Well, after reading Jones' reply, I am not quite sure what she means by some of her points.
<<the ecological community is losing the competition for biodiversity-preservation and, for numerous reasons, have little leverage against the corporate conservation organizations; economic, political, and social interests of habitat countries; repressive influence of defenders of "complex" & flagship taxa; the personality-driven and fashion-driven nature of conservation enterprises, etc., etc>> First, who, exactly, are "the ecological community," as distinct from "corporate conservation organizations" and "defenders of complex and flagship taxa"? When a student focuses on ecology, where does that student end up after graduation? Academia? Government? Environmental consultancy? If these are not the most effective career paths for "mitigation of anthropogenic stressors," then what would be a better approach? I suspect Jones was speaking slightly tongue-in-cheek when she suggested Special Forces Survival Training, as she is certainly aware that forest security assistants are but one component of an overall conservation strategy. As one who, in my younger days, participated in just this sort of "experiential learning" -- and made financial sacrifices to be able to afford it -- I cannot be as dismissive as Jones appeared to be. For a student who is seriously concerned about biodiversity preservation, actually seeing the situation "on the ground" is an essential adjunct to classroom instruction. In the classroom, we learn in the abstract; but this can create an unrealistic or idealized view of what is really possible. Until I actually went to Costa Rica, and saw that literally the only tropical rainforests left were in the Reserves and National Parks, tropical deforestation was largely a distant problem I read about in textbooks and magazines. I would say that this sort of program can be valuable, IF the content is well-planned to address the concerns Jones brought up. Her call for an "independent and quantitative evaluation" is well taken, as it would serve the same purpose as, say, the accreditation process for universities. Jason Hernandez ________________________________ Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:35:30 -0500 From: "Clara B. Jones" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Brazilian Ecosystems Call for Students Respectfully, this sort of program is simply an example of "experiential learning" for kids who can afford it and for their faculty-caretakers...the ecological community is losing the competition for biodiversity-preservation and, for numerous reasons, have little leverage against the corporate conservation organizations; economic, political, and social interests of habitat countries; repressive influence of defenders of "complex" & flagship taxa; the personality-driven and fashion-driven nature of conservation enterprises, etc., etc. Programs such as this one have proliferated remarkably over the past 15-20 y...*Cui bono*?...I call for an independent and quantitative evaluation of these "education abroad" and related programs, in particular, to determine their payoffs for the environment, for the mitigation of anthropogenic stressors, for science, for indigenous groups, for creative problem-solving, and the like. There is much more of concern...and very little time to act...Suggestion to Kolb: put these kids through Special Forces Survival Training, teach them to keep their mouths shut and their eyes open, and put them to work as forest security assistants under the direction of Brazilian nationals concerned with biodiversity-protection... On Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 10:48 AM, Suzanne Kolb <[email protected]> wrote: > Antioch Education Abroad's Brazilian Ecosystems Program is a 16-credit fa= ll > semester for undergraduate students. Now accepting applications! > > Please encourage your students to participate in this vital field > experience. It is an outstanding opportunity for direct field experience > with the ecology of Brazil's biodiversity, and with real world conservati= on > problem solving. > > The program travels to the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado Savanna, Amazon > Rainforest, and Pantanal Wetland, across four different states: Paran=E1, > Goi=E1s, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso. > > Students return to campus inspired and energized about continuing their > education towards more realistically defined career goals. > > Program dates: 30 August - 29 November. > > Please invite your students to learn more about this program by directing > them to aea.antioch.edu/brazil > > Suzanne Kolb, Ph.D. Ecology > Associate Professor of Environmental Science > Director, Brazilian Ecosystems Program > [email protected] > --=20 clara b. jones Blog: http://vertebratesocialbehavior.blogspot.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/cbjones1943
