Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation is an exciting hands-on field course that combines studies in terrestrial riparian ecology with marine ecology by examining the influence of watershed systems, focusing on their impacts and ecology, as they move downstream into the coastal zone and out to the Caribbean Sea. This intensive course includes classroom, field, and laboratory components in beautiful Belize. 

Taught within the Lowland Broadleaf Forest and Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Systems, field and laboratory work focus on the evaluation of human activities that have lasting ecological impacts on aquatic systems. These concepts are explored hands-on through community use surveys, biodiversity surveys, habitat characterizations and assessments, and the development of interconnectivity diagrams that allow students to fully understand the interrelatedness of humans and their environment and how this impacts local conservation in the developing nation of Belize.  

Students are introduced to a variety of ecosystems such as riparian forest and riverine systems, watersheds, mangroves, seagrass beds, sandy beach ecosystems, and coral communities.

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