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Study Abroad at Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center

Iracambi Rainforest Research Center is located on a working rainforest farm, in a mountainous area of the Atlantic Rainforest in the State of Minas Gerais, approximately six hours from Rio de Janeiro. Iracambi has excellent forest access; in addition to its own forest reserve it is adjacent to a large area of publicly protected state forest.

What are the facilities?

The research center has accommodation for thirty in two and three bedroom cabins, equipped with bunk beds, showers and kitchen facilities. All food is provided and lunch is cooked five days a week. The Research Center facilities include a classroom, library and field lab, and 24/7 access to the internet.

What are the Study Options?

Iracambi offers several options for individual students and researchers as well a menu of Study Abroad options which can be tailored to suit the individual requirements of students and faculty. Coursework can be taught by visiting faculty from the US, by Iracambi staff, and by faculty from the Federal University of Viçosa, which is one of Brazil’s leading agricultural and forestry schools.

Based in the Atlantic Rainforest (one of Conservation International’s top five biodiversity hotspots), our programs provide students with a unique opportunity to become part of a real life community which is working daily on the cutting edge issues of how to preserve the extraordinary biodiversity of the forest, while improving the livelihoods of local smallholders.

Research Areas

Iracambi has four main research areas into which students can slot their research and study. These include:

Forest Restoration (forest inventories, forest corridor studies, forest restoration)
Natural Resource Management (land management in general and management of conservation areas in particular, the impact of bauxite mining, mapping and GIS, soil and water studies)
Community Understanding and Activism (studies of the sociopolitical aspects of the local community, attitudes to conservation and development, education and outreach)
Alternative Income Sources (payment for environmental services, ecotourism, medicinal plants, crop diversification)

Core Study Abroad Resources - to be defined by the visiting faculty

The core of our study abroad consists of all the necessary resources and services to get you and your students to our research center and home safely. These include:

optional pickup from the airport by minivan (Rio de Janeiro or Belo Horizonte. We recommend Rio.)
a 3-day chaperoned tour of Rio de Janeiro that includes local transportation, bed and breakfast, tour guide
around-the-clock availability of Iracambi liaison
orientation to Iracambi
room and board
use of all Research Center facilities

Additional Resources-available at modest additional costs

Iracambi staff, as well as faculty from the Federal University of Vicosa to teach Iracambi-developed coursework in any of the following subject fields: Biological Sciences, Human Sciences, Forest Ecology, Economics of Development, Environment and Development, Soil Science, Hydrography, Geography, History and Culture of Brazil, Portuguese language and Brazilian Literature. (To insure availability of outside faculty, please notify us of your needs as soon as possible, but at least three months prior to your visit.)

A two day trip to the nearby Colonial town of Ouro Preto will give students a taste of Brazil’s fascinating history. Trip cost includes all local travel, room and breakfast at a hotel, and a tour guide.

How much will it cost?

Core Resources: Brazilian R$350 per week per student
Additional Resources:

Teaching resources vary with activity
Ouro Preto Trip R$300 per student

What is not included?

International airfare, lunch and dinner in Rio/Ouro Preto, insurance, college credits and beer money.

Not what you want? We can tailor make a program for your group. Click here to see a sample.

Good Preparatory Reading

On this page there is a more complete list, but here’s a short list:

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Thorton Wilder): While not about Brazil per se, this is an excellent fable that is rooted in South American colonialism, the dominance of Catholicism, and the shift between European and Indigenous views. All of these themes will certainly appear on any trip to Brazil. Also, it is a quick and easy read at only a hundred and ten or so pages.

City of God (Fernando Meirelles): This movie is classified as reading only because it is entirely in Portuguese and will require subtitles for most. This film, with its plot that exemplifies both the troubles of growing up in a quickly developing country, the problems caused by North-American drug habits, and the perils that occur in rapidly growing urban societies where there inadequiate policies for urban developemnt. City of Men, which is only a thematic sequel to City of God, also portrays a good portrait of contemporary life in the slums of Rio.

The Economist Backgrounder (http://www.economist.com/countries/brazil/): This collection of articles, links, and background guides illustrates a detailed and concise portrait of modern Brazil. Also includes the special report “Land of Promise”, a more detailed study of Brazil.

A Death in Brazil (Peter Robb): A good account of the Brazilian social and political scene of the early 1990s, just after the end of the military regime, that set the tone for the Brazil of President Lula.

To get in touch with other people who've been here; join our Facebook group : log in to Facebook and look for Iracambi. You can meet some of our past volunteers and researchers here.

Click here to see the Research Center brochure.