Las Nubes Project

On June 30, the Educating for a Sustainable Future course, led by Professor Steve Alsop, visited Santa Elena Elementary School to share a day of learning and exchange with the children in the community. These interactions provide a valuable opportunity to learn from different perspectives, exchange knowledge and experiences, and strengthen meaningful connections between the university and the local community. They also give York University students the opportunity to learn firsthand about Costa Rica's educational system, enriching their understanding through direct engagement with the local school community. Within the context of the Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor (CoBAS), these activities foster environmental education from an early age, inspire a commitment to biodiversity conservation, and demonstrate that collaborative learning is a key tool for building a more sustainable future.

Learning continued beyond the cloud forest as students explored the Sierpe mangroves, one of Costa Rica's most ecologically significant wetland ecosystems.

As part of the courses The Politics of Water in Costa Rica and Latin America, led by Professor Carlota McAllister, and Conservation and Development for Social-Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing, led by Professor Felipe Montoya, students visited a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

Mangroves are among the world's most valuable coastal ecosystems. They support exceptional biodiversity, provide nursery habitat for fish and other wildlife, help filter sediments and pollutants from the water, protect shorelines from erosion, and store significant amounts of carbon.

By engaging directly with this ecosystem, students explored the connections between water, biodiversity, conservation, and the communities whose livelihoods are closely linked to these landscapes. Experiences like these demonstrate how place-based learning can deepen our understanding of environmental sustainability beyond what can be learned in the classroom.

As part of the courses The Politics of Water in Costa Rica and Latin America, led by Professor Carlota McAllister, and Conservation and Development for Social-Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing, led by Professor Felipe Montoya, an academic visit took place in the Indigenous territories.
During the visit, community spaces such as Yimba Cacj, Crun Shurín, and the Camino de la Semilla were explored, where local initiatives related to conservation, agriculture, biodiversity, and knowledge transmission were shared.

Topics addressed also included the revitalization of the Brörán (Teribe) language, the defense of territory and water, land recovery processes, and community organization, within the broader context of historical and contemporary challenges faced by Indigenous peoples in the region.

The following people participated as speakers:

Gilbert González Maroto
Cindy Vargas Ortiz
Asdrubal
Virginia Lezcano Ortiz
Galiana Figueroa Lázaro

This exchange provided an opportunity to engage with territories as living spaces of culture, memory, and nature, enriching academic learning through situated, place-based experience.

As part of the courses Nature, Neoliberalism, Political Ecology: The Politics of Water in Costa Rica and Latin America, led by Professor Carlota McAllister, and Conservation and Development for Social-Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing, led by Director and Professor Felipe Montoya, students and members of the community participated in a reforestation activity focused on ecological restoration of the landscape.

During the activity, 106 trees were planted, contributing to a site that currently has approximately 400 trees in total, as part of an ongoing process of ecosystem recovery.

The most meaningful aspect of the day was the intergenerational participation of the community, with children from 1 to 15 years old planting alongside their parents and students from the courses. This experience reinforced shared learning and the importance of building, from an early age, an active and conscious relationship with nature.

Photos: Alixa González