|
The locale is home to one of the most delicate ecosystems on earth
and because of its tremendous biodiversity, is a microcosm of
the many forces at play in conservation issues. Conference participants
will learn about biodiversity, population, climate change and
proposed solutions by government and conservation organizations.
They will also gain an inside look at the National Institute of
Biodiversity’s flagship project — a vast digital inventory
of Costa Rica’s plants and animals.
Local and international experts, scientists, economists, conservationists
and authors will engage participants in a comprehensive look at
environmental threats and the policies and sustainable efforts
underway to protect the delicate ecosystems. Lecturers connect
local and global conservation challenges and share solutions for
creating positive environmental changes. Noted speakers include
Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, president of the H. John Heinz III Center
for Science, Economics and the Environment, and author of Climate
Change and Biodiversity; Carlos Manuel Rodríguez,
former Minister of Environment and Energy for Costa Rica, and
originator of a conservation program in Costa Rica that requires
users of a forest’s environmental services to pay the forest’s
owners for these rights; and Dr. Alan Pounds, a scientist with
the Golden Toad Laboratory for Conservation, whose research findings
on amphibians in Monteverde, Costa Rica, have connected the disappearance
of frog species with climate change.
“We are very pleased to offer the conference,” said
Birgitta Zissis, vice president of International Programs. “This
program is an opportunity for discussions to further the understanding
of complex factors involved in global warming and in creating
positive environmental changes.”
Elderhostel, founded in 1975, is the world’s largest not-for-profit
educational travel organization for adults. Approximately 160,000
people enroll in Elderhostel’s nearly 8,000 programs annually.
Elderhostel provides exceptional learning adventures throughout
the United States and Canada and in more than 90 countries around
the world. In 2004, Elderhostel launched Road Scholar to meet
the needs of a new generation of independent educational travelers.
For more information, please visit www.elderhostel.org
or www.roadscholar.org.
|