Browsing by Subject "Costa Rica"
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Item Building Toward a Consistent Program Evaluation: A Qualitative Study of Community Reaction to Development Programs in Lim?n, Costa Rica(2012-10-19) Shane, Caleb JonathanEnvironmental education has been a prominent approach to achieve sustainable development and counteract the megatrend of environmental degradation. In Costa Rica, environmental education has been adopted as an essential tool for protecting and improving the natural environment. The people of Costa Rica have emphasized an awareness of environmental issues and an ability to actively engage in environmental education and sustainable development programs. International development organizations have invested in development programs to establish or improve sustainable development. In order to understand whether international development organizations are achieving their stated mission and goals for implementing development programs, donors and funding agencies usually require that the sponsored programs be evaluated. Unfortunately, there is a growing concern that the current practice of development evaluation limits the reporting of impacts to be fundamentally inconsistent which has created incentives for evaluations to include positive bias instead of serving the purpose to improve organizational decision-making. This research study proposed to evaluate the reaction of a community in Limon, Costa Rica to development programs using an operational framework of evaluation and logic models found in the review of literature. The researcher adopted a naturalistic case study approach intended to retain the natural context of the community setting and provide a holistic understanding of community perceptions. Qualitative methods based in rapid rural appraisal were used to collect data from a purposeful sample and a stratified purposeful sample within the population. Data analysis was conducted at both the research site during data collection and after all data was collected. The researcher incorporated the constant comparative method to determine consistencies, anomalies, patterns, and emerging themes during data analysis. Three overarching themes emerged as a result of the study: (a) community development with subcategories describing community improvement, collaboration with the international development organization, integration of individuals and groups within the community, and the sustainability of projects, (b) education with subcategories expanding on ideas and motivation, learning, and inspiration for the children, and (c) culture with subcategories that discussed community culture, the organizational culture of the international development organization, and relationships.Item A cultural critique of the globalization of restorative justice(2007-08) Kirkwood, Heather Jean; Armour, Marilyn Peterson; Stolp, ChandlerRestorative justice is a major international movement that is currently pursuing a more extensive globalization of its philosophy and practice. This work provides an overview of restorative justice and a number of theoretical and practical considerations surrounding the efforts to globalize the movement. There is a regional focus on Latin America, but examples from other parts of the world are also included. The paper first critiques some of the Eurocentric assumptions within restorative justice philosophy that can affect its international practice and implementation. Secondly, a list of cultural and institutional distinctions are presented and explored as necessary considerations for the exportation of the movement to individual countries. The final body chapter includes an analytical case study of Costa Rica. Each consideration is explored in the context of Costa Rica, and through this, a systematic process is developed that can be applied to any country. The intent of the work is to provide the basis for an improved approach to the globalization of restorative justice.Item Environmental correlates to amphibian and reptile diversity in Costa Rica(2009-05-15) Laurencio, David EdelmanThe study of species diversity patterns and their causes remains a central theme of ecology. Work conducted over the last few decades has shown that both historical and ecological factors are important in determining species diversity patterns. Additionally, different causal mechanisms are important at different spatial and temporal scales. At the regional scale, species diversity patterns can best be studied in terms of three diversity components (alpha, beta and gamma). This study used the amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica to examine these species diversity components at the regional scale. To accomplish this, existing species lists were compiled from the literature. Additionally, three herpetofaunal surveys were conducted at under surveyed sites to fill knowledge gaps. A survey of Parque Nacional Carara, a transitional zone site on Costa Rica?s central Pacific coast, gave evidence of a rich herpetofauna, containing species from both the dry tropical forest to the north and the wet lowland forest to the south. Survey results show that Carara?s herpetofaunal assemblage is more similar to that of the wet forest than the dry forest, and suggest many species from both assemblages reach their range limit at or near the park. Surveys of four sites in the eastern ?rea de Conservaci?n Guanacaste showed rich herpetofaunal diversity and validated the newly purchased Rinc?n Rainforest as an important conservation area. A survey of Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco provided a preliminary list of amphibian and reptile species of the lower Nicoya Peninsula and highlighted the importance of Laguna Balsitas to the local amphibian fauna. A comparison of amphibian and reptile alpha diversity among 17 sites throughout Costa Rica showed highest alpha amphibian diversity in the lowland rainforests of the Pacific versant and highest reptile alpha diversity in lowland rainforests of the Atlantic versant. An analysis of beta diversity produced dendrograms showing sites within lowland ecoregions being most similar. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) of environmental variables showed two climate gradients, an elevation/temperature gradient and a sun/rain gradient, to be important in determining species diversity patterns for both amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica.Item Gender stereotypes in Costa Rica(Texas Tech University, 1999-08) Winkens, Thomas AndrewUsing concepts from cognitive anthropology and from social/cognitive psychology, an analysis will be made of the gender system in Costa Rican society. A qualitative analysis will be made of the traditionally collected ethnographic data. A quantitative analysis of psycholinguistic survey materials will also be made. The combination of these methods and theoretical approaches will add to and expand on the results available from either one done alone. In discussing the gender stereotypes of Costa Rican society in historical and contemporary contexts, challenges to that cultural model resulting from the Costa Rican's women movement will be discussed.Item Heat flow variability at the Costa Rica subduction zone as modeled by bottom-simulating reflector depths imaged in the CRISP 3D seismic survey(2012-08) Cavanaugh, Shannon Lynn; Bangs, Nathan Lawrence Bailey; McIntosh, Kirk D.; Barnes, Jaime; Tatham, Robert3D seismic reflection data were acquired by the R/V Langseth and used to extract heat flow information using bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) depths across the southern Costa Rica convergent margin. These data are part of the CRISP Project, which will seismically image the Middle America subduction zone in 3D. The survey was conducted in an area approximately 55x11 km, northwest of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. For the analysis presented here, seismic data were processed using a post-stack time migration. The BSRāa reverse polarity seismic reflection indicating the base of the gas hydrate phase boundaryāis imaged clearly within the slope-cover sediments of the margin wedge. If pressure is taken into account, in deep water environments the BSR acts as a temperature gauge revealing subsurface temperatures across the margin. Two heat flow models were used in this analysis. In the Hornbach model BSR depth is predicted using a true 3D diffusive heat flow model combined with Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) thermal conductivity data and results are compared with actual BSR depth observations to constrain where heat flow anomalies exist. In the second model heat flow values are estimated using the heat flow equation. Uniform heat flow in the region should result in a deeper BSR downslope toward the trench due to higher pressure; however results indicate the BSR is deepest at over 325 meters below the seafloor (mbsf) further landward and shoals near the trench to less than 100 mbsf, suggesting elevated heat flow towards the toe of the accretionary prism. Heat flow values also reflect this relation. In addition to this survey-wide trend, local heat flow anomalies appear in the form of both circular patterns and linear trends extending across the survey, which can be related to mounds, thrust faults, folds, double BSRs, and seafloor erosion imaged in the seismic data. I suggest that these areas of higher local heat flow represent sites where advection of heat from deep, upward-migrating, thermogenically-sourced fluids and/or gases may be taking place. These heat flow trends have implications for not only earthquake nucleation, but also methane hydrate reserve stability.Item Hillslope Hydrological Processes in a Costa Rican Rainforest: Water Supply Partitioning Using Isotope Tracers(2014-04-24) DuMont, Andrea LynCosta Rican tropical premontane rainforests are among the world's most valuable ecosystems in terms of diversity of animals, plants, and natural resources. These environments are dependent on water resources which fluctuate in quantity during the dry and wet seasons and which are significantly influenced by vegetation feedbacks. Currently, tropical premontane forest watersheds are insufficiently characterized in terms of groundwater and stream water interactions due to their limited accessibility and complex geological conditions. However, water produced from these watersheds is a critical renewable resource in Costa Rica. It plays a significant role in the production of downstream hydropower and acts as a supply for water distribution systems in many rural areas. In this study, stable isotope tracing of ?^(18)O and ?D was used to determine the source of water in a stream, and the relative contributions of water budget components (e.g., groundwater, soil water). Samples were collected beginning in the dry season and continuing through the wet season from 2013-2014 as the soil became progressively wetter. The ?^(18)O and ?D samples represent precipitation in the tropical forest, as well as groundwater, soil water, and stream water at several locations. This data is important to understanding the influence of vegetation and hydrogeological properties on groundwater and stream water in tropical headwater catchments. Streamflow averaged 0.06 m^(3)/min in baseflow and greater than 0.10 m^(3)/min during storms. Groundwater was seen to contribute to 80% of streamflow and was the main stream component even during storm events. A small proportion of the total amount of streamflow came from interflow and soil water (1%). Additional findings indicated that precipitation, about 4200 mm/yr, in the rainforest can be recycled source water. Storm tracks alternate from distribution starting in the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea over the course of the wet season. Overall precipitation was seen to be dominated by deep convection and enhanced during the wet season due to the North American Monsoon and the Intertropical Convergence Zone.Item Notes on 'el lugar indeseado' (the undesired place)(2014-05) Torres, Alvaro, M.F.A.; Schiesari, Nancy; Ramirez-Berg, Charles; Howard, Don'The undesired place' is an effort at creating an audiovisual portrait through the means of alternative poetics. It is indeed a portrait because I am presenting a 26-minute window into the lives of several gold-panners in the Osa Peninsula. The glimpse is a result of witnessing the men's daily activities, routines and rituals, as well as being able to listen to them speak about their understanding of their complex situation. In the film, I use a combination of narrative elements and techniques that help create a sensorial experience: a trance-like soundscape based mostly on the sound of water; the inclusion of old photographs, abrupt cutting between sequences; a certain disconnect between sequences; very limited exposition or additional contextual information; the inclusion of a poetic voice-over read by on the men; and the use of very patient and static camera shots. The film is an exercise/experiment at presenting a portrait through the accumulation of subtle yet strange moments. This report offers notes and insight into the creative, logistical and conceptual components of creating the 'The undesired place.'Item Payment for environmental services in Costa Rica's Osa peninsula : a feminist political ecology perspective(2015-05) Schwartz, Gregory James; Knapp, Gregory W.; Butzer, Karl W.; Torres, Rebecca M; Arima, Eugenio; Hindman, HeatherThis dissertation investigates payment for environmental services (PES) programs on the Osa peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica. Three aspects of life in Osa Costa Rica are found to critically affect PES implementation: the unique geographical and cultural setting of Osa, a history of murky land tenure in the region, and the often underemphasized role of women. Osaās mountainous forested terrain makes enforcement of logging bans very difficult without the help of in-situ āguardaparquesā(forest rangers) in the form of PES-participating landowners themselves. However, the agency in charge of enforcing environmental protection (MINAE) is indispensable, despite its bouts with corruption and abuse of power. Broadly, though specific flaws in the PES program are identified herein, the program is, nonetheless, found to be a beneficial and core part of the ideological and financial evolution of the region. The related issue of nebulous land tenure in the region began in the 1960s and 70s when squatters were encouraged to settle and develop land on the peninsula. A stark shift came with the passage of National Forestry Law 7575 of 1996 which claimed all non-privately-owned forest for the state of Costa Rica, essentially ceasing the process of granting formal land title to squatters. This thrust hundreds of squatters into a state of legal and financial limbo, affecting their ability both to participate in PES and to sell their land. Gender is also central to this investigation as only approximately ten percent of PES-participating properties in the Osa region are owned by women (nearly twenty percent if married couples are included), yet a greater prevalence of pro-environment and pro-conservation attitudes is exhibited by women in interviews than by men. For instance, women more often mention āmore time with familyā and āhelping the environmentā compared to men when asked what are their personal benefits of PES participation. Also, a much larger percentage of women than men see protecting the environment as the responsibility of the landowner. The concluding chapter lauds the philosophical foundation and the overall potential of payment for environmental services and also proffers several recommendations as remedies for specific foibles of the PES system.Item Pore fluid pressure detection within the plate boundary fault interface of the Costa Rica convergent margin using AVO attributes(2012-12) Graf, Stephen Boyer; Bangs, Nathan; McIntosh, Kirk; Tatham, Robert; Cloos, MarkI conducted an amplitude vs. offset (AVO) analysis on newly acquired 3D seismic reflection data to detect elevated pore fluid content and pore fluid pressure along the Costa Rica convergent margin to address dewatering processes of subduction zone sediments. These data provide the highest quality 3D seismic data acquired to date along a convergent margin for detailed analysis of geophysical properties along the plate boundary fault interface. In 2011, a 55 km by 11 km 3D seismic reflection survey was completed using the R/V Marcus G. Langseth offshore western Costa Rica at the convergent margin of the Cocos and Caribbean plates. We applied pre-stack Kirchhoff time migration to a subset of these data across the frontal prism where amplitude versus offset (AVO) attributes were extracted along the decollement. When pore fluid pressure, l , exceeds 0.7, the pressure at which Poissonās ratio begins to approach that of water, the AVO response of a fluid-filled, clay-rich decollement requires a high Poissonās ratio and an excessively low seismic P-wave and S-wave velocity. Acute wedge taper, undercompacted subducted hemipelagic and pelagic sediments, and a smooth decollement in the northwest half of the survey correspond with decollement AVO response of relatively high values of Poissonās ratio. These findings suggest increased pore fluid content and vertical containment of near-lithostatic pore fluid pressures within the decollement. In contrast, increased wedge taper angles, thin hemipelagic and pelagic sediments, and a rugose decollement beneath the southeastern frontal prism produce an AVO response interpreted as due to lower pore fluid contents and pressures. We propose that large-offset subducting basement normal faults in this area, as close as 20 m from the decollement, induce vertical fractures within the decollement that allow for fluid expulsion into the frontal prism and lower fluid pressure. Lateral variability of overpressure within the decollement shear zone of subduction margins is important in understanding the evolution of frontal prism strain accumulation and seismogenic rupture.Item RocĆo Sanz (1934-1993) : a different kind of story : a Costa Rican composer living in Mexico(2015-05) Camacho Azofeifa, Tania Gabriela; Dell'Antonio, Andrew; Tusa, Michael; Moore, Robin; Turci-Escobar, John; Tucker, JoshuaThis dissertation examines the life of Costa Rican composer RocĆo Sanz. She lived in the United States, Mexico, and the USSR, and chose Mexico as her country of residence. Through an exploration of the career of the composer, I identify her artistic path and musical aesthetics, and argue that despite an eclectic career writing avant-garde concert music, collaborating in theater, dance, and film productions, and creating cultural and educational radio programs, very few of her works are known in Costa Rica. Her radio show El rincĆ³n de los niƱos (The Childrenās Corner), and some of her tonal works, such as her songs for children and Christmas carols, are Sanzās best known works in her country. I argue that this is due in part to Costa Rican societyās gender bias, in which Sanzās role as composer of childrenās music was easily accepted because it reinforced traditional ideas of motherhood, and highlights an evident reticence toward women composers. Consequently, to this day her avant-garde music is barely performed, making her story biased and incomplete. The foundation of my research is a set of more than two hundred letters between Sanz and some of her best friends that I recently discovered along with score manuscripts preserved at the Historical Music Archive at the University of Costa Rica. To provide context and supplement the content of the letters, I conducted interviews with Sanzās friends and family in Costa Rica and reviewed government correspondence, newspapers, and magazine articles, and secondary sources that mention the composer. This dissertation is the first extensive work about RocĆo Sanz and is an important contribution in the field of music and women, and Latin American studies through an exploration of how women must negotiate music and everyday life in a world reserved for men.Item Specialty Coffee in Costa Rica: Effect of Environmental Factors and Management Options on Soil Chemistry and Microbial Composition(2012-07-16) Sturm-Flores, LindaIn the Central Valley of Costa Rica in the Department of Heredia, I investigated the soil chemical properties and microbial communities under four native shade tree species in a coffee agroforestry system. In the second year of the study, Effective Microorganisms, a microbial inoculant, was applied to examine its effect on soil chemistry. The shade tree species included in this study were Anonna muricata L., Diphysa americana Mill., Persea americana Mill., and Quercus spp. L. Plots measured 20 by 30 meters and were replicated three times for each shade tree species except for Quercus spp., which only had two replications. Twelve composite soil samples were collected from each plot in 2008 and again in 2009, and twelve composite foliar samples were taken from the coffee plants in each plot in 2008. The results of this study indicated that the species of native shade tree had a significant effect on soil ammonium-N, nitrate-N, total dissolved nitrogen and magnesium. Sun or shade position had a significant effect on dissolved organic nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon. The species of native shade tree also had a significant effect on the composition of soil microbial communities. PLFA analysis revealed a significant difference in soil fungi abundance in soil samples from Annona plots relative to those from Persea plots. Effective microorganisms in combination with the tree species, as well as in combination with species and sun or shade position, had a significant interaction effect on soil ammonium-N, with the EM-treated plots showing higher concentrations of soil ammonium-N. There was a significant positive correlation between soil pH and foliar calcium, as well as soil dissolved organic nitrogen and foliar %N, at p< 0.01. This study suggests that Quercus spp. is a tree species that may help to regulate the cycling of nitrogen in the coffee agroecosystem. Annona muricata appears to inhibit the action of some fungal species and may reduce the occurrence of fungal pathogens in the soil, although the present study did not explore this issue. Although Diphysa americana is a legume, it does not appear to increase the amount of soil nitrogen in the vicinity of the coffee plants themselves. All four tree species in this study improve coffee soils by increasing soil concentrations of dissolved organic nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon. Coffee yield data and long term observations on the health of the coffee plants would clarify whether one of these species is particularly beneficial, from an agronomic perspective, for the productivity of this coffee agroecosystem.Item The distribution of dams in Costa Rica and their hydrologic impacts(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Laurencio, Laura RichardsDam construction has increased exponentially over the past century, primarily in temperate environments. While the impacts of dams in temperate regions have been well-documented, a parallel level of research on dam impacts has not been achieved in tropical environments. The overall objective of this research was to understand the hydrologic impacts of dams in Costa Rica, a representative case study in a tropical environment. To achieve this objective, the following specific objectives were developed: 1) examine the spatial and temporal trend of large dam development within the country; 2) assess large-scale hydrologic impacts (at the national scale); 3) analyze downstream flow of individual dams to determine regional impacts. Analysis of the spatial trend of dam development utilized a geographic information system. The spatial distribution showed no apparent relation to hydroclimate, and additional land-use analysis indicated that basins containing large dams are primarily covered by either forest or crop. Assessment of large-scale impacts used potential reservoir storage to represent the hydrologic impact. Results indicate that large dams in Costa Rica are having a relatively low impact on the surface water component of the hydrologic cycle compared to temperate regions. However, this analysis revealed that two dams, Arenal and Sandillal, are having a disproportionately significant impact on their individual basins. Analysis of flow regime for individual dams followed standard hydrologic analyses of comparing pre- and post-dam discharge data. Variables analyzed included mean, minimum, and peak flows. Results of these analyses revealed that the Arenal- Corobic-Sandillal dam project have resulted in severe disruption to downstream hydrology for all three dams. In contrast, downstream of Ventanas Dam changes in downstream discharge were smaller than those documented for dams in temperate regions. The results of this research indicate that dam impacts in the tropics may be very different from those documented in temperate environments. Consequently, theories developed for temperate areas regarding expected dam impacts may not apply to tropical regions. This has important implications for hydrology, geomorphology and ecology. This study should serve as a step toward development of a more generalized theory of dam impacts in the tropics.Item The perceived impact of study abroad activities for graduate counseling studentsRodriguez, Kate MarieItem U.S.-Costa Rican relations, 1940-1948(Texas Tech University, 1989-08) Longley, Rodney KyleNOT AVAILABLEItem A very modern tradition : Costa Rican swing criollo as urban popular folklore(2014-05) Griffith, James Brian; Moore, Robin D., 1964-Over the past ten years, the Costa Rican dance style known as swing criollo has gone from relative obscurity to acceptance as national heritage. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was considered a dance of the urban working-class chusma, or "riff-raff," because of its associations with the working-class music of cumbia and San JoseĢ's seedy dance salons. Starting in the early 2000s, however, an active campaign of nationalization and folklorization by dance instructors brought the dance to the status of national patrimony. This was achieved through dance classes, festival performances, the creation of a short video documentary, and the work of the dance company La Cuna del Swing to canonize the dancers and stages of swing criollo. The folklorization of swing criollo at first seems to be a top-down phenomenon that suggests little agency among working-class dancers; they have been personified in the national imaginary as exotic Others, an urban folk from an earlier generation that now exists only to perform and embody that tradition. On further examination, the folklorization of swing criollo represents a new sort of folklore, one that is highly contested and engages in a different discourse of authenticity, some influenced by dancers themselves. Swing criollo as a "modern" and "urban" form has allowed for self-mythmaking among the dancers of the self-proclaimed "old guard" that invented the style. It also legitimizes the dance style in its popular form, as opposed to older projections of folklore that that place tradition in opposition to modernity. I examine discourses surrounding the nationalization of swing criollo as well as the negotiations of spaces of culture through which swing's legitimization unfolded. I conclude by suggesting that ethnomusicologists should continue to theorize folklore's changing nature as it is contested and re-defined to include popular, urban, and modern cultural expressions.