Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
If the connections between city and forest become recognized
and nurtured, if we see cities and woods as the interdependent,
uninterrupted landscape that the bears and coyotes know them
to be, then we can i nd ways to protect both.
—Ellen Stroud,
Nature Next Door
(2012)
Slogging through the sand and mud on a day-long trek into the heart of
Costa Rica's wilderness allows me time to appreciate the importance of large
conservation reserves. As my students and I walked the long but unspoiled
footpath into Corcovado National Park, we were i lled with awe and anticipa-
tion. The weight of our packs seemed to lessen as every bend of the trail held
the promise of a i erce predator, lumbering prey, or beautifully plumed bird.
Without reserves isolated from human enterprise, these sorts of dangerous,
tasty, and valuable animals are quickly extinguished. Indeed, barely two
hours from road's end, we encountered a Baird's tapir. The three-toed horse
relative used its pint-sized, l exible trunk to snif out a tender
Psychotria
leaf
(a relative of the cof ee plant) from the bountiful salad growing in the tropical
rainforest's understory. As we marveled at the tapir's odd form, it was wholly
