Learning Approach & Activities

You will be using problem-based learning approaches and systems thinking to develop a comprehensive understanding of the ecology of tropical rainforests and tropical seasonal forests. This understanding will be applied to real-world examples in tropical forests, helping you to develop analytical and practical experience for success in your future career. We will expect you to conduct collaborative work with your peers, and learn to integrate theories and concepts from a range of disciplines, including Forestry, Pedology, Hydrology, Climatology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Plant Science, and Ecosystem Science. Drawing this material together is a skill in itself, and it is one of the characteristics of Forestry as a discipline. As an ecosystem manager, you will need to not only know what to do in a particular situation but also understand the implications of any specific action on the many different components and processes within the tropical forest ecosystem.

There are many uncertainties still about the ecology of tropical forests. Many processes are imperfectly understood, and many surprises await us. Almost every study undertaken in tropical forests yields new information, and sometimes long-held theories have to be abandoned in the face of new information. We have tried to point out many of the gaps in information: these provide innumerable potential research opportunities.