Tropical Conservation and Development
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TCD offers an interdisciplinary certificate and concentration to students enrolled in Master's or Ph.D. programs.
Since the mid-1980s, the University of Florida's Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) Program has drawn on multiple disciplines, methods and skills to understand and address the challenges of complex social-ecological systems in the tropics. The Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) Program draws on the participation of core faculty and approximately 100 faculty affiliates housed in over 25 academic units across campus. The TCD program complements the knowledge and skill sets that students develop in their home units, emphasizing student learning outside their immediate discipline and the ability to think in terms of linked social-ecological systems, work in teams, communicate in nonacademic formats, and reflect critically on their own perspectives and actions. TCD funds support regular competitions for graduate fellowships, assistantships, research grants, and student practitioner experiences, as well as orientations and retreats, a weekly student-led seminar series and other on- and off-campus activities that support collective learning about the cutting-edge thinking and practical issues of conservation and development. An interdisciplinary student organization and an alumni network provide valuable opportunities for critical discussion, collaboration, and sharing of practical experience. You can get involved in the TCD community by subscribing to the TCD listserv or participating in TCD events. If you are a new student, see the Step by Step page of how to sign up for a TCD Concentration/Certificate. We invite you to navigate through the TCD Program's website and contact us for more information or questions!
09/04/2026
Next Tuesday!
Tropilunch happens every Tuesday at 12:45 to 1:45 pm in Grinter Hall 376 or via this Zoom link (updated for Fall 2026). You can find previously recorded presentations on the TCD Youtube channel.
https://us.list-manage.com/U6elccoWMmE?e=15137ef355&c2id=600edc7bbd016f2aa9c0bed69c4904e3
🎥 Interview from Power of Connections workshop participant
🎤 Juliana López – Colectivo Popuña
🌱 Research can be a powerful tool when it helps communities tell their own stories
💬 How can research better support community voices?
👇 Share your thoughts
—
ES: ¿Cómo puede la investigación apoyar mejor las voces comunitarias?
PT: Como a pesquisa pode apoiar melhor as vozes comunitárias?
🔗https://youtu.be/Pmpee19iWm4
08/28/2026
🌿 Tropilunch is back! 🌿
We’re kicking off our Tropilunch Seminar Series, happening every Tuesday!
This Tuesday, September 1, from 12:45–1:45 PM, join us for a presentation by Dr. Arianne Elise Harris:
“Looking for El Dorado: Wildlife Conservation Success Stories and Lessons from Guyana’s Logged Forest”
📍 In person: Grinter Hall, Room 376
💻 Online: Join us virtually
Come learn, connect, and start the new Tropilunch series with us!
Conservation
08/28/2026
Join us for the TCD Welcome Back Social
🎥 Interview from Power of Connections workshop participant
🎤 Luisa Bacca – Instituto Panamazónico
🌱 Strong governance depends on connecting different ways of knowing—legal, scientific, and Indigenous
💬 What helps different types of knowledge work together in your context?
👇 Share your perspective
—
ES: ¿Qué ayuda a que distintos conocimientos trabajen juntos?
PT: O que ajuda diferentes conhecimentos a trabalharem juntos?
🔗 https://youtu.be/hPUcfJVMIjk
08/21/2026
Join us to learn about the TCD Program and TCD Student Group and hear about events, opportunities and reconnect / meet current and new students and faculty!
Friday, September 11, 2026
@ 12 - 4 pm in Smathers Library, Room 100
Objectives:
- Build community: “Catch-up” and get-to-know one another
- Share information about the TCD program and activities/opportunities for 2026-27
- Meet the TCDsg – the TCD student group
- Explore what it means to be part of the dynamic TCD community
See you all there!!!
🎥 Interview from Power of Connections workshop participant
🎤 Javier García – Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas
🌱 Training the next generation of leaders requires new ways of learning—more practical, more inclusive, and more connected to real-world challenges
💬 Which approaches have helped you learn or lead more effectively?
👇 Share your experience
—
ES: ¿Qué enfoques te han ayudado a aprender o liderar mejor?
PT: Quais abordagens ajudaram você a aprender ou liderar melhor?
🔗 https://youtu.be/jN25x56fgBU
🎥 Interview from Power of Connections workshop participant
🎤 Leonardo Tamburini – ORE
🌱 Legal strategies are key tools for defending Indigenous rights and protecting territories
💬 What strategies have been most effective in protecting rights in your context?
👇 Share your view
—
ES: ¿Qué estrategias han sido más efectivas para proteger derechos?
PT: Quais estratégias foram mais eficazes para proteger direitos?
🔗 https://youtu.be/VQSesh9g-Os
🎥 Interview from Power of Connections workshop participant
🎤 Juana Hofman – Amazon Conservation Team
🌱 Governance systems are only effective when they are fair, inclusive, and grounded in real territorial contexts
💬 What makes governance fair and effective in your experience?
👇 Share your thoughts
—
ES: ¿Qué hace que la gobernanza sea justa y efectiva?
PT: O que torna a governança justa e eficaz?
🔗 https://youtu.be/AqXNmuN9QBA
✨ Looking back at an inspiring moment from last year!
In September 2025, participants gathered in Manaus, Brazil, for the POC Workshop #3 on Collaborative Management centered on Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
🌿 Watch the highlights and revisit the conversations, connections, and shared commitment to strengthening Amazon conservation.
🔗 Learn more: https://amazonconservationconnections.com/
🎬 Video by Jorge Pimentel Ramos
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Contact the organization
Telephone
Address
343 Grinter Hall
Gainesville, FL
32611
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |