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Borneo Field School Summer 2012 Tropical Ecology & Sustainable Conservation and Development June 10th - July 14th, 2012 (subject to vary slightly depending on student needs) Wehea, East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo Program Description: http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/page/borneo-2012 The Ethical Expeditions Borneo Field School is designed for undergraduate students to gain practical research experience in Tropical Ecology or Conservation and Development in one of the world's environmental hotspots. Students of the 2012 Borneo Field School have the unique opportunity to live in a Wehea Dayak community and explore the flora and fauna of the remote Wehea Forest. For five weeks, one group of students will explore the pristine Wehea Forest, a biodiversity hotspot, home to orangutan, clouded leopard and sun bear. Another group will live with a Wehea Dayak family to learn about culture and traditions and efforts sustain their rich and vibrant heritage. All students start the field school together in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan and travel overland to Wehea, where they learn about real-world conservation and development issues. While in the field, students will learn directly from scientists, local leaders, rangers, and NGO's who are working to solve the complex challenge of protecting the remaining biological and cultural diversity on our planet. Courses: Field Techniques in Tropical Ecology Research (4 credits) http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/page/tropical-ecology-course This field course provides the unique opportunity for students to collaborate with scientists and contribute to conservation projects that are helping protect one of the most biologically rich ecosystems on our planet. We will discuss experimental designs for current projects and laboratory and statistical analysis necessary to interpret results. Students will learn field skills that may include line transect surveys, collecting orangutan hair samples from nests, using camera traps to estimate population size and density of elusive animals such as sun bears, participating in remote monitoring of clouded leopards, and studying the behavior of rare and endangered monkeys. Throughout this course, students will also be introduced to principles of applied ecology through discussions, guest lectures and readings. Students will talk directly with local Dayak leaders, Wehea rangers, scientists, and NGO workers to gain a deeper appreciation for the complexities of conservation and the cultural, economic and political factors that need to be considered. This course is for students interested in protecting the integrity of our world’s ecosystems and provides an essential foundation for students interested in a number of careers including applied ecology, primatology, zoology, and resource and environmental management. Conservation and Development in Borneo: Strategies Toward Sustainability (4 credits) http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/page/sustainability-course Indonesia is endowed with some of the most extensive and biologically diverse forests on the planet and the third largest extent of tropical forests in the world. Indonesia is also culturally rich, with over 300 ethnic groups, speaking over 500 languages across a network of over 17,000 islands. Economic growth has allowed Indonesia to make progress in reducing poverty, but this progress has come at great ecological cost. The country now finds itself at the center of a global environmental crisis as 28 million hectares of Indonesian forest cover was lost between 1990 and 2005. Borneo alone lost an estimated 60% of its forests and could lose its remaining forests within decades. How does a country like Indonesia develop without sacrificing its unparalleled biological and cultural diversity? This course will seek to answer this question by exploring conservation and development issues in a remote Dayak community. Hands-on experience will be blended with sustainability science and resilience theory, emerging fields dealing with collective action problems and challenges to sustainably using common pool resources. Students will live with the Wehea Dayak in the village of Nehas Liah Bing and become part of the Wehea Dayak family. Additionally, students will visit palm oil plantations, limestone caves, other Dayak villages and the remote Wehea Forest. Classroom sessions will include discussion of key peer-reviewed literature, lectures, guest speakers, and group work. This course provides an essential foundation for students interested in conservation, international development or environmental resource management. University Credit: http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/page/university-credit Both courses are offered through Quest University Canada and a transcript will be issued for credit hours. Students from across the US and Canada have had positive credit transfer experiences. Application/Eligibility: http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/page/applications-1 All courses are at the university undergraduate level, and special arrangements may be made for graduate students to conduct independent research. Students are selected on a rolling basis and applications will be reviewed shortly after being received. Contact Information: Sheryl Gruber: [email protected] http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/ -- Sheryl Gruber Director of Operations Ethical Expeditions http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/
