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.

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

Ceiba Foundation Celebrates 25 Years!

December 2nd, 2022 | Joe Meisel

For a quarter-century Ceiba has been dedicated to protecting wild places, saving tropical species, and strengthening rural communities. We have emphasized building a world that is resilient to change: ecological, biological, climatic, and social. Ceiba’s conservation programs focus on saving critical remnants of pristine habitat, then connecting them with biological corridors. We invest in communities ...

Study in Ecuador – A Lifetime of Experiences Await!

October 3rd, 2022 | Joe Meisel

Ceiba has offered world-class international education programs for over 20 years, and there’s still time to join the Tropical Conservation Semester in Ecuador! There you will tour the pristine ecosystems that make Ecuador one of the most biodiverse places on planet Earth. Soar in the Andes while we look for spectacled bears and condors! Glide ...

Marine Biology and Community Health Courses in Belize and Ecuador

July 12th, 2022 | Joe Meisel

At Ceiba we pride ourselves in offering world-class study abroad opportunities for university students from the USA, Canada, and indeed around the world.  Our flagship program is the Tropical Conservation Semester, which runs in Ecuador each spring.  But not everybody can go overseas for a full semester, so we also offer intensive summer programs in ...