SFS PERU: THE LIVING AMAZON
(SEMESTER)
PROGRAM DETAILS
Terms | Fall, Spring
Credits | 18 semester-hour credits
Prerequisites | One semester of college-level ecology, biology, or environmental studies/science | 2.7 GPA | 18 years of age
Application Deadline: Fall: May 1st. Spring: November 1st. Early applications encouraged!
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OVERVIEW
Discover the living Amazon. Explore the extraordinarily biodiverse ecosystems of the northern Peruvian Amazon. Discuss threats to the region – from climate change to resource extraction – and get at the heart of Peru’s conservation and development issues. Experience flooded forests on a multi-day riverboat expedition and travel to the Andean highlands, where you’ll visit cloud forests and the historic Incan capital of Cusco, the hub for visitors to Machu Picchu.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
→ Visit Amazonian Indigenous communities to gain insight into the vital role of traditional knowledge in conservation. Meet women from the Jibaro, an Amazon ethnic group who decided to recover their land, preserve their relationship with the forest, and share their ancestral knowledge.
→ Experience life at a scientific station aboard an Amazon Riverboat for five days. Survey pink river dolphins, fisher bats, macaws, and caimans at the confluence where the Amazon River is born.
→ Travel from the Andean highlands 4400 meters above sea level to the lowland of the Amazon jungle and discover the transition in biodiversity, landscapes, and climates between these two extreme ecosystems.
→ Encounter the spectacled bear, the only bear species in South America, with as few as 2,500 mature individuals remaining, and learn about agrobiodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation.
→ Discover the Peruvian highlands during a week-long trip to the Cuzco Region. Explore the Machu Picchu archaeological site in a deeper and more scientific way.
→ Conduct a comprehensive field research project: Develop a research question, collect and analyze data, write a paper, and present your findings.
LOCATION
The Peru Center is an oasis of calming nature, while a short walk from the bustling town of Tarapoto, the gateway to Amazon adventures. The Center is connected by a web of pathways lined with flowers, medicinal herbs, and rows of stone terraces teeming with native plant species.
Students have access to wooded hiking trails through protected areas, quiet lofts, and rocking chair patios with panoramic views of the Escalera mountain range.
RESEARCH THEMES
- Climate Change and Conservation Practice
- Landscape Ecology and Habitat Fragmentation
- Biodiversity Assessment
- Forest Health and Recovery
- Indigenous Knowledge and Histories
- Ecosystem Services and Carbon Markets
- Impacts of Development in the Amazon
- Biogeography
- Political Ecology
CORE SKILLS
- Species Identification and Population Monitoring
- Biodiversity Surveys and Habitat Surveys
- Research Plots and Transects
- Interviewing and Mapping Techniques
- Conservation Strategy Assessment
- Basic Spanish Language
- Research Design and Implementation
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Research Presentation
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