Six Weeks. Sacred Forests. Global Significance.
Mist clings to old-growth forest at 7,218 feet. Bhutan keeps more than 70% of the kingdom forested, with a constitution that mandates at least 60% for all time. In six weeks, you'll set camera traps, survey bird diversity, and assess growing stock across these Himalayan forests.
From the Paro Valley you'll trek to Bumdrak above 13,000 feet, where camera traps run year-round and summer students collect data for their directed projects. Farmer homestays and a closing poster symposium put your findings in front of Bhutanese conservation partners.
What You'll Do
Forest Resource Assessment
Measure tree diameter, height, and species composition in Bhutanese forests, calculating growing stock and biodiversity parameters for conservation planning.
Camera Trapping & Bird Surveys
Deploy traps for takin and large mammals, retrieve data from established sites, and assess avian diversity along inter-valley mountain systems.
Farmer Homestays & Monastery Walks
Spend a day with farming families, walk pilgrimage routes to Tango Monastery, and study how Buddhist values shape forest governance.
Field Sites
From valley floor to Chelela Pass: six weeks across one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots.
Paro Valley
Home base at 7,218 feet, with camera traps, forest plots, and a market for practicing Dzongkha.
Chelela Pass & Highlands
Life zone ecology from Paro up to Chelela Pass, with year-round camera-trap sites at Bumdrak.
Monasteries & Cultural Sites
Tango Monastery, Pangrizampa College of Astrology, and the Royal Takin Preserve.
Tigers Below, Snow Leopards Above. Bhutan's Forests in Between.
Bhutan is estimated to harbor 770 bird species and charismatic wildlife from snow leopards to red pandas to takin. Students set camera traps and retrieve deployment data across micro-sites in the Paro Valley, measure DBH, height, and species composition to calculate growing stock and biodiversity parameters, and assess avifaunal diversity along an inter-valley mountain system. Fifteen hours of directed project field data collection ends in a poster symposium presented alongside Bhutanese conservation scientists. Six weeks. One course. Data that conservation institutions draw on.
Learn by Doing
One six-credit course spans big cat conservation, camera trapping methodology, forest resource assessment, and Bhutanese development philosophy, culminating in fifteen hours of directed field research and a poster symposium.
Course
One intensive field course, 6 credits
Spans big cat conservation, camera trapping, forest resource assessment, and Gross National Happiness through biodiversity surveys, farmer homestays, and Himalayan treks across Bhutan's elevation gradient.
View Syllabus (PDF)Join This Summer
Now enrolling for Summer 2027.
Dates & Costs
6 weeks, 6 credits. Financial aid and SFS scholarships available.
