The EPI Academic Exchange Program aims at the strengthening of human capacity of current and future generations to manage wetlands using systemic comparison approaches, direct field experiences, and exposure to regional development challenges in the Pantanal and Everglades ecosystems.  Target audiences are future generations of young environmental students and professionals from the Everglades and Pantanal working together in inter-disciplinary groups. They will have the opportunity to work together as a team for a few weeks; dealing with language barriers and cultural diversity; and sharing ideas to exercise their creativity and ability to design small projects.

Sustainable development is the goal: How to make it feasible, how to design and implement proposals, and how to think globally and act locally.  By using their knowledge and personal experiences from exposure to the Everglades ecosystem, Florida students will be

invited to compare and register their observations on the similarities and differences that stand out between both ecosystems, benchmarking some EPI potential for projects. Likewise, Pantanal students will travel to the Everglades to share their experiences about adaptive management in an ecosystem that still presents great degree of natural conservation, for the benefit of emulating a virtual benchmark for the Everglades restoration.

Partners in the EPI Academic Exchange Program

Since the inception of EPI, a number of the academic partners have adjusted their programs to accommodate EPI endeavors regarding educational needs in the Everglades and the Pantanal.  Among them are the University of South Florida (USF), Florida Atlantic University (FAU), Catholic University Dom Bosco (UCDB) of Mato Grosso do Sul, the Federal University of Mato Grosso, and the Student Conservation Association.  Direct links to the websites of these institutions are in EPI Partners. 

Brazil Environmental Studies Program, organized by the Florida Center for Environmental Studies – CES

SCA Program, organized by Student Conservation Association

EPI Eco-Brazil 2003 Program, organized by the Florida Center for Environmental Studies (CES), in conjunction with Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), and other academic and government institutions in Brazil Past Eco-Brazil Programs were organized by the University of South Florida (USF) and the Florida Center for Environmental Studies (CES) - Check here to see the Eco-Brazil 2001 Program