Tropical Conservation in Ecuador

  Ecuador

• Quito: 
Quito

Term: Spring 
Dates: Early January - Mid-May

Description: This semester program is an intensive, adventure-learning experience providing practical experience in conservation, ecology, natural history and scientific research in the ecologically diverse country of Ecuador with both a university, and fieldwork component.

Students will take classes for part of the semester at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and will also spend over half of the semester at some of the richest ecosystems on earth including the Galapagos, the Andes and the Amazonian rain forest. A month of intensive Spanish language classes prepare students to communicate effectively during fieldwork and an internship for the final month of the program.

Highlights: Quito is modern city of over 2 million people, with narrow hilly streets, tree-shaded plazas, and red-tile-roofed adobe buildings of the colonial district. In addition, students will experience firsthand a variety of field sites including the volcanically-created Galapagos Islands, the El Pahuma Orchid Reserve, one of Ecuador's last mangrove forests at El Congal BioMarine Reserve, and the world-renowned Tiputini Biodiversity Station, which may be the most biologically diverse places on the planet.

Ideal for third and fourth year undergraduates in biological or environmental fields with an interest in international conservation, this program provides students with a Spanish language base, and location-specific, hands-on field research in ecologically diverse locations, culminating in a month-long internship with an Ecuadorian conservation or development organization.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

The UW Program Fee is a fixed cost includes:
* academic expenses
* administrative costs
* mandatory health insurance
* housing
* meals
* travel to field sites
* program excursions.

Experience Required: yes

Previous biology or ecology course is required as well as one semester of university level Spanish

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Ecuador Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Scholarships are Available. Scholarships and loans

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home