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Mission

The International Center for Tropical Ecology strives to promote and support research and training in tropical biology and conservation, to promote undergraduate education in conservation biology, and to increase public awareness and interest in issues relating to natural resource conservation and sustainable development. Specific objectives are:

  1. to promote research and graduate education in tropical ecology and systematics, and in tropical conservation and sustainable development;
  2. to nurture partnerships with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the St. Louis Zoo;
  3. to establish active links with colleagues and institutions in tropical countries which will enhance scientific exchange and promote research;
  4. to promote multidisciplinary approaches to solving ecological problems in tropical (and temperate) countries;
  5. to promote undergraduate education in conservation biology, focusing on Missouri, and temperate ecosystems;
  6. to promote an awareness within the St. Louis community of the importance of tropical conservation and the pursuit of environmentally sustainable practices.

The mission outlined in this document is designed to direct the International Center for Tropical Ecology for the next five years. Our goal is to ensure that the International Center and its associates be readily recognized by our colleagues for their research and academic activities, especially those pertaining to tropical biology and conservation. Moreover, we intend to develop programs which will allow the Center to bring together experts from a variety of disciplines to deal with complex problems in tropical conservation and sustainable land use issues.

Meeting objectives of the mission