Amazonian ABCs
Fundamentals of rainforest ecology in the Peruvian Amazon
July 30 - August 12, 2020
Course Overview
The Amazon is both the world’s largest rainforest and its most biodiverse, home to countless species of plants and animals ranging from jaguars and anacondas to towering emergent trees and perhaps millions of species of insects and other invertebrates. The overall goal of this course is to explore Amazonian biodiversity, as well as how so many different interacting organisms form a functioning ecosystem. Students will learn to identify key groups of plants and animals, study some of the fundamental ecological processes that underlie the functioning of tropical ecosystems, and examine the anthropogenic threats facing the Amazon. The course is held at two biological research stations located in the remote southeastern Peruvian Amazon, including the world-famous Tambopata National Reserve and a site bordering extensive concessions for the extraction of Brazil nuts, the Amazon’s leading non-timber forest product. The course instructors have >30 years combined experience teaching and conducting research in the Neotropics, and will lead students through lectures, guided reading discussions and, of course, plenty of field-based activities designed to develop skills in field ecology and natural history. The Amazonian ABCs course offers an excellent opportunity for those interested tropical ecology to explore hyper-diverse Amazonian ecosystems, study the dynamics of tropical plant and animal communities, and to immerse themselves in one of the most remote, beautiful, and biodiverse places remaining on Earth.
Course Details
Course credit equivalent
3 semester credit hours/5 quarter hours
Location
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Malinowski Biological Station (Tambopata National Reserve)
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Finca Las Piedras
Dates
July 30 – August 12, 2020
Registration & payment deadline
July 3, 2020
Instructors
Varun Swamy, Ph.D.
Geoff Gallice, Ph.D.
Course fee
$1,800
Immerse yourself and study abroad in the Amazon – the largest and most biodiverse rainforest on Earth
Course Highlights
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Explore a variety of Amazonian habitats including terra firme & floodplain rainforest, rivers, oxbow lakes, and palm swamps
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Plant biology and field botany techniques, including identification of plant stem, leaf, and bark characters
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Insect identification to order and family & field collecting techniques
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Visit an active concession for the sustainable harvest of Brazil nuts
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Camera trapping for medium to large rainforest vertebrates
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Collecting and preparing botanical vouchers
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Bird survey and identification skills
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Application of field techniques learned to ongoing research projects
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Use of tech platforms and citizen science to document biodiversity (iNaturalist)
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Visit to a macaw & parrot clay lick in Tambopata National Reserve
Learning Objectives
Some things you will have done/be able to do at the end of this course:
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Tell the difference between terra firme and floodplain forest if you were brought blindfolded to either habitat
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Explain to a thawed-out iceman the ecological ramifications of overhunting ancient gomphotheres
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Say 'festooned brochidodromous venation' with conviction and/or nod in apprecitation when you hear it
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Have a burning passion for Amazonian insects and be able to identify many of them to order and family
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Enlighten your uncle at Thanksgiving dinner as to exactly how climate change is affecting plant community composition in the Amazon
This course is offered in collaboration with:
Photo Gallery
Instructors
Varun Swamy, Ph.D. – Lead instructor
Varun is a tropical forest ecologist with over 16 years of experience conducting ecological research in the lowland rainforest of the Madre de Dios River Basin in the Peruvian Amazon. His first visit to Peru and Madre de Dios was in 2003 to begin his doctoral dissertation research, and he now calls the region home. His research examines the long-term influence of plant-animal interactions on the composition, diversity, and structure of the plant community in lowland Amazon forests, particularly the role of large native vertebrates such as spider monkeys, tapirs, and white-lipped peccaries. The overall goal of his research is to provide a rigorous ecological evaluation of the long-term impacts of anthropogenic influences on the composition and structure of Amazonian forests, which will benefit conservation, restoration, and management efforts directed towards these ecosystems.
Download Varun's CV here.
Geoff Gallice, Ph.D. – Co-instructor
Geoff first visited Peru's Madre de Dios region in 2012 to gather data for his doctoral dissertation on the macroecology of clearwing butterflies. Since then his research interests have expanded to include butterfly evolution and natural history, and today he oversees a major effort by the Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon to document the diversity, distribution, and biology of all butterfly species in SE Peru—no small task given that this is the most biodiverse area on Earth! In addition to his research interests, Geoff is also active in applied conservation, leading initiatives throughout SE Peru to document and understand patterns in biodiversity as well as the human activities that threaten it, recover degraded lands through reforestation and agroforestry, and deliver high-quality environmental education to the region's kids. Finally, Geoff is a committed educator, teaching at the Potifical Catholic University in Lima and leading field courses in entomology, ecology, and conservation throughout Peru and Latin America.
Download Geoff's CV here.
Course Itinerary
Day 1. The team meets in Puerto Maldonado, the small but bustling capital and economic hub of Peru's Madre de Dios region, in the country's southeastern Amazon. From here we'll travel by land along the Interoceanic Highway to Finca Las Piedras (FLP), our first field site. At FLP we'll cover teh basics of health and safety in the rainforest, go over academics, and get to know the group.
Days 2-4. At Finca Las Piedras we'll first get acquainted with the rainforest, explore different Amazonian habitats, and meet some of its key plant and animal groups. The group will learn how to identify Amazonian insects and plants, set up camera traps to study elusive rainforest vertebrates, survey rainforest birds, and be introduced to methods used in field botanical surveys and ecological study. Field-based learning will be supplemented with lectures and group reading discussions from the primary scientific literature.
Day 5. Today we travel by land and then boat to the Malinowski Biological Station, located in Peru's Tambopata National Reserve. Along the way keep an eye out for jaguars, which are often seen mating along exposed river beaches during this time of year, as well as other abundant wildlife! The park rangers will greet us and discuss not only the rules for living within the protected area, but what they are doing to safeguard Tambopata's nearly unmatched biodiversity.
Days 6-9. In Tambopata we'll have the opportunity to put our newly-acquired field skills to the test. Students will spend time conducting field-based activities in a variety of rainforest habitats, including terra firme and floodplain rainforest. We will also conduct river-based surveys for wildlife that is otherwise difficult to observe, and visit a clay lick along the Tambopata River—a place where macaws and other parrots gather in large numbers to eat salt-laden clay—one of the region's great wildlife spectacles!
Days 10-12. Time to head back to Finca Las Piedras. Once we're back at base camp we'll conclude several field activities to compare findings with those from Tambopata. Students will also apply their field botanical and plant ecology skills and knowledge to a long-term rainforest dynamics study in FLP's permanent forest plot.
Day 13. Travel from Finca Las Piedras to Lago Sandoval, an oxbow lake of the Madre de Dios River located at the opposite end of the Tambopata Reserve from Malinowski. Lago Sandoval is home to a variety of Amazonian wildlife that is completely or mostly restricted to this type of aquatic habitat in the Amazon, including endangered giant otters, the world's largest otter species that is not easily observed elsewhere but which is thriving here. As we paddle the lake in small canoes also keep an eye out for an incredible diversity of wading and aquatic birds, enormous black caiman, and lots of monkeys in the surrounding rainforest. At the end of the day we'll have a group dinner to reflect on our experiences and say goodbye.
Day 14. Course concludes, return flights home or onward independent travel in Peru.
What's Included
The course fee covers all course-related local transportation and all accommodations, including transfer to and from the airport (or bus terminal) in Puerto Maldonado, all overland and river travel in Tambopata, all lodging (Finca Las Piedras, Malinowski Biological Station, and hotel in Pto. Maldonado), and all food (3 meals per day) except meals in Pto. Maldonado. All field equipment related to course activities are also provided.
What's Not Included
The course fee does not include meals in Puerto Maldonado, international or domestic airfare (i.e., from your home country to Lima, and then on to Pto. Maldonado), or personal expenses in Peru (e.g., souvenirs, alcoholic beverages, etc.). Personal gear and equipment, binoculars, field notebooks, field gear such as headlamp/torches, etc., are not provided. There is no wifi or cell service in Tambopata.
Accommodations
The field sites offer rustic but comfortable accommodations, including beds with mosquito nets in shared rooms or dormitories, shared cold showers, and study and work space. Meals are prepared by the field station staff and eaten as a group on a schedule to maximize time available for field studies. The final night of the course will be spent at a mid-range hotel in Puerto Maldonado.
How to Apply
Joining the Amazonian ABCs field course is easy! Just follow the following four simple steps:
1. Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements (See FAQs).
2. Fill out the form below. Once we receive it we'll send you further instructions.
3. Pay the $150 deposit to reserve your spot on the course. Please read our Terms & Conditions and Cancellation Policy before making a payment.
4. Return all follow-up documentation and pay your full balance by July 3, 2020.
Apply Now!
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