The Three-Wattled Bellbird: Corridor, Conservation, and Costa Rica

Through an exploration of the history, implementation, and current state of the Three-Wattled Bellbird Biological Corridor (BBCP) in Costa Rica, this case engages students in a hands-on exploration of how different stakeholders work together to address conservation problems.

Students will come away from the case study with a deeper understanding of how the social and natural sciences intersect to inform public policy and conservation practices, the value of corridor building as a conservation tool, and the ways in which we value and balance the needs of humans and the rest of the natural world. The case is scalable from a couple of class sessions to the majority of a semester, depending upon instructor choice of modules and assignments. It targets second-year university students in a multidisciplinary course, but may also be used in any course (e.g., political science, biology, environmental studies, ecology) exploring conservation issues.