The 2017 Water Institute Graduate Fellows cohort presented the highlights of their interdisciplinary research in the Tempisque basin (Costa Rica) to support the management of the Palo Verde National Park. The workshop was organized in response to a request from the park managers to provide information to support their managements decisions and to discuss ways of maintaining a collaborative relationship between UF ​researchers, the Park administration, and other interested stakeholders.

Located in the Tempisque basin, the Palo Verde National Park is a Ramsar site designated to protect one of the largest and most important wetlands in Central American. The 2017 WIGF Cohort has been studying the socio-ecological dynamics of the basin including its hydro-meteorology and climate, the ecological change, its institutional network and modeling the integration of these social and biophysical dimensions. Key findings and recommendations of this research were discussed with park administrators and decision makers as well as other scientists working in the area. The workshop was opened by Costa Rica’s Vice Minister of Environment, Mr. Franklin Paniagua, and facilitated by Water Institute Research Coordinator Dr. Paloma Carton de Grammont.

I learned so much about the actual state of the water resources in the basin, and am very impressed by the comprehensive approach by the UF research team. (Workshop participant)

May 24, 2021