A Systems Approach to Ecotourism, Leisure and Education …
259
BFI has been managed as a farm since 1995, specializing in silviculture [production of teak (Teca grandis), on 1000 ha] and beef cattle in a silvopastoral system
on rotation (400 ha). Batipa Field Institute partnered with OTEIMA Technological
University (OTU) in 2013. Since 2014, BFI has been hosting OTU students and
the community with a variety of programs (projects, excursions, outdoors recreation
activities), including cultural/community events. Approximately 600 ha of the hills
surrounding BFI are maintained as natural habitats. These are connected to 2000 ha
of pristine mangroves adjacent to the Pacific coast, through biological corridors that
run through the teak fields, to increase connectivity among its natural habitat patches
(Fig. 1).
The mangrove ecozone offers additional opportunities for research, learning and
leisure. Existing facilities at BFI are suitable for hosting individuals or groups of
visitors (students, researchers, eco-tourists) throughout the year and for a varied
amount of time.
1.2 Oteima Technological University
OTEIMA Technological University (OTU) is an accredited, private institution of
higher education, which officially opened in 2005. Located in David (Chiriquí)
and in Santiago (Veraguas), the university serves a population of 1350 students on
both campuses, offering 18 undergraduate (Technician and Bachelor) and 17 graduate (Specialization and MSc.) programs. Ecological learning and sustainability are
keystone concepts in the education philosophy of OTU, making the partnership with
BFI ideal for fostering learning in sustainability across the curricula. Also, the experience of communal living in a multifunctional agroecosystem like BFI in the luxuriant
tropics of the Chiriquí province is considered transformative for the education of all
students.
2 Sustainability Education Through Ecotourism
and Leisure
In the last couple of decades, a growing number of publications showed how institutions of higher education have achieved various levels of sustainability (van Weenen
2000; Onwueme and Borsari 2008; Leal Filho 2010), despite challenges (Leal Filho
et al. 2017) and a sustainability deficit, impossible to overcome (Onwueme and
Borsari 2007). An emphasis on curricula was advocated as a priority objective to
transform study programs into effective learning tools, to prepare students to lead
the sustainability movement (Borsari 2012, 2016; Sterling 2001). Cortese (1999)
conceded that in order to operate change (individual and societal) in support of
sustainability, a joint effort between universities and their faculty is imperative. This
259
BFI has been managed as a farm since 1995, specializing in silviculture [production of teak (Teca grandis), on 1000 ha] and beef cattle in a silvopastoral system
on rotation (400 ha). Batipa Field Institute partnered with OTEIMA Technological
University (OTU) in 2013. Since 2014, BFI has been hosting OTU students and
the community with a variety of programs (projects, excursions, outdoors recreation
activities), including cultural/community events. Approximately 600 ha of the hills
surrounding BFI are maintained as natural habitats. These are connected to 2000 ha
of pristine mangroves adjacent to the Pacific coast, through biological corridors that
run through the teak fields, to increase connectivity among its natural habitat patches
(Fig. 1).
The mangrove ecozone offers additional opportunities for research, learning and
leisure. Existing facilities at BFI are suitable for hosting individuals or groups of
visitors (students, researchers, eco-tourists) throughout the year and for a varied
amount of time.
1.2 Oteima Technological University
OTEIMA Technological University (OTU) is an accredited, private institution of
higher education, which officially opened in 2005. Located in David (Chiriquí)
and in Santiago (Veraguas), the university serves a population of 1350 students on
both campuses, offering 18 undergraduate (Technician and Bachelor) and 17 graduate (Specialization and MSc.) programs. Ecological learning and sustainability are
keystone concepts in the education philosophy of OTU, making the partnership with
BFI ideal for fostering learning in sustainability across the curricula. Also, the experience of communal living in a multifunctional agroecosystem like BFI in the luxuriant
tropics of the Chiriquí province is considered transformative for the education of all
students.
2 Sustainability Education Through Ecotourism
and Leisure
In the last couple of decades, a growing number of publications showed how institutions of higher education have achieved various levels of sustainability (van Weenen
2000; Onwueme and Borsari 2008; Leal Filho 2010), despite challenges (Leal Filho
et al. 2017) and a sustainability deficit, impossible to overcome (Onwueme and
Borsari 2007). An emphasis on curricula was advocated as a priority objective to
transform study programs into effective learning tools, to prepare students to lead
the sustainability movement (Borsari 2012, 2016; Sterling 2001). Cortese (1999)
conceded that in order to operate change (individual and societal) in support of
sustainability, a joint effort between universities and their faculty is imperative. This