Conservation of Biodiversity through the Lens of Indigenous Peoples challenged the OTS staff and participants in many ways. Fusing 50 years of tropical ecology experience with a human element in the graduate program required a massive amount of pre-course planning and a very adventurous mindset from the coordinators and participants. The course, led by Claudine Sierra and Mariana Altrichtert, spent 4 days walking through an indigenous territory and interacting with the community. This course presented the participants with 16 invited lecturers with opposing points of view. The myriad of topics included polycroping and indigenous generalities, ethnobotany, carbon markets, land use in indigenous territories, experiences with the misquitos indigenous group, the relationship between spirituality and indigenous medicine, and institutions responsible for the conservation of biodiversity in Costa Rica.

This unique experience left the participants exhilarated and exhausted. After being asked about the most important aspects of their OTS experience, participants answered:

"For me (as a social scientist), gaining a valuable natural science perspective on conservation, ecology, and related fields. Also, an important comparative perspective for my own research. Finally, the experience itself - at times exhilarating but ultimately extremely rewarding".

"Learning a specific issue from multiple perspectives, experiencing the Indigenous territories, collaborating with peers interested in the same area of study".

As a general afterthought of the course, one student comments "This class, while probably the most impactful of my life, was very challenging in many ways....I have felt very well taken care of here in Costa Rica -and so much of that I owe to you and Mariana [course coordinators]. Thank you for everything -for forcing me out of my mental comfort zone, for helping me to see issues from so many different angles, for helping me to understand how important it is not just to be active in my own community, but also to be informed about the community and lives of those far away." And another student highlights what was most enjoyable "The high level of intellectual engagement in a specific issue that I am deeply invested in. I loved my cohort and the coordinators.  We all shared similar interest. I loved the unique experience of being in the territories, it felt truly unique, the physical space was completely different than anything I experienced before and collaborating with the Ngöbe people was priceless".

Special Thanks

This course would not have happened without the encouragement and support of Barbara Lewis, Pia Paaby, Andrés Santana, Ariadna Sánchez and other OTS staffers and field station managers. Strong appreciation to Federico Bejarano Palacios, our Guide and Cultural Advisor, without whom this course would not have been the success it turned out to be. And, to all the indigenous speakers and interviewees at Coto Brús Indigenous Territory who supported our curiosity and interacted similarly, to learn together. Finally, to OTS´ donors without which we wouldn't be able to keep changing people´s lives and contributing to make this world a better place.

For more details, click here to download the coursebook.

We are pleased to announce that singer/songwriter (currently nominated for 2 Americana Awards in Nashville including "Artist of the Year"), renowned guitarist, Richard Thompson, one of Rolling Stone's Top 20 Best Guitarists of All Time, is coming to Raleigh! His talent and music are legendary and we are thrilled to have him as a friend of OTS. 

He has generously agreed to donate the proceeds from this show to OTS. This is one event you won't want to miss! Come out and join us!

The proceeds of this event will be directed to the OTS Greening Initiative, which seeks to to transform our research stations into models of efficient and environmentally sustainable sites that enable researchers and students to utilize our stations to the best of their abilities while minimizing our carbon footprint. 

The Organization for Tropical Studies is celebrating 50 years of leadership in tropical biological research, education, and conservation.

In recognition of this milestone, we are hosting a reception at the Costa Rica Embassy in Washington DC. The evening will include remarks from Ambassador Muni Figueres* and OTS CEO, Dr. Elizabeth C. Losos.

There is no charge for event, however we are asking attendees to support the OTS Greening Initiative, which seeks to to transform our research stations into models of efficient and environmentally sustainable sites that enable researchers and students to utilize our stations to the best of their abilities while minimizing our carbon footprint. 

Call for Applications

2014 Conservation Team Awards

Call for Applications  

Offered in even-numbered years, this course emphasizes a strong conceptual foundation in phylogenetic systematics in an intensive field setting. The course travels to diverse habitats around Costa Rica, from cloud forest and paramo to tropical dry forest and Atlantic lowland rain forest. This course is next offered in 2012 (application deadline in March 1, 2012) as it alternates with OTS-18, the Spanish language version of the course which is offered in odd years.

Early application deadline: November 10, 2013.

Final application deadline: February 10, 2014 followed by Open Enrollment/rolling admission until course is full. 
Duration: 5 weeks, June 11 - July 13, 2014. Arrive June 10, depart July 14, 2014. 

This is an intensive two week that will consider the design, implementation and evaluation of payments for ecosystem services (PES), using the "pago por servicios ambientales" (PSA) policy in Costa Rica as a case study. PSA is often cited in both the literature and policy debates about PES as a mechanism for conservation of tropical forests. The course will begin by placing PSA in context of other PES schemes in the tropics.

Coordinator: Erin Sills (North Carolina State University) 
Course duration: 2 weeks (June 15-30, 2014)
Credits: 2 semester credits awarded by the University of Costa Rica
Application Deadline: February 3, 2014 for priority consideration, followed by rolling admission until fully enrolled.

This two-week course is oriented towards early graduate students (first 2 years) who want to focus their research on this topic. This course will incorporate interactive lectures, field practicums, discussion, and R programming to give students knowledge and hands-on experience in the following diverse topics pertaining to tropical forests in a changing climate: impacts, adaptation, mitigation, monitoring, assessment, and political and social context.

Coordinator: Susan Letcher (Bio, SUNY), Federico Alice (Universidad Nacional) and Johanna Hurtado (Project TEAM)

Photo by JC Ulate

This two-week course is oriented towards graduate students with diverse research interests and experiences (e.g. plant, animal; terrestrial, aquatic, etc.). Topics covered include: measurement of genetic diversity and genetic structure, phylogeography, application of molecular data to taxonomic questions, gene flow, mating systems, effective population size estimates, and the application of genetic information for the management and restoration of disturbed landscapes. Students will also obtain fundamental understanding pertinent computer software and will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of available software.

Coordinator: Jim Hamrick (Lab website)
Course duration: 2 weeks (May 24 to June 8, 2014)
Application Deadline: February 3, 2014 for priority consideration, followed by rolling admission until fully enrolled.

Photo by J. Staf

This two-week course is oriented towards graduate students and upper level undergraduates with an interest in arthropods. The course will be held at the La Selva Biological Research Station, Costa Rica. Students will delve into current scientific research and discover the cutting edge questions and approaches implemented by leading arachnologists. Students will also obtain fundamental understanding of arachnid evolution, with a focus on evolutionary relationship among extant and extinct chelicerate groups.

Coordinator: Eileen Hebets (Lab website)
Course duration: 2 weeks (January 3-17, 2014)
Application Deadline:October 1, 2013 for priority consideration, followed by rolling admission until fully enrolled.