Ecology Study Abroad Programs in Belize

Toucan Education Programs (TOUCAN) is a social enterprise that collaborates with mission-driven colleges and universities to create custom, faculty-directed education abroad programs. We offer ethical, experiential, and intercultural learning opportunities that align with institutional goals of service, global awareness, and community engagement. As an active member of The Forum on Education Abroad, TOUCAN ensures that each program meets the Standards of Good Practice, prioritizing safe, ethical, and sustainable outcomes for all involved. Our dedicated team works closely with faculty directors and administrators, allowing educators to focus on academic content and student mentorship while we manage all logistical aspects for smooth program operation. Belize serves as an ideal "living laboratory," offering rich cultural diversity for impactful experiential and intercultural learning. Faculty can utilize Toucan’s Intercultural Learning Co-Curriculum (ILC) to enhance students' intercultural development. TOUCAN is committed to faculty success through community-engaged learning and rigorous adherence to best practices in health, safety, and security.

This 2-week course is designed for undergraduate students with an interest in wildlife from a pre-veterinary, biology, or conservation perspective. Through a combination of classroom lectures, field trips, and practicums, they are introduced to tropical ecology, local conservation efforts, Belizean wildlife, and wildlife research techniques. This intensive, introductory course helps them understand the many factors that affect the management, conservation, habitat, and health of wild animals. Students work alongside zookeepers in the world-renowned Belize Zoo. Their studies focus on wildlife conservation and research methods. Species-specific focus includes the research and conservation of the jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor), tapir (Tapirus bairdii), jabiru stork (Jabiru mycteria), howler monkey (Alouatta pigra), spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), and the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Students gain insight into several field research techniques including specialized leg hold traps, cage traps, GPS and VHF tracking, camera trapping, chemical immobilization and remote drug delivery, avian mist netting, and bird banding.

Snorkel the second largest barrier reef on the planet, off the coast of the diverse Central American nation of Belize, on this two-week field expedition. You’ll study the ecology and conservation of fish, the water-cleaning role of sponges, the sensitivity of corals to global climate change, and how reefs differ from ecosystems on land. Then, you’ll put your knowledge into practice on a remote Caribbean island – at the Glover’s Reef Research Station – in the middle of a world-class marine reserve. On the Coral Reef Ecology course you’ll submerge yourself in oceanography, marine biology, and marine conservation in a blended format. Begin with three weeks of online instruction, then embark on a life-changing marine science expedition to Belize, where you will conduct a research project of your own design, accompanied by experienced marine biologists.

This program provides an exciting opportunity to assist the Ya’axché Conservation Trust and work with Belize’s indigenous communities to preserve the Maya Golden Landscape. Operating out of field research camps, students will work alongside Ya’axché rangers and scientists conducting long-term ecological monitoring and habitat restoration efforts. Round River operates in the Maya Golden Landscape of southern Belize, an ancient socio-ecological system that harbors many of the region’s iconic species such as jaguar and Harpy Eagle. Ya’axché co-manages three protected areas, including Bladen Nature Reserve, one of the wildest forest tracts in Mesoamerica, Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve, and Golden Stream Corridor Preserve. Students will support Ya’axché with diverse conservation initiatives, from scientific research and monitoring to agroforestry production to environmental education in local Mayan communities. Join us in Belize to significantly contribute to conservation efforts in improving jaguar/human conflict, sustainable agroforestry as a buffer zone near core protected areas, and taste authentic Mayan chocolate.