Conference Summary
32nd International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment
June 25-29, 2007, San José, Costa Rica

Joanne Gallaher
PhD Candidate
Arid Lands Resource Sciences GIDP

As a recipient of the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award grant, I was able to attend the 32nd International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment in San José, Costa Rica in June 2007. The theme of the conference was “Sustainable Development through Global Earth Observations”, and it was attended by research scientists, resource managers, government officials and private industries involved in remote sensing research and applications related to sustainable development around the globe.

This conference provided the opportunity for me to present the poster, “Ecotourism’s Contribution to the Social-ecological Resilience of Protected Areas and Local Communities: A Case Study Analysis of Rural, Dryland Ecotourism in Guanacaste, Costa Rica”, which summarizes my Ph.D. field research project in Costa Rica. Through the assistance of Elzbieta Czyzowska-Wisniewski, a fellow ALRS student who specializes in remote sensing, the poster included LANDSAT images to depict the successful dry forest restoration project in the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the site of my research. This area is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its importance to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

The conference provided me the opportunity to meet many of the other presenters and discuss their research one on one. Because the conference was in Costa Rica, I met many new contacts from the University of Costa Rica as well as graduate students and research scientists conducting field research in Costa Rica. This greatly expanded my local contacts in the country at a time when I am preparing to return for a three month stay to finalize my field research. A special treat was meeting Armond Joyce, Ph.D. and author of the book Land Use Change in Costa Rica: 1966 – 2006. I believe this book will be a valuable resource for my dissertation. I also enjoyed meeting Mario Hernandez, UNESCO (France), who gave me contact information for the UNESCO representative coordinating ecotourism at World Heritage Sites.

I greatly appreciate the financial assistance provided to me by the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award. Having the opportunity to make a poster presentation at this conference was one of the most rewarding experiences in my graduate program to date. I know that the international exposure that I gained through this experience will contribute to my dissertation field research and my career aspirations to further sustainable development through biodiversity conservation and protected area management.