PUPDATES

PUP-University of Montana Study Abroad Course Comes to Costa Rica

Long in the Making

In December 2019 a Kansas State University professor arrived to carry out a reconnaissance of sites in Costa Rica in anticipation of setting up a study abroad trip for their park planning course that was already using the book, The Future Has Other Plans: Planning Holistically to Conserve Natural and Cultural Heritage published by Jon Kohl and Stephen McCool (Fulcrum 2016), central to PUP’s holistic planning focus.

Yet the following year the pandemic struck and the K-State experiment passed away. But PUP did not let the idea die. Teaching about protected area planning and management from a holistic perspective was completely mission compatible. So, in early 2022, PUP shopped the idea to other universities. But the one that accepted the invitation was probably the best option from the beginning considering that co-author Dr. Stephen McCool, a renowned professor in protected area management and planning, was emeritus at the University of Montana where courses had already integrated much of his work. He is also a PUP advisor emeritus. So soon the proposal landed on the desk of Dr. Jennifer Thomsen, director of the Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management Program. Already an experienced international traveler, Dr. Thomsen had PUP’s course vetted by her university and in short order recruited students. The course filled with 14 Montana undergraduates, one undergrad from Arizona State, one doctoral student from Clemson, and one non-degree graduate student at Montana.

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Two years of strategic thinking have brought us to where we can now publicly share the concept note of the PUP Collaboratory. This draft emerged from a participatory process of nearly 20 PUP members facilitated by the Collaboratory core team (also know as the Integral Toolbox Action Team or ITAT) over the past three months. While this version 6.1 will continue to evolve, we have reached a point of commitment to the concept where we can use this document to recruit new members, redirect PUP´s strategic actions, and build the Collaboratory. ITAT is now working on a Flourishing Business Canvas and pitch deck. We hope to have a business plan by the end of the year.

We need all members´ help to do this whether that be attending our monthly meetings, helping with financial planning, website development, conducting exploratory customer interviews to better reflect demand, database design, whatever skill you would like to offer, or just renew your membership. All hands on deck. The Collaboratory will be our avenue to global impact, based on many years of natural-cultural heritage tool development and deployment under PUP´s banner.

Let us know how you could help our project to change the way the natural-cultural heritage community protects heritage.

Please find here the above PDF in English and in Spanish with all the active links.

Dos años de reflexión estratégica nos han llevado a compartir públicamente la nota conceptual del Colaboratorio PUP. Este borrador surgió de un proceso participativo de casi 20 miembros de PUP facilitado por el equipo núcleo del Colaboratorio durante los últimos tres meses. Aunque esta versión 6.1 seguirá evolucionando, hemos llegado a un punto de compromiso con el concepto en el que podemos utilizar este documento para reclutar nuevos miembros, reorientar las acciones estratégicas de PUP y construir el Colaboratorio. ITAT está trabajando ahora en un "business canvas" y un "pitch deck" o presentación empresarial. Esperamos tener un plan de negocios para finales de año.

Para ello necesitamos la ayuda de todos los miembros, ya sea asistiendo a nuestras reuniones mensuales, ayudando con la planificación financiera, el desarrollo del sitio web, realizando entrevistas exploratorias a clientes para reflejar mejor la demanda, el diseño de bases de datos, cualquier otra habilidad que quiera ofrecer o simplemente renovar su membresía. Todos manos a la obra. El Colaboratorio será nuestra vía hacia un impacto global, basado en muchos años de desarrollo y despliegue de herramientas de patrimonio natural-cultural bajo la bandera de PUP.

Háganos saber cómo puede ayudarnos a cambiar la forma en que la comunidad de patrimonio protege el patrimonio natural-cultural.

Favor de encontrar los PDF en inglés y español con todos los enlaces activos.

Ambas organizaciones sin fines de lucro firmaron un convenio de cooperación para los próximos 5 años.

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SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica (6 de agosto de 2023) — Con el fin de innovar en la gestión de los recursos naturales y culturales presentes en las áreas silvestres protegidas, las organizaciones Centro Científico Tropical (CCT) y el Consorcio PUP para el Patrimonio Global firmaron un acuerdo de cooperación interinstitucional para los próximos cinco años.

Este acuerdo, firmado a inicios de julio, unirá a estas dos organizaciones no gubernamentales y sin fines de lucro en la ejecución de proyectos que contribuyan a la conservación y el uso sostenible de dichos recursos en Costa Rica, la región centroamericana y el mundo.

Según explicó Carlos Hernández, director del sistema de áreas protegidas del CCT que incluye la Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, este convenio se originó en el trabajo conjunto que ambas organizaciones han realizado en años anteriores, principalmente en la aplicación de una nueva metodología para la zonificación basada en las condiciones de la biodiversidad, en la Reserva Monteverde.

“Debido a que el CCT se destaca por la innovación en la gestión de áreas protegidas, nos interesó mucho trabajar en conjunto con el Consorcio PUP para implementar una metodología que pudiera superar los problemas de la zonificación convencional. Esta iniciativa resultó muy acorde con la misión de ambas organizaciones y, a partir de entonces, nos planteamos la posibilidad de establecer un marco de cooperación”, señaló.

PUP y el equipo técnico de Monteverde aplican la metodología piloto de la zonificación basada en condiciones en la reserva biológica en septiembre de 2019, los inicios de la colaboración.

Los principales objetivos de este convenio interinstitucional son:

1. Innovar en metodologías, instrumentos y marcos teórico-técnicos que fortalezcan la gestión de los recursos presentes en las áreas protegidas y las comunidades adyacentes.
2. Generar beneficios académicos y profesionales para funcionarios del sector público, personas empresarias, guías naturalistas, líderes comunitarios, profesionales y estudiantes, entre otros, mediante capacitaciones en la conservación y uso sostenible de los recursos naturales y culturales.
3. Desarrollar proyectos conjuntos en este campo.
4. Realizar actividades de investigación, extensión, producción y transferencia de tecnologías que respondan a los problemas que enfrentan los recursos naturales.
5. Fortalecer el intercambio de información para la toma de decisiones.  

“En el Consorcio PUP para el Patrimonio Global, apoyamos a las comunidades en la protección del patrimonio natural-cultural, mediante nuestra red de aprendizaje y el uso de enfoques y herramientas evolutivas e integrales. Trabajamos colaborativamente para la gestión local en áreas protegidas, y el CCT se convirtió en nuestro aliado natural en Costa Rica al manejar con éxito la reserva biológica Monteverde”, señaló Jon Kohl, director ejecutivo del Consorcio PUP.

Como parte del convenio, el CCT y PUP ofrecerán un curso en línea sobre zonificación basada en la condición de los recursos naturales y culturales para áreas protegidas en América Latina. Su objetivo consiste en aumentar la capacidad colectiva para administrar estas áreas de manera efectiva y adaptativa. Este curso se basa en la guía metodológica que elaboraron ambas organizaciones, cuya teoría y antecedentes académicos están fundamentados en un artículo publicado en PARKS (versión en español), la revista científica de la UICN.

 

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El Centro Científico Tropical es una organización no gubernamental, sin fines de lucro, establecida en el año 1962 y con su sede central en San José, Costa Rica. La organización conservacionista más antigua de Costa Rica, esta organización se dedica a la adquisición y aplicación del conocimiento que concierne a la relación perdurable del ser humano con los recursos biológicos y físicos del trópico.

El Consorcio PUP para el Patrimonio Global es una ONG internacional y sin fines de lucro, que apoya a las comunidades en la protección y gestión del patrimonio natural y cultural, mediante su red de acción y de aprendizaje que aplica enfoques y herramientas evolutivas e integrales. 

• Both non-profit organizations signed a cooperative agreement for the next 5 years.
  

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• PUP and the Monteverde technical team apply the condition-based zoning pilot methodology in the biological reserve in September 2019, the beginnings of the collaboration.

  SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (6 August 2023) — In order to innovate in protected area natural and cultural resources management, the Tropical Science Center (TSC) and the PUP Global Heritage Consortium signed an inter-institutional cooperative agreement for the next five years.

  This agreement, signed in early July, will unite these two non-governmental and non-profit organizations in projects that contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources in Costa Rica, America, and the world.

  According to Carlos Hernandez, director of TSC’s system of protected areas that includes the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, this agreement originated from joint work carried out by both organizations in previous years, mainly in the application of a new me

  “The TSC really emphasizes

  

  
  

• innovation in protected areas management, therefore we were very interested in working with the PUP 

• thodology for zoning based on biodiversity-related conditions, in Monteverde.

• Consortium to implement a methodology that could overcome the problems associated with conventional zoning. This initiative was very consistent with both organizations’ mission and, from then on, we considered the possibility of establishing a cooperative framework,” Hernandez said.

• The agreement’s main objectives are:
  

1. Innovate in methodologies, instruments, and theoretical-technical frameworks that strengthen management of resources present in protected areas and adjacent communities.
2. Generate academic and professional benefits for public sector officials, entrepreneurs, naturalist guides, community leaders, professionals and students, among others, through training in conservation and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources.
3. Develop joint projects in this field.
4. Carry out research, extension, production, and technology transfer activities that respond to natural resource issues.
5. Strengthen information exchange to improve decision-making.

“At the PUP Global Heritage Consortium, we support communities in the protection and management of natural and cultural heritage through our action learning network and evolving integral approaches and tools. We work collaboratively to support local management in protected areas, and the TSC became our natural ally in Costa Rica by successfully managing the Monteverde Biological Reserve,” said Jon Kohl, executive director of the PUP Consortium.

As part of the agreement, the TSC and PUP will offer an online course on condition-based zoning of natural and cultural resources for protected areas in Latin America. Its goal is to increase the collective capacity to manage these areas effectively and adaptively. This course is based on the methodological guide prepared by both organizations (only in Spanish), whose theory and academic background are based on an article published in PARKS, IUCN’s scientific journal.

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The Tropical Science Center is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, established in 1962 with its headquarters in San José, Costa Rica. The oldest conservation organization in Costa Rica, it is dedicated to generating and applying knowledge regarding the enduring relationship between humans and tropical biological and physical resources.

The PUP Global Heritage Consortium is an international non-profit NGO that supports communities in the protection and management of natural and cultural heritage through its action learning network and evolving integral approaches and tools.

PUP and the University of Montana Announce International Course about the Evolution of Protected Areas in the World Seen through Costa Rica

 The PUP Global Heritage Consortium and the University of Montana have just announced the opening of a collaborative international course for university students about the evolution of protected areas throughout the world, as seen through examples in Costa Rica. The course will take place 3-14 January 2024 in Costa Rica during which up to 15 students and three faculty will visit more than five protected areas around Costa Rica, three of which are PUP members. Consistent with PUP’s mission, the course will take a holistic or Integral perspective to explore how human values have evolved over time and how paradigms of protected areas and wildlife management have responded to those values. So the course will look back to the most ancient Feng shui forests of China and sacred groves through royal hunting grounds, modern parks, and cutting-edge concepts of community-based integrated landscapes.

 The course will be co-led by Jon Kohl, executive director of the PUP Consortium and adjunct professor at the University of Costa Rica, and Dr. Jennifer Thomsen, associate professor and Director of the Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management Program at the University of Montana. The course also will have a Costa Rican naturalist, César Sánchez, expert in birding, ecology, and program manager for the Punta Islita Wild Macaw Reserve (run by the Macaw Recovery Network), one of the sites on the course itinerary.

Course Background

The concept for the course was born in 2019 when a professor from Kansas State University visited Costa Rica to reconnaissance possible sites for a trip by its own park planning students. Thereafter the pandemic hit and derailed those plans. In June 2022, PUP put together a tour of 5 days/4 nights visiting some of the same sites and focusing on the same general theme. The tour, led by Jon, occurred successfully with seven PUP members. Having successfully carried out that trip gave confidence and connections to tourism service providers needed to mount this much more ambitious course.

            Thanks to long-time PUP member and professor emeritus Dr. Stephen McCool of the University of Montana, PUP made the connection with that institution. In fact, the principal reading for the course is the book written by Kohl and McCool called, The Future Has Other Plans: Planning Holistically to Conserve Natural and Cultural Heritage.

 

Audience

The course targets graduate and undergraduate university students interesting in protected area and wildlife management. The University of Montana will award 4 credits to any student from any university that accepts the credit transfer. Students must be proficient in English, do some reading prior to the course, participate in dialogues throughout the course, make a presentation at the end about how to apply the concepts to a protected area of their choice, and submit a paper three weeks after they return from Costa Rica.

 

Publicity Begins Today

As of today, PUP begins its publicity for this course and kindly requests of PUP members who have contacts with university students interested in protected areas, park and wildlife management to share the brochure or our webpage about the course. Registration is now open for eligible students.

 

Course brochure

Course webpage

 

For more information, write

 

costaricaFSP@pupconsortium.net or jennifer.thomsen@mso.umt.edu

Los participantes del taller en Pucacaca visitaron el Bosque Ojos de Agua, considerado el último bosque seco amazónico que se conserva en la región de San Martín.

Una caminata para descubrir la importancia del bosque seco amazónico; un tour por emprendimientos comunitarios que aprovechan el cacao y el coco; la visita a una comunidad indígena; el recorrido gastronómico para degustar los platillos más representativos de la zona.

Estos son algunos ejemplos de productos turísticos interpretativos que se plantearon durante talleres participativos realizados, en octubre y noviembre, en dos comunidades amazónicas ubicadas al norte de Perú: Pucacaca (provincia de San Martín) y Pucallpa (provincia de Ucayali).

Estos talleres forman parte del proyecto “Circulando en la Amazonía”, financiado por la Unión Europea, que impulsa un modelo de economía circular y baja en carbono, basado en el uso sostenible de la biodiversidad y orientado a mejorar las condiciones socioeconómicas de la población en dos regiones amazónicas del Perú. Fueron facilitados por Jon Kohl, del Consorcio PUP para el Patrimonio Global (PUP) y Carlos Rosero, de la Organización para la Educación y Protección Ambiental (OpEPA), un miembro organizativo de PUP.

Para los talleres presenciales y virtuales, se convocó a diferentes prestadores de servicios locales asociados al ecoturismo, así como a representantes de etnias indígenas, de entes gubernamentales locales, autoridades ambientales e instituciones educativas que tienen programas turísticos. En total, participaron más de 50 personas de ambas localidades.

“Buscamos trabajar de manera articulada con las comunidades que ven en el ecoturismo una alternativa económica a las actividades que realizan cotidianamente, rescatando así oficios y artes tradicionales como la culinaria, la agrícola y la artesanal, que al ser bien interpretadas pueden convertirse en atractivos de gran interés para visitantes”, señaló Jon Kohl, director ejecutivo de PUP.

El modelo de Canvas utilizado en los talleres fue diseñado específicamente para emprendimientos de turismo comunitario.

En el caso de Pucacaca, los participantes identificaron cinco posibles recorridos ecoturísticos, con enfoque en interpretación del patrimonio, mientras que, para Pucallpa, se perfilaron cuatro productos más enfocados en lo cultural y productivo.

Según explicó Jon Kohl, se utilizó la herramienta Canvas de gestión estratégica para identificar mejor los diferentes componentes de cada producto, por ejemplo, las metas que se quieren alcanzar, los servicios que se brindarían a los visitantes, los socios claves y las tareas inmediatas que se deben acometer.

“También permite hacer un pequeño análisis de costos vs. beneficios, nombrar los elementos patrimoniales que se quieren interpretar y escoger el tema o mensaje que ellos quieren transmitir a los visitantes, sin perder de vista los impactos positivos y negativos que las actividades desarrolladas puedan llegar a tener en la comunidad y el territorio”, agregó.

Como resultado de estos talleres, se perfilarán y escogerán los dos productos por región con los que se continuará trabajando y desarrollando sus guiones respectivos.

 

Propuestas ecoturísticas Pucacaca

1. Recorrido por la Isla de los Cocos

 

2. Caminata en el Bosque Ojos de Agua

 

3. Recorrido histórico por el Valle Seco del Huallaga

 

4. Combinación de tres lugares representativos del valle (Bosque Ojos de Agua, Isla de los Cocos y las Minas de Sal).

 

5. Recorrido por empresas de productos naturales (cacao, coco y carbón ecológico).

 

Propuestas ecoturísticas Pucallpa

1. Visita a la comunidad indígena de Santa Clara

2. Recorrido por diferentes iniciativas productivas.

3. Degustación en los principales establecimientos gastronómicos.

4. Recorrido cultural e histórico de la ciudad de Pucallpa.

 

Los participantes del taller en Pucallpa plantearon cuatro iniciativas de turismo comunitario con potencial para ser desarrolladas a futuro.

La metodología llamada Coequipos para Facilitar Emprendimientos Turísticos Locales, usada por PUP-OpEPA, fue desarrollada en Colombia al principio del año con equipos de emprendimientos locales y operadores nacionales. Consiste en el desarrollo de un marco interpretativo comunitario; el uso del método Ikigai para determinar la razón de existir del emprendimiento; la herramienta Canvas para definir los elementos empresariales, y un guion interpretativo para plasmar la historia que se interpreta durante la realización del producto.

Contacto: info@pupconsortium.net

Workshop participants in Pucacaca visited the Ojos de Agua Forest, considered the last remaining Amazonian dry forest in the San Martín region.

A walk to discover the importance of the Amazonian dry forest; a tour of cocoa and coconut-based community small businesses; a visit to an indigenous community; a gastronomic tour to enjoy the area’s most representative dishes.

These are some examples of interpretive tourism products that were proposed during workshops held in October and November in two Amazonian communities located in northern Peru: Pucacaca (San Martín province) and Pucallpa (Ucayali province).

These workshops are part of the Circulando en la Amazonía (Circulating in the Amazon) European Union project, which promotes a circular and low-carbon economy model, based on sustainable biodiversity use and aimed at improving socioeconomic conditions in two Amazonian regions of Peru. They were facilitated by Jon Kohl of the PUP Consortium for Global Heritage (PUP) and Carlos Rosero of the Organization for Environmental Education and Protection (OpEPA), a PUP organizational member.

The workshops, which took place both in person and virtually, convened local service providers associated with ecotourism, as well as representatives of indigenous ethnic groups, local government entities, environmental authorities, and educational institutions that have tourism programs. In total, more than 50 people from both locations participated.

“We seek to work together with communities that see ecotourism as an economic alternative to the activities they carry out on a daily basis, thus revitalizing traditional trades and arts -- whether culinary, agricultural or artisanal -- which can be of great interest for visitors, when well interpreted,” said Jon Kohl, executive director of PUP.

The Canvas model used in the workshops was specifically designed for community tourism ventures.

In the case of Pucacaca, workshop participants identified five potential ecotourism tours, with a focus on heritage interpretation, In Pucallpa, they outlined four ecotourism products focused on culture and production.

As Kohl explained, the Strategic Management Canvas tool was used to identify each product’s different components -- for example, its goals, services that would be provided to visitors, key partners, a financial analysis and price calculation, and immediate tasks that that must be undertaken.

“It also allows you to do a small cost vs. benefit analysis, name the heritage elements to be interpreted and choose the theme or message that they want to develop with visitors, without losing sight of potential positive and negative impacts on the community and territory,” he added.

As a result of these workshops, two products per region will be selected and designed, in order to develop their respective scripts.

 

Workshop participants in Pucallpa proposed four community tourism initiatives with the potential to be developed in the future.

Pucacaca ecotourism proposals

1. Cocos Island tour

2. Ojos de Agua Forest hike

3. Historical tour of the Huallaga valley

4. Combination of three representative sites (Ojos de Agua Forest, Cocos Island and the Salt Mines).

5. Tour of community businesses (cocoa, coconut and ecological coal).

 

Pucallpa ecotourism proposals

1. Visit to the Santa Clara indigenous community

2. Tour of different community businesses

3. Local food tasting tour

4. Cultural and historical tour of Pucallpa city.

 The methodology called Facilitation of Local Tourism Enterprise Teams, used by PUP-OpEPA, was developed in Colombia at the beginning of this 2022 with local ventures and national operators. It includes a community interpretive framework, using the Ikigai method to determine the venture’s purpose, the Canvas tool, and an interpretive script to capture the story that will be presented to visitors.

Contact: info@pupconsortium.net

The International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) and PUP members learned new ways to understand protected areas on a pre-conference tour through PUP project sites.  

The PUP Global Heritage Consortium (PUP) sponsored and hosted their first-ever four-day educational tour exploring the history of protected areas throughout Costa Rica. Seven people from the PUP global community attended the trip, which took travelers through diverse protected area systems. The tour, June 19-23, was timed to lead into the annual International Association for Society and Natural Resources Conference.

With this trip, PUP created an environment where the group could collaboratively reflect on the trip and envision a new era of human thriving through wider, deeper linkages between people and heritage, both natural and cultural. The tour, led by PUP Executive Director Jon Kohl and other protected area experts, took participants through PUP work sites: Tirimbina Rainforest National Wildlife Refuge, Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, and Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve. 

With this milestone trip, PUP demonstrated its integral approach to protected area management. Attendees got an insider’s view of conservation and management and how it follows other historic forms of management. After the tour (June 12-24). PUP members enjoyed a working retreat near San José. 

Learn more details about the tour in this digital brochure.

About PUP

The PUP Global Heritage Consortium is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible non-profit whose mission is to support communities in the protection and management of natural and cultural heritage through our action learning network and evolving Integral tools and approaches. It has offices in the USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Colombia. Visit www.pupconsortium.net.

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The PUP team warmly welcomes Jean Knaack to the Board of Directors.

Knaack is the Chief Executive Officer of the Road Runners Club of America where she has served in the role since 2005. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay with a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition. And, she earned a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management from George Mason University.

Knaack was working at RARE, one of the leading behavior change organizations in the conservation world, when the original version of PUP was born. At the organization she developed a love for biological heritage that the hopes to bring to PUP as board director.

She has extensive skills in organizational and financial development, board and member relations, and program planning and implementation.

PUP is proud to work with Jean to protect and manage natural and cultural heritage around the world. Welcome, Jean!

 

Press Contact

Olivia Parrott

webmaster@pupconsortium.net