Tropical Storm Nate formed offshore of Costa Rica in October, 2017 and pounded the country with torrential rain and high winds for 23 hours, leaving the landscape and communities scarred. Monteverde, an eco-centered community in the mid-elevation cloud forest, suffered serious environmental and socio-economic damages as a result of the 600 mm of rain that fell in 23 hours. We present information regarding the impact of Tropical Storm Nate and its effect on landscape vulnerability, conservation initiatives, and social well-being. Due to the region’s economic dependence on ecotourism, a result of the extensive conservation success in this zone, environmental and economic losses are tightly linked. We analyzed the scale and volume of landslide damage and soil displacement and identified vulnerabilities. We investigated the effect of the significant precipitation event on regional reforestation efforts looking at planted seedling survival and growth. The estimation of the impact of land instability and disrupted access to local conservation areas and water resources is in process. Additionally, we assessed the community well-being through a Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) survey, an important basic tool for communities to identify their strengths as well as their challenges for facing climate change effects and fostering resilience.
Results/Conclusions
Landslide sizes ranged from minimal to greater than 15,000 m² with displacements over 300,000 m³ of material. Land slipped in mid-high and high landslide susceptibility zones (based on soil moisture, slope, geomorphological and geological factors) but flowed into lower susceptibility areas. Landslide areas were previously covered in mature forest where the uprooted trees increased the landslide force and damage in some cases and lessened the impact in other areas by damming the soil/rock flows. Regarding habitat restoration, comparison of the survival and growth of seedlings planted in 2017 with previous years, there was no significant negative impact for three of the four studied species, indicating a level of resilience for restoration processes. Reconstruction of access and water resources was extensive and costly but swift, alleviating the potential for devastating economic loss. Community members experienced feelings from fear to strength and identified the challenges of communication, lack of a community protocol for natural disasters, and susceptibility to landslides as top concerns. Overall, Monteverde now has a greater awareness of its vulnerability but has proven to be very resilient. This resilience may be attributed to its strong community, conservation ethic, and stable environment with >25% of its land protected or restored.