Mary Little LL.M. is an associate professor at the Center for Sustainable Development Studies, School for Field Studies (SFS), in Costa Rica. She also teaches courses on food security and sustainable tourism at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. Before teaching, Mary advocated for the legal rights of refugees and women experiencing domestic violence. These experiences with advocacy have informed her social justice approach to research and teaching. Her research explores community-driven waste solutions, responsible tourism and regenerative food initiatives. Currently, she is focused on agrotourism as a mechanism for climate adaption and is examining food security strategies in tourism areas for her Ph.D. candidacy at the University for Peace.
The research conducted at SFS field stations is designed to answer key questions related to critical and related social and environmental problems and to provide our hosts with detailed and accurate information for decision making and action. Faculty and student research projects are linked to the Center’s Five-Year Research Plan, which defines an overarching research directive.
This investigation was created to expand the understanding of community-based tourism activities near Carara National Park. The objectives include determining what tourism activities already exist, others the community would like to develop, obstacles to development and means by which communities can strengthen local tourism, ideally with the assistance of the Park.
Outputs:
Report on local restaurant and hotel water treatment practices to area stakeholders, including Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper and MaisPais/Santa Teresa Chamber of Tourism.
Report on Sustainable Tourism Opportunities Near Carara National Park
“Reduce and Recycle to Remain Relevant in Global Tourism”, Tico Times, Oct. 10, 2016
“Streamside Plants as a Solution to Pollution” Sophia Ryan and Mary Little, The Dirt Road, January 2017