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Latin
American Studies Workshop on Sustainable Development
Caitlin Collins ’05
On March 25 and 26, the Latin American Studies program
offered a workshop on sustainable development. This workshop was part
of the U.S. Department of Education Title VI Grant Activities. The purpose
of this grant is to develop a cross-disciplinary and regional focus in
Latin American Studies and expand the Spanish Language Curriculum. The
LASP was awarded two years of funding from the U.S. Department of Education
to develop a strong curriculum in Central and South American studies.
Under the auspices of the grant, LASP held its workshop on sustainable
development. The topics of the two day workshop included “Ecotourism
in Costa Rica,” “Sustainable Agriculture and Conserving Songbirds
in Latin America,” and “A Program for Sustainable Development
in Central America.” Visitors from Costa Rica were on hand as lecturers
and participants in a round table discussion on “Sustainable Development.”
Ms. Yanina Rowinski made the presentation on “Ecotourism in Costa
Rica.” Rowinski works for the International Center for Sustainable
Human Development based in San Jose. She introduced the concept of ecotourism,
travel to natural undisturbed areas in order to study, admire, and enjoy
the landscape, while showing a slide presentation of sights in Costa Rica.
Rowinski went on to inform her audience about the growing industry of
ecotourism. She discussed the differences between tradition tourism and
ecotourism. Highlighting many positive aspects of ecotourism, for example
that more than 50 percent of the money spent by ecotourists remains in
the area, Rowinski discussed why Costa Rica was a prime location for ecotourism.
In addition, she tied Costa Rica, a country with a deep commitment to
sustainable development, to ecotourism, an industry that aids in the same
cause. Costa Rica, according to Rowinski, is a prime location for ecotourism,
and ecotourism is good for the country. Rowinski described the typical
ecotourist as wealthy, well educated, and well versed in traveling abroad.
She concluded her lecture with the motto of ecotourism, “take nothing
but photographs, leave nothing but footprints.”
Dr. James Chace of Villanova’s Biology Department delivered a presentation
on “Sustainable Agriculture and Conserving Songbirds in Latin America.”
Chace’s research focuses on birds. In his lecture he discussed eco-agriculture,
biodiversity, several related success stories, and Villanova’s emerging
program in environmental studies. Sighting that much of the earth’s
population is still not getting enough food, Chace discussed the impact
of the food shortage on biodiversity. Many of those who are lacking in
adequate food supplies are the rural poor who are then forced to exploit
their local lands which especially in Latin America contain much of the
earth’s biodiversity. The result of the people trying to use the
biological diverse lands is a loss of natural capital and degradation
of the ecosystem services, according to Chace. Calling the current over-exploitation
the Sixth Mass Extinction, he stressed the need to preserve biodiversity
in Latin America.
At the conclusion of the two-day workshop, the Latin American
Studies program held a reception in Barley Hall. The program supported
by the Title VI Grant surely forwarded the goals of Title VI at Villanova
University.
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