Updated: Costa Rican Rangers Complete Course in the US to Further Anti-Poaching Goals at Home
Updated 01/10/26
The rangers from the Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in Costa Rica pose for a picture with the trainers and staff in Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.
This hybrid seminar, offered in SPANISH, is an intensive training program of five online sessions and 25 days in person based in Colorado, USA, which brings together staff from a range of protected and conserved areas of various roles and levels in their careers for a professional exchange opportunity.
The seminar recognizes that, in order to ensure that protected and conserved areas are managed effectively and equitably, area staff need to possess the skills to work effectively at the three different levels of the social ecological system that exist (individual, community, and system levels). The seminar provides participants with a holistic view of how, with their leadership and understanding of systems thinking, they can work together with diverse partners, including local and indigenous communities, to create and maintain protected areas as part of the foundation of long-term biodiversity conservation, climate stabilization, and human health and well-being. The seminar provides opportunities to reconnect with nature and challenge each other to address conservation and protected area challenges holistically, equitably, and effectively, leaving a spark of inspiration ignited for their future leadership.
Seminar Content:
The seminar will focus on knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the role of protected area staff in arriving at effective solutions to complex and evolving challenges. The seminar has a strong emphasis on the cross-cutting theme of effective and equitable management of protected areas, with a focus on engaging diverse actors and types of knowledge. The following core themes will complement the cross-cutting theme: 1) Systems thinking, 2) Building communities and coalitions to support conservation, and 3) Individual leadership.
Seminar Design:
The seminar addresses the main methods and techniques of planning and management of protected and conserved areas through a lens of systems thinking and with a foundation focused on personal leadership. The applied exercises and learning opportunities in the field are based on case studies, both from the USA and from the countries of the participants. Field trips allow participants to learn firsthand about the variety of management options and experiences in the American West, where there is more than a century of experience in protected area management.
Marco Bustos (ACG) with Jim Barborak (CSU) at the certificate ceremony.
Marco Bustos Salazar, a park ranger and conservation leader from the Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in Costa Rica, recently completed a specialized course on protected area management led by Jim Barborak from Colorado State University.
At the end of the training, Marco expressed his gratitude with this message:
“Many thanks to Global Conservation for your support. This experience has further fueled my passion for conservation. I successfully completed the course and returned with renewed energy to continue strengthening our work at Área de Conservación Guanacaste.”
This kind of capacity-building effort strengthens our partnerships and local leadership for effective, territory-based conservation.
Marcos is honored by a Chief Ranger from the U.S. National Park system—a powerful moment of ranger-to-ranger recognition across borders.
Marco and his Latin American ranger colleagues proudly closing the course—ready to bring new ideas and renewed energy back to their home countries.
