Caroline Anscombe
The Sendero Pacífico is a network of trails, but the main line connects the Monteverde Cloud forest to the Gulf of Nicoya. This also happens to lie in the Bellbird Biological corridor, which means the trail system provides a key connection between different life zones. As those who did the trail will remember, there were farms along it, providing different habitats than the forest. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the plants at the top of the mountain and those at the bottom of the mountain. The connection and protection of this variety of habitats is important for conservation efforts, because it promotes mobility of species in a changing climate. Apart from ecological benefits, this trail network serves as a community resource. One key member of the Sendero Pacífico team is Noé, whom we actually saw running the trail that day. Noé is a local farmer who became passionate about conservation efforts when he saw the biodiversity and health of his community decreasing. He believes that the Sendero Pacífico trail system is a great tool to educate children on the importance of conservation. These lessons can be taught outside, on the trails which offers a greater chance of retention.
In order to hike these trails, you must have a guide. At first, this may seem a bit tedious, but remember that there are hundreds of things in the rainforest that can kill you and it’s better to have a local for your own safety. Furthermore, by employing a guide, you are funding the conservation efforts of the system and also a local naturalist. Guides can also tell you tidbits of information about the environment along the trail that is hard to glean from a book. The way you go about getting a guide is you message the group on Facebook or WhatsApp, and they set you up with a local person. They do not directly pay the person, you do.
This trail system is a part of a larger trail system called World Trails Network. This organization promotes the improvement and protection of trails worldwide, but perhaps most importantly- it fosters cross-continental friendship. It does this by creating a network of ‘Friendship Trails’ which work together to improve upon themselves. I believe that one of the Sendero Pacífico’s friendship trails is the Bruce Trail from Canada (which is why it was on the sign at the trailhead).
These relationships have offered community members great opportunities in the past. For example, in 2017, The Bruce Trail and the Appalachian Mountain club worked together to fund community members from San Luis to intern in New Hampshire. The Sendero Pacífico organization is now partnered with the Lebanon Mountain Trail. Lebanese community members actually travelled to Costa Rica in 2020 and helped with projects along the trail. This was likely an educational experience for both parties involved, as different practices may be used around the world. Furthermore, it is important to note that friendship for the sake of friendship is a key aspect of this program. Promoting cross-cultural ties increases understanding and gratefulness of other cultures as well. The World Trails Network also helps to give publicity to the Sendero Pacífico trail, which is hugely important to its success.
