The Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica is home to more than 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, but needs assistance to ensure the people and ecosystem remain strong and steadfast. Graduate students from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) had the opportunity to contribute to its preservation by working with the ReGenerOsa Collective, which supports the local community and efforts to protect and restore the local biodiversity. Together, they analyzed the impacts of tourism, conservation and agriculture on the peninsula’s rural communities.

The group of students six students, Amanda Arendt (MS ’26), Fynn Haney (MS ’26), Shreya Mishra (MS ’26), Laurel Petrides (MS ’26), Samantha Wheelis (MS ’26), and Jenny Zhang (MS/MBA ’27), advised by SEAS Assistant Professor Nathaniel Geiger, used surveys, interviews and community interactions to explore the eight capitals framework, which measures wealth and community development in the areas of financial, intellectual, material, social, cultural, spiritual, living and experiential capital. 

“We wanted to see how resources and information are dispersed throughout the region. These are pretty rural communities; they are physically separated, and economically it’s beneficial for these communities to have an exchange of knowledge,” explained Haney. “We’re exploring how those different capitals elevate the community and sustain it.”

The student team spent the first semester of the master’s capstone project planning, doing background research, and preparing their methodology. They went to Costa Rica for about a month in summer 2025 to work directly with ReGenerOsa to host community meetings and workshops, conduct surveys and assessments and volunteer with farming programs in three main locations: Rancho Quemado, Matapalo and Puerto Jiménez. 

“Identifying different assets, different organizations and individual skills in those different communities and bringing them to the conceptual and physical map will hopefully enhance their resilience because they can see where their skills are being duplicated, and exchange information or resources,” says Petrides. “By making the social impact assessment, we’re hoping that we can give that to them and they can draw in more funding and support.”

The fall semester was used to analyze the data the team collected in Costa Rica and identify themes and results of their research. Now, they are knee-deep in the writing process, which will include recommendations aimed at strengthening resilience across the peninsula. These recommendations include investing in infrastructure and accessibility, expanding education and knowledge sharing platforms, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, scaling up the public market and strategies for increasing community engagement and feedback. 

In addition to the writing process, two members of the team shared their expertise through visuals. Arendt is currently working on GIS mapping with StoryMaps, and Wheelis is creating a video documentary. 

“I’m hoping that this serves as a foundational or baseline research project for non-capitalism-focused frameworks for communities like those on the Osa Peninsula,” Mishra shares about her aspirations for the outcomes of this project.

While the master’s project team was supporting and uplifting the communities they were working with, the communities were impacting the team right back, including by learning conversational Spanish.

Zhang says that “the most meaningful part was feeling welcomed into the community and seeing people show up for each other, support and prioritize helping each other.”