Study Abroad

Brazil (Open Your Eyes!)

FORS 4250/6250 International Forest Management

AESC 3150 Sustainable Agroecosystems in Brazil

This study abroad program focuses on the nexus between the environment and development in Brazil, and how these factors affect the sustainable development of the Amazon basin. This program will introduce you to international forest management issues including global forestry, conservation biology, and global change. Brazil is a world leader in forest and agricultural commodity production and, of course, is home to the Amazon Basin; the largest contiguous tropical rainforests in the world. You will investigate natural resource management from the forest to the feira (a Brazilian market). It will open your eyes.

Agroecology focuses on the complex relationships between the environment and production of agricultural commodities, such as cultivated crops including trees, and livestock. Agroecological issues often share similarities among different countries but are embedded in different cultures and environments. The importance of these issues increase in magnitude when the countries involved are international leaders such as Brazil and the US.

The locations visited in Brazil change yearly but always include a once-in-a-lifetime experience boating on the legendary Amazon River. In the past, we have traveled to Sao Paulo and Curitiba in the south, Recifé and the Island of Fernando do Naronha in the northeast, and Manaus, Santarem, and Belem in the north Amazon Basin. We visit areas where agricultural production is bountiful and the growing economy supports expanding urban populations as well as the jungle where communities still practice subsistence lifestyles. We visit remnant Atlantic rain forests, coral reefs, sugar cane plantations, eucalypt and pine plantations, a saw mill and paper mill, a charcoal production facility, soybean production. a bauxite mine, rural communities and, of course, the Amazon rain forest. We also find some time to swim in the ocean and the Amazon and to fish for Piranha.

By the end you will have firsthand knowledge of the most rapidly growing agribusiness center in the world, Brazil. You will also have greater insight into the agroecological issues facing the US and a globalizing planet. The program’s goal is to prepare you for a future in the natural resources, forestry, and agricultural sciences that is highly globally interconnected. It is imperative that you learn about global economy and ecology of natural resources and production systems that will directly affect your future.

Dates: June-July Period (Thru Session I and II)
Credits: 3-6 hours
Estimated Costs: $2000
Includes: Lodging, meals, local transportation
Extra costs: Airfare, immunizations, passport+visa, tuition

Contact

Dr. Daniel Markewitz dmarke@warnell.uga.edu
Dr. Lawrence Morris lmorris@warnell.uga.edu
Dr. Jim Richardson jamesir@uga.edu

Web sites:
http://warnell.forestry.uga.edu/brazilexchange/html/about.html
http://www.global.uga.edu/students/brazil.html
http://unit.caes.uga.edu/alumni/southscapes/fa05/amazon_adventure.pdf (PDF)