Coral Reef Ecology

  Belize

Rural Areas

Term: Throughout the year 
Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks and 2-4 weeks
Dates: All year

Description: Why not get out of the classroom and learn about coral reef ecology on the worlds second largest barrier reef system in the world. When participating on a coral reef study abroad program you will enhance your knowledge, define your skills and further develop your understanding of techniques and methodologies used in related field studies. The program includes numerous lectures, presentations and practical studies focusing on coral life history.

These courses will not only teach you coral taxonomy, identification and life history. You will also cover other interesting subjects such as competition on the reef, coral disease, factors effecting coral growth and health, anthropogenic effects, the effects of climate change, reproduction, and advances in coral research.

Highlights: Bacalar Chico provides a perfect laboratory for Coral Reef Ecology because of its many interesting features, including:

- a part of the Belize Barrier Reef, the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere and the second longest on the planet. The reef system, home to the full panoply of reef fish and other organisms, contains height relief spur and groove formations, a double reef crest and patch reefs.

- the fossilized remains of an ancient barrier reef, along with exposed Pleistocene-era limestones containing the shells of crustaceans, conch and other creatures inhabiting today's reef system. These and other geological features, combined with mangroves and other ecosystems, provide a textbook on the life-cycle of the island itself.

- separate marine and terrestrial ecosystems within a small, easily accessible area, among them mangrove, seagrass bed, wetlands, salt marsh, lagoons, tropical littoral and coastal fringe forests. The Coral Reef Ecology program will explore the interrelationships of these ecosystems and the birds, plants and animals they support.

- several threatened or endangered species, as well as Belize's most prolific nesting beach for endangered loggerhead and green sea turtles. Because Ambergris Caye is, in geological and ecological terms, an extension of the Yucatán Peninsula, Bacalar Chico is also home to 18 Yucatán endemic or near endemic bird and plant species and animal subspecies. The Coral Reef Ecology program will examine modern threats to Bacalar Chico's ecosystems, flora and fauna.

- the narrow and shallow channel (now serving as the border between Belize and Mexico) that was once a major Maya trading route linking the Yucatán Peninsula to the city-states of the Classic Maya heartland. Archaeological excavations have found 9 Maya trading, agricultural and fishing settlements inside the park and another just outside it. Bacalar Chico's cultural history is a part of Coral Reef Ecology Study Abroad.

Cost in US$: $500/wk $1,200/mth

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American, Canadian and European Participants.

Participants Travel to Belize in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Green Reef Environmental Institute's Mission Statement: Green Reef is a non-profit, non-governmental membership organization dedicated to the protection of the environment and for the conservation of the Belize Barrier Reef and the associated marine environment in order to maintain the integrity of the ecosystems.

Year Founded: 1996