justice, Education, and Culture are all declining leading Israel to a future where it is the enemy of the whole Muslim world. This may lead to some cities being blown up and the future for the Israelis is very grim if things do not change.  Reflection: What we've been learning in class is all about how the Palestinians have no future, but here, it actually talks about how the Israelis also do not have too much of a future. More research on each thing that Slater says needs to be furthered in my research because we could use them as negative aspects of the Israeli children's futures.  Questions: What are specific things that are on the decline for the Israeli children's future? What are positive things? Do the Israeli negatives affect the Palestinians?
Nicki Pifer

Obama Opens Trade and Travel Relations With Communist Cuba - 0 views

www.thenewamerican.com/

embargo trade Cuba travel

shared by Nicki Pifer on 01 Mar 11 - Cached
  • Nicki Pifer on 01 Mar 11
     
    On Friday, January 14 President Obama announced that he plans on easing trade and travel relations with Communist Cuba, including making it easier for U.S. citizens to travel directly to the island from American airports. The President added that he had instructed the relevant government departments to allow religious groups and students to travel to the communist-run island. For almost half a century, the debate has been raging over the United States' policy towards Cuba, which has been communist since Fidel Castro's coupe de etat in 1959. Free travel from the U.S. to Cuba was halted in 1963 under President John F. Kennedy. The explanation at the time for why Americans could visit the Soviet Union but not Cuba was that the communist government in Moscow was permanent but that Fidel Castro was temporary. In 1977, with Cuba still unchanged, President Jimmy Carter relaxed the travel ban. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan restored it. n 1998, with the Soviet Union "gone," Clinton loosened it and in 2004, with Cuba still unchanged, President George W. Bush tightened it again. Now President Obama is going back to the Clinton policy, which will make it easier for churches and universities to sponsor trips to the communist state. Obama's announcement calls for changes in policy at the Departments of State, Treasury, and Homeland Security, as both travel and remittances are involved in the changes, and the new regulations will be promulgated as modifications of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations and the Customs and Border Protection Regulations. The new policies call for the following reforms to Cuba-United States relations. According to the BBC, Obama's new proposals: * Allow religious organizations to sponsor religious travel to Cuba under a general license; * Allow accredited institutions of higher education to sponsor travel to Cuba; * Allow any U.S. person to send remittances (up to $500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to support private e
Ryan Wassink

High opium price not increasing cultivation in Afghanistan: report - Monsters and Critics - 1 views

www.monstersandcritics.com/...tivation-in-Afghanistan-report

shared by Ryan Wassink on 28 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • strongly associated with insecurity and lack of agricultural assistance.'
  • aid the reasons
  • The UN report said the reasons for decreasing cultivation could be dry cli
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  • mate conditions leading to crop failure
  • a changing political environment, increasing government control and more military operations by Afghan and international troops around the time of poppy planting which 'may have' discouraged the farmers.
  • The price went up by 164 per cent in 2010
  • The total harvest was nearly halved due to bad weather conditions and a plant disease.
  • istan is the world's biggest opium-producing country with a global share of 77 per cent. At least 1.7 million farmers are directly engaged in the cultivation of poppy farms, according to the UN. For the Taliban insurgents, poppy production is one of the main sources of income which funds their insurgency.
  • Afghan
Mallory Huizenga

"Costa Rica Launches Groundbreaking Environmental Initiative" - 0 views

www.nature.org/...press4743.html

conservancy

shared by Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The funding will support a new ground-breaking, multi-million-dollar environmental initiative called Forever Costa Rica that will at least double the nation’s marine protected areas, dramatically improve the management of both marine and terrestrial protected area systems and provide necessary financing to sustain these environmental efforts in perpetuity.
  • By 2015, with assistance from the Forever Costa Rica project, Costa Rica expects to become one of the first developing nations in the world – if not the first – to complete its protected-areas goals under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
  • On October 14, 2010 the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica, the Central Bank of Costa Rica and The Nature Conservancy announced their agreement on a debt-for-nature swap that will provide more than $27 million over the next 15 years
    • Mallory Huizenga
      Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: What a fascinating article. This article was jammed packed with information. The Forever Costa Rica project seems like a great way to go about conserving the land. I love how Costa Rica is so devoted and so passionate about conservation. Many other countries, including the United States could really learn from Costa Rica. Protecting natural resources is so important. Costa Rica has been taking the right steps forward. With the help of the Forever Costa Rica project and the finances of $27 million Costa Rica will be able to make strides forward in conservation and protecting their important lands. Questions: 1) Why is the United States helping in financing the project? 2) Does this mean the United States will consider the same for our country? 3) How many areas are projected to be protected? 4) How far has Costa Rica come since the project began in October 2010? 5) In our project we will need to include the Forever Costa Rica project.
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  • Forever Costa Rica will help expand the nation’s marine protected-area system, improve the management of all protected areas, and create management plans that will be subject to monitoring and continuous improvements.
  • Though it covers less than one-tenth of one percent of Earth’s surface, Costa Rica is one of the world’s richest natural treasures, hosting as much as five percent of the world’s biodiversity.
  • As one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, it has a proven track record for reaching and exceeding its conservation goals.
  • “Today, Costa Rica is showing the world that an entire nation can protect its natural patrimony forever.
  • “Forever Costa Rica is a groundbreaking initiative that could change the way many countries approach their national commitments to conservation and the environment.
  • Costa Rica’s commitments to protected areas while also serving the needs of its people—many of the new marine protected areas, for instance, will enable resource management that can help to sustain the livelihoods of local fishing communities.
  • Costa Rica is leading the world in demonstrating how to put such treaties into action and to achieve measurable and significant results in a meaningful timeframe.”
  • Costa Rica once again leads the charge in setting a new standard for environmental conservation, with a challenge to other nations to follow suit.
  • Costa Rica has a tremendous history of land conservation,
  • The seeds for Forever Costa Rica were planted in July 2007 when President Oscar Arias launched his visionary “Peace with Nature” program that encompassed a wide range of environmental initiatives.
  • Mallory Huizenga on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Journal #2: Article Two Question: How is ecological conservation effecting Costa Rica? Source: The Nature Conservancy: "Costa Rica Launches Groundbreaking Environmental Initiative"  by Colleen Roche Citation: Roche, Colleen. "Costa Rica Launches Groundbreaking Environmental Initiative." Nature Conservancy News Room . The Nature Conservancy , 15 Oct. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. .  Summary: This article focuses on the Forever Costa Rica project. This project is working towards doubling the nation's marine protected areas, dramatically improve the management of protected areas, and provide the finances needed to sustain these "environmental efforts". By 2015 the project is hoping to become "one the first developing nations in the world--if not the first--to complete its protected-areas goals". Finances for the projects will come from the Government of the United States and the republic of Costa Rica as well as the Central Bank of Costa Rica and The Nature Conservancy. All together they will provide $27 million over the next 15 years. With the Forever Costa Rica project underway, and finances set in place, Costa Rica is ready to further their ecological conservation. Reflection & Questions on Sticky Note
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