Ceiba Foundation
Connecting Nature and People

Ceiba connects people and nature, saving tropical species and habitats while helping communities improve their lives and livelihoods. We focus on Ecuador's coastal forest and orchid-rich mountains, two of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Our approach keeps land in local hands by emphasizing conservation easements and financial incentives to promote sustainable land stewardship.

Enrolling in the 2025 Tropical Conservation Semester? Click Here!

Study Abroad

Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime educational adventure in pristine tropical locales, and benefit from Ceiba’s twenty years of conservation experience and the academic quality of the University of Wisconsin

Conservation

Your support protects critically threatened forests on Ecuador’s Pacific coast and in the Andes by launching locally-operated nature reserves and linking community development to biodiversity conservation

Research

Ceiba scientists, volunteers, and researchers from around the world study how to protect nature and ensure that communities benefit from ecosystem services like clean and abundant fresh water

Notes from the Field

Coral Reef Ecology Course Swims Home from Belize

August 5th, 2024 | Joe Meisel

Just kidding, we flew! But everyone had a terrific time on the MesoAmerican reef of Belize, the second longest barrier reef in the world. There, on the remote Glovers Reef Atoll, 15 students carried out underwater research projects as part of Ceiba’s 2024 Coral Reef Ecology course. Every day, we’d board our boat, and courtesy ...

Tropical Conservation Semester 2024 – Monkeys, Parrotfish, and Tortoises!

June 20th, 2024 | Joe Meisel

The 2024 Tropical Conservation Semester (TCS) in Ecuador wrapped up in May, after five months of life-changing expeditions. We started on land, traversing the high Andean paramo, hiking through the magic of the cloud forests, and exploring the world’s most biodiverse hotspot, the Amazon rainforest. Along the way, we toured examples of modern conservation, ranging ...

Tropical Conservation Semester – Apply Now!

September 8th, 2023 | Joe Meisel

The Tropical Conservation Semester, Ceiba’s popular study abroad program, takes students on an extended exploration of Ecuador’s amazing and diverse ecosystems.  From the high Andes and misty cloud forest, we spend two weeks in the Amazon basin (and the world’s most biodiverse place, Yasuni), and then journey to the renowned Galapagos islands. You can be ...