The Program
Team members will participate in an ecological survey of key Indo-Pacific coastal habitats in southern Thailand and Malaysia. Island field sites include the tropical island archipelagoes of Ko Surin and Ko Adang in Thailand and Pulau Perhentian Islands in Indonesia. In each of these locations, extensive well-developed fringing reefs surround numerous islands, providing an excellent natural classroom and research environment for understanding coral reef ecology. On several islands, effective conservation efforts have resulted in fish that are generally larger and more abundant; whereas, on other islands, long-term human impacts have changed the composition of the reef community to one that supports smaller fish and larger, more abundant invertebrates. Our sites are deep within the "coral triangle," which holds significantly more species of fish and invertebrates (including corals) than any other place in the world.

Throughout our field studies we will research and survey selected coral reef fish species. We will conduct transects to compare particular aspects of different reef ecosystems, and, while snorkeling, use GPS and underwater digital photography to document changes over time at designated sampling sites.

Mainland coastal sites are another important component of the program. These include the Trang estuary, a freshwater habitat near the Andaman Coast of southern Thailand. With its extensive seagrass beds, the area around the Trang estuary supports Thailand’s only population of dugongs, a gentle, grazing marine mammal sometimes called a sea cow. Here we will research ecosystem management by evaluating strategies to mitigate existing threats to the coastal ecology.

This program presents a singular opportunity to assess issues that affect coastal and marine environments in Thailand and Malaysia, to investigate the habitat firsthand, and to develop possible strategies to solve problems posed by resource extraction, coastal development and climate change. By the end of the program students will have gained an in-depth understanding of many coastal and marine animal species and about Indigenous seafaring culture groups.

Program Details
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Dates: Winter 2025: January 15 – February 27, 2025
Applications: Accepted on a rolling admission basis
Accommodations:  Primarily camping, occasional youth hostel or rural lodge
Credits: 15 quarter credits or 10 semester credits
Language: English instruction
Courses: Environmental Wildlands Studies, Environmental Field Survey, Wildlands Environment and Culture
Prerequisites: One college level course in environmental studies, environmental science, ecology or similar. 18 years of age

Program Costs 
Thailand Winter 2025
$      150    Application Fee
$   7,000    Program Fee
$   4,700    In-Country Logistics Fee
$   2,250    Estimated Airfare and Mandatory Travel Insurance
$    500      Estimated Food and Personal Expenses

$14,600    Total Estimated Cost
Winter 2025: Program fees due by November 1, 2024