FIELDSTUDY CENTRE IN BOLIVIA

The Amazon Fund aims to develop a field study center in Bolivia in cooperation with our new partner, the local non-profit Foundation for the Conservation of the Chiquitano Forest (FCBC).

Our first objective is to find a suitable location. Accessibility is one of the most important criteria since we want convenient access to school and university students to whom we wish to provide quality environmental education under the guidance of qualified staff. The Amazon Fund Board will designate a team to implement the search for a field study center site.


Tjerk van Rooij: Possible area Field study near Santa Cruz.

An ideal location would be about one hectare (about two and a half acres) in size, located near a larger protected natural area or nature reserve that spans a minimum of hundreds of hectares since larger expanses of natural area would assure appropriate biodiversity for study. Ideally the location would be near Santa Cruz because it has 1.5 million citizens, many of whom relocated from natural areas to this Western-style developing city, and we want the center to be accessible for potential students.  Our partner FCBC works in this area and has pre-existing plans for establishing a study center.

In the initial development phase, an administrator will be responsible for finding the location and implementing the infrastructure. After the preliminary groundwork is laid, a director or project leader will guide the further development of the center, including its educational capacities. Eventually, an environmental educational co-director will focus on development and implementation of courses and training.

In practice, the center will invite groups and individual students to visit for one day or longer. Guides at the center would offer them guidance and assistance in studying, experiencing, and appreciating nature. Knowledge and understanding of the coherence between soil and life is the focal point in our fieldwork.  The center will help students gain competence at finding ecological connections in the environment, particularly in tropical forests.

The Amazon Fund Center will offer programs for beginning level students as well as for intermediate level and university students. One key for success will be to involve interested university students by offering them the opportunity to conduct their practical training (internship) at the center. Their practical activities will be determined through (preliminary) fieldwork, after the formulation of a work plan including objectives, methodology, and materials. In addition to the involvement of thesis students of the state university, we aim to involve individuals from local communities, training and engaging them as guides and field assistants.


Explanation of fruit.

The success of a fully functioning centre depends on factors such as:

• Interest in environmental education from schools or other educational
  institutions
• Financial support that enables the development and realization of the
  centre;
  
• Local supervision of all centre's activities according to agreed
  responsibilities;
  
• Regular evaluations of contents, organization and management including
  constant feedback of the responsible centre contact persons ;
  
• Sustainable solutions that ensure continuity and quality;
  
• Complete transparency about the functioning, personal, and financial
  policies of the centre.
  

The links that follow will take you to websites of established field study
organizations throughout the world.

www.verdwerknederland.nl (the Netherlands)
www.studyabroadlinks.com (USA)
coastal.er.usgs.gov (Canada)
www.stichtingbee.nl (the Netherlands - Peru)
www.field-studies-council.org (UK)
www.rachelcarsonhomestead.org (USA)
www.thesfi.org (USA)



Field study in Park National Madidi.

(Rurrenabaque, a lively and expanding tourist town on the western side of Bolivia, at the edge of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, is another location where we aim to implement centres. We are now presenting our plans to the Bolivian governmental organization for the protection of nature 'Sernap'. Rurrenabaque is located at the edge of the famoust National Park Madidi and the biosphere Pilon Lagas. Inside Madidi we want to combine the field study centre with a rehabilitation centre for wildlife.)