Monteverde : Ecology and Conservation of a Tropical Cloud Forest

ticed some conservation measures, such as reforest-
ing, farming without agrochemicals, and leaving trees
to protect water sources and act as windbreaks.
When Quakers from the United States settled in
Mont ever de in 1951, the land above Cerro Piano and
the plateau of Monteverde still had considerable forest
cover. Most of the Quakers bought out the "improve-
ments" made by the Costa Rican settlers; land that was
cleared of forest and planted with crops was considered
more valuable (F. Joyce, pers. comm.). Other Quakers
partially cleared forested land, leaving some trees for
windbreaks. Some settlers were familiar with U.S. gov-
ernment-sponsored soil and water conservation prac-
tices for agriculture (W. Guindon, pers. comm.). Quaker
values also encouraged conservation of natural resources
(see Guindon, "Monteverde Beginnings," pp. 10-11).
Agriculture, particularly dairy farming, initially
built economic prosperity in the area without ex-
tremes of wealth or poverty (Fig. 10.1). Organizations
such as Productores de Monteverde (dairy plant) and
the CoopeSanta Elena (Coope) helped farmers in-

crease production on land that had already been

cleared and "helped stabilize the economic situation

of many households. This benefited the 'conservation

organizations' by leaving them free to preserve, pro-

tect, educate and restore, rather than side-tracking

them in confrontational clashes over economic is-

sues" (J. Stuckey, pers. comm.; see Chap. 11, Agri-

culture). The remoteness of the Monteverde Zone

from markets and provincial and national govern-

ments created a tradition of forming local organiza-

tions and committees to deal with issues that would

ordinarily be handled by government. By 1995, there

were more than 40 local organizations working in

conservation, education, production, commercial ser-

vices, and community infrastructure. These organi-

zations try to resolve problems through consensus

and are connected through interlocking member-

ships (Stuckey 1992, Stuckey et al. 1995; see Burlin-

game, "Monteverde 2020," pp. 378-379).

The Coope is an example of an organization that

although not primarily focused on conservation, has

Figure 10.1. Holstein and Guernsey cows
grazing in a Monteverde pasture overlooking
the Pacific lowlands. Photograph by
Dan Perlman.

354 Conservation in the Monteverde Zone