Water
This resource is necessary for ecosystems, sanitation, farming, and daily life
Water
Costa Rica is often associated with this kind of biodiversity-rich tropical system
Rainforest
This happens when public services, like water systems, are transferred to private companies
Privatization
These large structures can control river flow but can also disrupt ecosystems and communities
Dams DRAW A CARD
This Indigenous community in Costa Rica is known for masks and art
Boruca
Why is water not just an environmental issue?
Because it is also connected to other things such as health, power, inequality, and politics. DRAW A CARD
Name two reasons why Mangroves are important?
They protect coastlines, support biodiversity, store carbon, and provide habitat.
How does treating water as a “resource” change how people value it?
It can make water seem like something to manage, sell, or control instead of something viewed for its importance to life and culture. DRAW A CARD
Why should boats avoid going too fast on the Sierpe River?
Because fast boats can stir up sediment, disturb the riverbed, and increase erosion along the riverbank
What is the role of shade trees in coffee farms?
These trees can protect coffee plants from too much sun
This happens when rainwater flows over land instead of soaking into the ground
Runoff
What happens when coral loses its colour because of stress, often from warmer ocean temperatures
Coral bleaching DRAW A CARD
Under neoliberalism, nature is often treated less like. shared relationship and more like...
a commodity/resource
This word means protecting nature for the future
Conservation
What is the largest water shed in Costa Rica?
Térraba Watershed
This is the natural boundary that separates one watershed from another
Drainage divide
What is often grown in these cooler, higher areas of Costa Rica (Mountains/Highlands)
Coffee
Differentiate the two terms: Water Rights and the Right to Water
Water rights are about who controls or is allowed to use water. The right to water means people have a basic human right to clean, safe water for survival.
How did banana corporations alter the Sierpe River landscape?
They dug canals and changed the land to support banana production, which altered the natural wetland and river system. DRAW A CARD
Name 3 bird species we encountered on the Sierpe River tour
Scarlet Macaw
Yellow-billed Cotinga
Mangrove Hummingbird
Mangrove Swallow
Gray-headed Chachalaca
Blue-gray Tanager
Tropical Kingbird
Great Kiskadee
Green Heron
Little Blue Heron
Great-tailed Grackle
White-tipped Dove
Smooth-billed Ani
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
Yellow-throated Toucan
Pale-vented Pigeon
Great Blue Heron
Smaller streams or rivers flow into a larger rive
Tributaries DRAW A CARD
What disrupts coral reproduction?
Warmer ocean temperatures interfere with the timing of coral spawning and reduce reproductive success.
Why does infrastructure matter in water access?
Pipes, treatment systems, dams, and sewer systems decide who receives clean water and who does not.
An area of land where all rain, rivers, and streams drain into the same body of water
Watershed
What is the name of the previously thought to be extinct frog specie which was found near the Las Nubes Campus leading to the river being protected from the construction of a dam?
The Harley Quinn Frog