• Obtain hands-on experience in principles and practice of conservation biology

• Learn about Brazil's other tropical forest — the Atlantic Forest, a threatened center of faunal and floral biodiversity

• Participate in individual and group projects related to on-going, fully-operational conservation programs that couple biological understanding with practice

• Participate in cultural activities like Capoeira & learn from the Cambury Quilombo people

• Travel to and spend 4 days in the Serra do Mar Biodiversity Corridor, a conservation corridor extending 1000 km along the South Atlantic coast

• Earn 3 credits in two and a half weeks

• Missed the Interest Meeting? Check out the info here!

Our host institution is the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (IPÊ; Institute of Ecological Research), one of Brazil's largest environmental non-governmental organizations. IPÊ operates integrated local community conservation programs throughout Brazil. The course is located at one of their sites in Nazaré Paulista, a rural municipality in São Paulo state. This location provides both the socio-ecological context and institutional infrastructure to successfully learn about on-the-ground conservation solutions. This course takes place at the beginning of southeastern Brazil's 'dry season'–a time when summer rains have largely abated.

This field course will be held in a 'conservation crisis' setting, Brazil's Atlantic Forest. This biome is one of Conservation International's Biodiversity Hotspots, with only 5-7% of its original extent remaining. Because the remaining forest is largely in human-dominated landscapes, successful conservation practice can only occur jointly with efforts to alleviate socioeconomic issues. This course will utilize on-going, fully-operational conservation programs that couple biological understanding with practice. These provide an opportunity for you to learn by participating in these activities through individual and group projects.

Classes will be held at IPÊ's professional training center in Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo state, Brazil. Guest lecturers will be IPÊ research scientists and government environmental agency personnel. This is a three-credit course. All lectures, report presentations, and exams are in English.

Students often have the chance to visit the Cambury Quilombo, a traditional community embedded in the Serra do Mar State Park, which was established over 100 years ago by escaped black slaves. Spend nearly a full day in the community, with informal discussions with a fisherman/boat carpenter, an agroforester, and other community members.

• The program begins on Monday May 13 when students arrive in Brazil. The program runs for 2.5 weeks and ends Thursday, May 30. For information about arrival and departure, see the Program Specific Handbook at the bottom of this page.

Dr. Tim Kittel has over thirty years of professional experience in global comparative ecosystem and climate geography. The Global Seminar's focus on conservation in practice derives from his academic expertise in teaching overseas field courses and from collaborations with scientists and managers of natural areas in Latin America. Since 2000, he has been teaching a 5-week summer field course on "Conservation Biology and Field Methods in Ecology" for Columbia University. He has directed this course abroad in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Dr. Kittel also teaches a Winter Ecology field course at CU's Mountain Research Station. Click here to view his web page.

The program includes a community lunch in IPÊ's rural neighborhood. This is a chance for the community to welcome students and for you to learn directly about rural life in this part of Brazil. Course staff will serve as translators. The course schedule is intense, but includes some opportunities to visit cultural sites. You are encouraged to plan to spend time on your own before or after the class to get to know more of Brazil.

You will be housed in a residence hall/research station. Meals (included in the program fee) are provided in a nearby dining hall on IPÊ's campus. The program includes a Welcome & Farewell Dinner.

You are responsible for making your own transportation arrangements to Brazil and back. Note that most flights from/to the US are overnight flights, so you will likely leave the US May 12 to arrive on the 13th and departures on May 30 will likely mean a US return on May 31.

Transportation to and from the airport and for all site visits is included in the program fee.

• Global Grant for IAFS and G-RAP Students: The International Affairs Program (IAFS) and Global Studies RAP (G-RAP) offer Global Grants for CU-Boulder Study Abroad Programs. The grants are $1,000 each and open to IAFS and G-RAP students only. To be considered you must apply for the CU-Boulder Study Abroad Scholarship (see the link above). Click here for more information on this scholarship.

• Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Grants: (up to $2,400/project) for undergraduate research or creative work projects including projects while studying abroad. Application, detailed descriptions, project archive (to get project ideas) are available on the UROP website. Application deadline is EARLY - usually in late February/early March. Click here to apply.

• Brazil Information