Students from Peru Strengthen Their Knowledge in Sustainability at CATIE

• The CATIE Graduate School’s course on “Environmental Management and Sustainability” brings students and professors from the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (UPC) to Costa Rica.

A group of 17 students and professors from the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (UPC) participated in the course “Environmental Management and Sustainability,” offered by the Graduate School of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) in Turrialba, Costa Rica.

This course aims to develop key competencies related to natural resource management, watershed management, renewable energy, and territorial sustainability. It featured a well-rounded agenda combining theory, practice, and field visits.

For Danna Bautista, a fifth-semester Environmental Engineering student at UPC, the experience was inspiring. “This course has given me a different perspective from what we receive in the classroom. We've seen how knowledge is applied in watershed management, hydroelectric plants, and natural resource management. It’s a very enriching and thought-provoking experience,” she said.

The exchange is part of a growing academic partnership between UPC and CATIE, which enabled this academic mission to take place at CATIE’s campus in Turrialba for the second consecutive year.

Jorge Achata, academic coordinator at UPC, highlighted: “We’ve had access to unique facilities and experiences, such as visiting the machine room of a hydroelectric plant, which is difficult to achieve in Peru. Costa Rica is a leader in sustainability, and experiences like these allow us to better understand the integration between energy, territory, and community.”

Johnny Gabulle, a professor at UPC, added: “We’re developing this course alongside CATIE experts, which enhances environmental education at our universities. We’re taking home concrete experiences that can be adapted to different geographic regions of Peru, especially in areas like the jungle, which share characteristics with Costa Rica. This synergy sets a path to follow at the global level.”

For CATIE, this type of experience is highly valuable as it encourages critical and applied reflection on knowledge in real-world contexts from different parts of the world.

“The participation of UPC in CATIE’s course strengthens the academic and professional training of its students and faculty by offering real, practical experiences in sustainability. This international partnership promotes knowledge exchange and demonstrates how academic collaboration drives sustainable development in the region,” concluded Gabriel Robles, Training Unit Coordinator of CATIE’s Education Division.