The Program
Join us in the neotropics for a fascinating journey into Belize’s diverse ecology and cultural mix, as we carry out field investigations in support of real conservation. Due to Belize’s rich biodiversity and its relative isolation, much is still unknown about the nation’s flora and fauna, and that which is known is not always well understood. The opportunity for discovery and deep learning awaits us on many levels.
Our team conducts a wide range of ecological research and monitoring, drawing on scientific and naturalist observations, species identification and behaviors, and various wildlife transects. Traversing the country from ‘ridge to reef’, we will explore the biodiversity across Belize’s key terrestrial and coastal ecosystems: rainforests, savannah, wetlands and riparian zones, and coastal mangroves and reefs. We assess the effectiveness and long-range sustainability of resource management strategies in Belize’s protected natural areas.
Off the Belize coast exists the second largest barrier reef in the world. Studded with mangrove and coconut palmed cayes, and guarded by atolls to the east, the 180 mile long reef is ecologically complex and intimately tied to the rainforests through its many water courses that deliver nutrients to the sea. In this system, dazzling numbers and varieties of plants and animals are supported, including thirty coral species, sea turtles, manatees, and over 250 varieties of fish, living in and along the reef system. Snorkeling through the reef environment we will study the ecology of the system, assess the nature of human interactions, and document the extent of human impact.
Belize is a land inhabited by a fascinating mix of cultures. Our studies invite and encourage meaningful interaction with local people, and at times we may find ourselves as their guests. Our ethnographic conversations (informal interviews) with allow us to gain insight into personal histories and perceptions of the country from the various groups living within its borders. In this manner, we will develop a sense of how the different cultures view themselves in relation to the land, the ‘nation’ and how the concepts of conservation and stewardship vary across cultural lines and through time. We will also consider the effects, both environmental and economic, of Belize’s vast protected area network on local communities, as well as the enhancement or degradation of their cultural senses of history, place and home.
By the end of the program, all of us will have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Belize's extraordinarily rich ecological and cultural diversity, and we will have developed the ability to apply scientific field methods and observation across a variety of conservation contexts and sensitively explored the human dimensions of wildlife stewardship.
Program Details
Location: Belize City, Belize
Dates: Summer 2024: June 21–August 3, 2024
Applications: Accepted on a rolling admission basis
Accommodations: Primarily camping or rural lodge
Credits: 15 quarter credits or 10 semester credits
Language: English instruction
Courses: Environmental Wildlands Studies, Environmental Field Survey, Wildlands Environment and Culture
Prerequisites: One college level course in environmental studies, environmental science, ecology or similar. 18 years of age
Program Costs
Belize Summer 2024
$ 150 Application Fee
$ 7,000 Program Fee
$ 4,650 In-Country Logistics Fee
$ 1,300 Estimated Airfare and Mandatory Travel Insurance
$ 400 Estimated Food and Personal Spending
$13,500 Total Estimated Cost
Summer 2024: Program fees due by May 1, 2024
