Programs | Fall Programs | THAILAND

The Program

Thailand's diverse ecosystems provide an exceptional field laboratory for exploring the intricate relationships between wildlife conservation, sustainable agriculture, and community resilience. This interdisciplinary program examines the ecology and conservation of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), as well as the social-ecological systems in which human-elephant interactions occur. We will travel across the country from the misty mountains of the Northern Thanon Thong Chai Range to the dense jungles of the Western Forest Complex to experience Thailand’s incredible biodiversity that most visitors never get to see. Through immersive fieldwork, students engage directly with local stakeholders, including conservation biologists, innovative environmental scientists, and community members with in-depth expertise, to gain a deeper understanding of and support a shared vision of human-elephant coexistence.

Team members in Thailand will gain practical skills while making meaningful contributions and providing support to real-world conservation challenges. You'll work alongside mahouts (elephant caretakers) at one of Thailand’s most ethical elephant sanctuaries to learn about elephant biology and ecology up close, building your skills in behavior observation and individual identification, which we will apply to wild populations along our program. Experts in tropical forest ecology, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture will demonstrate firsthand how Thailand’s elephant habitats have changed, are being restored, and are made more resilient for both humans and elephants in the face of climate change. We will visit three of Thailand’s incredible and breathtaking protected areas to study wildlife behavior, field-based research methods, and meet local and Indigenous communities living and working in these agroecosystems, gaining a deeper understanding of their experiences, challenges, and profound ecological knowledge. Every experience is designed to show you how successful conservation requires understanding and supporting the needs of both wildlife and the people who share their landscapes.

By the program's conclusion, participants will think holistically like conservation scientists, understanding elephants, forests, and agricultural landscapes as deeply interconnected components within complex socio-ecological systems. Students will leave equipped with practical interdisciplinary research skills in wildlife observation, habitat assessment, biodiversity monitoring, and community engagement. Whether you are interested in wildlife biology, environmental science, sustainable agriculture, or community development, this program highlights how integrated approaches create meaningful and lasting conservation outcomes for both wildlife and people.

Program Photo Gallery

Tyler Nuckols

LEAD INSTRUCTOr

PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Santa Cruz;

Tyler is a social-ecological scientist whose decade of work across Southeast Asia and North America examines how aspects of environmental justice, such as power dynamics and structural inequalities, shape human-environment relationships. His research on human-elephant coexistence in Thailand integrates community perspectives, Indigenous knowledge systems, and novel justice frameworks to develop conflict mitigation strategies that balance ecological integrity with social equity. From smallholder farmers living near national parks to urban community groups organizing for climate change solutions, Tyler's participatory approach centers marginalized voices while challenging traditional conservation paradigms through rights-based methodologies and meaningful community empowerment.

As an educator and practitioner, Tyler designs courses that critically examine theory and power structures in conservation while training diverse stakeholders and students in practical and field-based methods that span both social and ecological sciences. His current research focuses on developing restorative and transformative approaches to conservation through the use of innovative social-ecological research and community-defined indicators of success. Drawing from a strong background in the environmental sciences, political ecology, and conservation biology, Tyler guides students in practicing research and applied science that is both ecologically effective and socially just, preparing learners to navigate the ethical complexities of environmental decision-making across diverse cultural and political contexts.