2018 SUMMER FIELD COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT TROPICAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION (TRM B-18) COURSE LOCATION: Bocas del Toro Biological Station, Boca del Drago, Isla Colon, Republic of Panama. The biological station is located on a hill facing Almirante Bay and Volcan Baru on the mainland. Coral reef and lowland tropical rainforest ecosystems are immediately accessible from the field station. This juxtaposition of the two most biologically diverse ecosystems along with Panama's rich cultural diversity provides tremendous opportunities for education and research. See http://www.itec-edu.org for details. INSTRUCTOR: Leonor Ceballos, Ph.D. cand., Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville Victoria 3010, Australia. Phone: 507-6489-5570, Email: [email protected]. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide students with various principles and tools required to understand and manage tropical resources. The field station is located in a tropical system in the Bocas del Toro archipelago where natural resources, including rainforests and coral reefs, have historically been over-utilized and mismanaged. Through lectures, discussions, field exercises and an independent research project, students will gain an in-depth understanding of tropical ecology and conservation. Students will also learn through hands-on field research experience, the importance of balancing biodiversity and natural resource conservation with human development needs. By the end of the course, students will have familiarized themselves with the methods and skills necessary to manage the sustainable utilization of the innumerable and valuable natural resources of Bocas. The course material is equivalent to a university upper-level field course. COURSE SCHEDULE: During the first few days students will receive an orientation lecture and gain an appreciation for the history, ecology, resource management, and socio-economics of the Bocas region. The next phase of the course integrates traditional lectures, readings, discussions and field exercises to provide students with a working knowledge of the principles of biodiversity protection and familiarity with a broad range of approaches to conservation in tropical ecosystems. Students will then draw upon this knowledge as they design independent research projects and write individual research proposals. Halfway through the course, the entire field station will take a three-day trip to the Boquete highlands where students will be able to appreciate and compare different ecosystems, such as cloud forest and seasonal dry forest, along with their human impacts and the types of crop production that these particular ecosystems enable. While traveling through Panama, students will also gain a broader perspective of the complexities of resource management and habitat conservation in the region. Upon returning to the station, students will implement their independent research projects and collect data for approximately one week. During the last few days, students will analyze their data, write a research report, and present their findings during a student research symposium. The course schedule will be determined on site as a function of student needs and preferences, and may be weather-dependent.
GENERAL COURSE TOPICS: · Natural Resource Management · Conservation Biology · Land Management Practices · Habitat Fragmentation and Land Degradation · Protected Areas · Ecotourism · Ecosystem Services · Climate Change and Environment READINGS: Most readings are peer reviewed articles and will be assigned and provided as PDFs. Some examples of readings include: · Costanza, R., de Groot, R., Sutton, P., van der Ploeg, S., Anderson, S. J., Kubiszewski, I., & Turner, R. K. (2014). Changes in the global value of ecosystem services. Global environmental change, 26, 152-158. · Moritz, C., & Agudo, R. (2013). The future of species under climate change: resilience or decline?Science, 341, 504-508. · Porter-Bolland, L., Ellis, E. A., Guariguata, M. R., Ruiz-Mallén, I., Negrete-Yankelevich, S., & Reyes-García, V. (2012). Community managed forests and forest protected areas: An assessment of their conservation effectiveness across the tropics. Forest Ecology and Management, 268, 6-17. · Foley, J. A., Ramankutty, N., Brauman, K. A., Cassidy, E. S., Gerber, J. S., Johnston, M., & Zaks, D. P. (2011). Solutions for a cultivated planet.Nature, 478, 337-342. Etc. SUGGESTED READINGS: Forsyth, A., & Miyata, K. (1984). Tropical nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forest of Central and South America. New York: Charles Scribner¹s Sons. This small book is written in an enjoyable and easy-to-read format and covers a wide array of important tropical ecology topics. FIELD BOOK: A field book will be required in the course. The field book will contain all data related to group projects and the independent research project. The field book should also contain all other incidental observations such as species lists, bird behavioral notes, etc., and contain detailed location information. The field book must be waterproof and either pencil or waterproof ink used to record data. BOQUETE CLOUD FOREST FIELD TRIP: This field trip will allow students the opportunity to visit other areas of Panama, to experience Panamanian culture, and to visit tropical cloud and seasonal forests firsthand. We travel in ITEC boats to the mainland and then by chartered bus to Boquete which lies at the base of 11,000 ft. Volcan Baru. The bus trip will take us up and over the central mountain range and through Palo Seco Protected Area. Several stops will be made in route. COURSE LENGTH: ITEC Summer field courses are about four weeks in length. The TRM C-18 course will run from June 15, through July 10, 2018. TUITION: $2250 USD. Tuition fee includes all lodging, meals and airport transfers in Bocas del Toro. The tuition also covers transportation and lodging during the 3-day cloud forest field trip on the mainland. A $100 lab fee is applicable to this course. REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 15, 2018. The course is limited to 10 students and applications will be evaluated as they arrive. Applications can be found at http://www.itec-edu.org/application.pdf <http://www.itec-edu.org/application.pdf> . If you believe that your application may arrive late, notify ITEC. GRADING & CREDIT: Up to 6 units of credit will be given, 3 for the lecture portion and 3 for the field portion. A letter grade will be assigned based on exams, research reports and presentations, lecture attendance, and participation in discussions and activities. Course credit must be arranged at the student's institution. Contact ITEC for details. CONTACT: Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation, 2911 NW 40th PL, Gainesville, FL 32605, phone: 352-367-9128, email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , web: http://www.itec-edu.org <http://www.itec-edu.org/> . ITEC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1996. Peter N. Lahanas, Ph.D Executive Director Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation 2911 NW 40th Place Gainesville, FL 32605 (352) 367-9128 www.itec-edu.org Phone in Panama: (507)6853-2134
