SIT Study Abroad Panama: Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems, and Biodiversity Conservation
Explore rain forests, coral reefs, highland canopies, and coastal mangroves as you study tropical conservation and ecology.
WHY STUDY TROPICAL ECOLOGY IN PANAMA?
Panama has some of the world’s most biodiverse and complex ecosystems, from highland cloud forests to Caribbean coral reefs. You will conduct seven weeks of field studies in five unique settings in Panama and Costa Rica. Learn how to estimate forest biodiversity, evaluate coral reef health, calculate mangrove carbon, identify tropical fish species, and quantify Neotropical mammal abundance among other skills.
In Panama City, one of the leading bases for international NGOs and the United Nations, you’ll explore conservation topics such as sustainable agriculture, indigenous resource use, and ecotourism. You will also conduct four weeks of independent, original field research project on a topic of your choice.
Your program also includes five homestays during which you will learn about urban and rural life, experience local culture, and examine the environmental challenges these communities face.
In addition, you will develop the Spanish language skills needed to discuss ecological issues and conduct field research through classroom learning, cultural immersion, homestays, fieldwork, and excursions.
Please visit the SIT Study Abroad website for details on the program highlights and details of coursework, educational excursions, and housing.
MONEY MATTERS
SIT is an all-inclusively priced study abroad program – including academics costs, excursions, accommodations and meals, airport transfers, and health insurance. Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor and read the website for more specific information.
SCHOLARSHIPS
SIT has awarded an average of over $1.3 million in scholarships and grants to SIT Study Abroad students in the past three years. All scholarships and grants are need-based. Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000.
CONTACT SIT STUDY ABROAD
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 Development and Conservation
Current Program Information With more bird species than all of North America, the premier tropical biology research institute in the world, eight unique indigenous groups, strong African colonial roots, a Caribbean archipelago noted as the Galápagos of the twenty-first century, and a storehouse of endangered cloud forests, Panama is an outstanding site for students to explore tropical conservation and sustainable development. Within this extraordinary cultural and ecological diversity, Panamanian governments, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations struggle to balance development and conservation in the age of globalization.
Local specialists, campesino, and indigenous groups, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation, the University of Panama, and the Earth University of Costa Rica, introduce students to the complexities of environmental conservation through instruction and field excursions to sites of important research on such subjects as biodiversity and global change. |
