Rica and other tropical countries. The MVI is prob-
ably the most difficult organization to use as a model
because it requires a pool of highly trained people to
give courses and a recognized way to grant U.S. aca-
demic credit for courses. However, accredited pro-
grams for U.S. college students are spreading rapidly
in the neotropics. For example, the Organization for
Tropical Studies (OTS) has started a program in Costa
Rica that resembles MVI's long courses. Local people
can be trained as natural history guides. The reserve's
guard programs using local unarmed people and edu-
cating them about conservation can be adapted to
areas that do not have high levels of violence (Lober
1990, 1991). The potential for using the zone's con-
servation organizations as models is being amplified
as they establish electronic communication links; this
trend was led by MVI and CEC in 1996. The Monte-
verde Zone can also serve as a model through its ex-
ample of how much can be accomplished by coopera-
tive private efforts of dedicated people and grassroots
organizations.Acknowledgments I am grateful to individuals who
generously supplied oral and written information. I
thank those who reviewed drafts: Edgardo Arevalo,
Bruce Aylward, Rafael Bolaiios, Jan Drake-Lowther,
Lucky and Wolf Guindon, Bill Haber, Frank Joyce,
Sharon Kinsman, Richard LaVal, Bob Law, Marcy
Lawton, Martha Moss, Nalini Nadkarni, Quint New-
comer, Alan Pounds, Ree Sheck, Susan Sprague, Joe
Stuckey, Joseph Tosi, John and Sue Trostle, Eugenio
Vargas, Guillermo Vargas, Luis Vivanco, Meg Wallace,
Nat Wheelwright, Lisa Wirtanen, and Willow Zuchow-
ski. The people mentioned in this chapter provided
valuable feedback. I am also grateful to Franklin and
Marshall College for grants that supported my research.Editors note: Two of Monteverde's original North American settlers, John Campbell (Fig. 10.5) and Eston Rockwell, died shortly before
publication of this book.KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS CHAPTERACA: Arenal Conservation Area (Area de Conserva-
cion Arenal)
BEN: Bosque Eterno de los Ninos (Children's Eternal
Forest)
CABEI: Central American Bank for Economic Integra-
tion
CASEM: Comite de Artesanias Santa Elena-Monte-
verde (crafts cooperative)
CATIE: Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion
y Ensenanza (Tropical Agronomy Center for Re-
search and Teaching)
CEC: Centro de Educacion Creativa (CLC: Creative
Learning Center)
CEDARENA: Centro de Derecho Ambiental y de los
Recursos Naturales (environmental and natural
resources law center)
CI: Conservation International
CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency
Coope: CoopeSanta Elena (Santa Elena Cooperative)
DGF: Direccion General Forestal (Costa Rican Forestry
Service)
EEP: environmental education program
IUCN: International Union for the Conservation of
Nature
LDCs: less developed countries
MAG: Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia (Minis-
try of Agriculture and Livestock)MBG: Monteverde Butterfly Garden
MCFP: Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve
MCL: Monteverde Conservation League
MDCs: more developed countries
MEP: Ministerio de Educacion Publica (Ministry of
Public Education)
MFS: Monteverde Friends School
MINAE: Ministerio del Ambiente y Energia (Ministry
of the Environment and Energy)
MIRENEM: Ministerio de Recursos Naturales, Energia
y Minas (Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy,
and Mines)
MVI: Monteverde Institute
OTS: Organization for Tropical Studies
SER: Santa Elena High School Cloud Forest Reserve
SIDA: Swedish International Development Agency
SINAC: Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion
(National System of Conservation Areas)
TNG: The Nature Conservancy
TSC: Tropical Science Center (CCT: Centro Cientifico
Tropical)
UCEAP: University of California Education Abroad
Program
US AID: U.S. Agency for International Development
WWF: World Wildlife Fund375 Conservation in the Monteverde Zone