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  • Locations: Cusco, Peru
  • Program Terms: Fall, Spring
  • Homepage: Click to visit
  • Program Sponsor: The School for Field Studies (SFS) 
Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Spring 2025 10/15/2024 ** Rolling Admission TBA TBA

** Indicates rolling admission application process. Applicants will be immediately notified of acceptance into this program and be able to complete post-decision materials prior to the term's application deadline.
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Click here for a definition of this term Language of Instruction: English, Spanish Program Adviser: Ariana Youmans
Program Description:

SFS PERU: BIODIVERSITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMAZON (SEMESTER)

sfs peru


PROGRAM DETAILS

  • Terms: Fall, Spring
  • Credits: 18 semester-hour credits
  • Prerequisites: One semester of college-level ecology, biology, or environmental studies/science; 18 years of age
  • Application Deadline: Rolling admissions. Early applications encouraged
  • Financial Aid: All accepted students can apply for need-based scholarships, grants, and loans


OVERVIEW

Spend a semester among the extraordinarily biodiverse ecosystems of the northern Peruvian Amazon. Study climate change, resource extraction, and other threats to the region firsthand, and get at the heart of Peru’s conservation and development issues. Explore otherworldly flooded forests on a multi-day riverboat expedition and travel to the Andean highlands to visit cloud forests and the historic Incan capital of Cusco – the starting point for visitors to Machu Picchu.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
  • Take a multi-day excursion to the village of Sucusari to learn about the livelihoods of the Maijuna people and explore the rainforest from one of the world’s longest canopy walkways.
  • Take a five-day riverboat expedition in Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Regional Conservation Area, home to species such as pink river dolphins, sloths, piranhas, primates, macaws, and giant river otters.
  • Visit a manatee rescue center, tropical fish exporter, and potato and butterfly farms to study a range of local agriculture and conservation organizations.

SFS students live and study at the Center for Amazon Studies, which lies halfway between the remote city of Iquitos and the port city of Nauta, nestled in the Amazon. The sounds of the forest permeate our campus, from student cabins to the pool and open-air student lounge. The rainforest is accessible via an on-campus trail system which traverses our 183-acre property. Small communities and local shops are within walking distance.

RESEARCH THEMES

  • Climate change
  • Forest and soil ecology
  • Sustainable aquaculture
  • Natural resource management
  • Forest recovery
  • Development in the Amazon
 

CORE SKILLS

  • Species identification and population monitoring
  • Biodiversity surveys and transects
  • Interviewing and mapping techniques
  • Conservation strategy assessment
  • Basic Spanish language
  • Research design and implementation
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Research presentation
 

LEARN MORE

REQUEST INFORMATION

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CONNECT WITH SFS

Visit the SFS website
Call the Admissions Hotline at 800.989.4418
Email admissions@fieldstudies.org
Read updates from the field on the SFS Blog
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