Undergraduate Field Courses in Ecology and Conservation
One of the highlights of studying at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, Cornwall is the opportunity to undertake fieldwork, during daytrips and 6- and 10 day-long field courses during your second and third year respectively.
Field courses are an integral part of your undergraduate experience, allowing you to apply your knowledge and obtain practical field research skills at some of the most stunning ecosystems across the UK and Europe.
You will work closely with our expert academic staff, who have decades of experience in performing groundbreaking field research, and our field courses also provide you with a fantastic opportunity to forge lasting relationships with your fellow students and academics.
Below is an overview of the destinations we offer during a typical year. Destinations in your year of study are subject to change and we pride ourselves on teaching you field research skills that are broadly applicable and not tied to specific locations. You can choose one destination in year 2 and one destination in year 3.
As we believe that field course teaching is essential to your learning, the costs are included in your course fees. The exception is for international field courses in year three, where you would need to cover the cost of travel to the field course destination. However, we offer one international field course destination in year three where travel costs will be covered by us (Northern Spain). We strive to organise our field courses to destinations in Europe that are affordable with a relatively low carbon impact, while giving you the best possible learning experience.
Typical Field Course destinations in Year 2 and 3
Year 2: Island Habitats & Biodiversity, Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly are a group of islands on a 2-hour sailing journey from the Cornish coast, renowned for their extraordinary climate that borders on the subtropical. A standout feature of this course is its immersive experience, as you will camp and work within the study habitat. During the field course you will learn about the phenomenal biodiversity of marine and coastal species. Moreover, you will perform your own research project measuring behaviour of coastal organisms, biodiversity change, or about changing human livelihoods in coastal settings.
Year 2: Coastal & Upland Habitats, Scotland
On this field trip you will get an immersive taste of several unique Scottish habitats, including Caledonian Pine remnants in the Cairngorms, upland freshwater habitats, moorland and coastal cliffs. These habitats are host to many species of high conservation priority in the UK, including the red squirrel, common dolphin, otter and golden eagle. You will learn about seabird conservation and study species interactions at one of the UKs most impressive seabird breeding colonies. Guided by world-leading experts on Scottish biodiversity conservation, you will carry out your own research project, for example to investigate the distribution of rare orchids or the tactics that shorebirds use to maximize food intake.
Year 2: Marine Biology, Plymouth Sound National Marine Park
The beautiful Devon coast will be the backdrop for studying some of the most stunning marine biodiversity in the UK. You will learn about the major contemporary challenges to the protection of marine life and how to conserve the major coastal and marine habitat types along the UK’s coastline. You will perform your own seagrass surveys and learn how seagrass provides a major refuge for all kinds of marine wildlife. You will learn about ecological interactions taking place on the sea floor and identify key marine indicator species. Guided by our expert marine ecologists, you will perform your own research project, for example on competitive interactions between crabs or shoaling behaviour in estuarine fish species.
Virtual Field Course on our Penryn Campus
For those students who want to enjoy our field course experience while staying closer to home we now offer a virtual field trip. The virtual field trip mirrors a year-two field course to Scotland, studying Caledonian Pine remnants in the Cairngorms, upland freshwater habitats, moorland and coastal cliffs. These habitats are host to many species of high conservation priority in the UK. From our academic field course experts, you will learn about the key conservation challenges faced by these habitats. Guided by us you will learn how to perform field work using virtual environments. You will learn how to develop biodiversity surveys and how to mine the literature to perform your own research.
Year 3: Alpine Ecology, Switzerland
This field course will bring you to a stunning location in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by unique alpine habitats, including mountainous forests, tundras, boulder fields, glaciers and snow-capped peaks. You will learn about the adaptations that allow organisms to live in an environment that is characterised by extremes, the fragility of the alpine ecosystem, and observe typical alpine vertebrates and plants. You will witness first-hand the effects that humans have on this unique environment, for example through cattle and sheep herding or tourism. You will also measure how glaciers are retreating at unprecedented rates and how climate change has a direct impact on alpine biodiversity. Guided by experts in alpine ecology you will perform your own research, for example about alpine marmot and their habituation to tourists, how forest management affects biodiversity or whether plants move higher up the mountains with increasing climate change.
Year 3: European Coastal & Mountain Habitats, Northern Spain
Northern Spain is a fabulously diverse region both geographically and biologically. The rugged coast has both rocky shores and major estuaries that border on the Cantabrian mountains. During the course you will get familiar with the key habitats of some of Europe’s key wildlife species inhabiting the northern Iberian peninsula, such as bear, otter, chamois and numerous large birds of prey. You will learn from some of our most renowned ecologists who have been performing their field research in this area for more than a decade. As with any other field course, you will obtain much-needed skills on designing and carrying out your own research project, for example on how extreme climatic events affect insect populations, or on the foraging behaviour of raptors.
Year 3: Terrestrial Ecology, Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range that separate Iberian peninsula from the rest of Europe, representing one of the most important European glacial refugia in Europe. These mountains harbour some of Europe’s remaining megafauna such as brown bears and lammergeiers, and serve as the western migration corridor for many birds and insects. The field trip will expose you to native, endemic and invasive species and their habitats. You will learn how to measure of behaviour and biodiversity in insects, mammals, birds and plants. We will consider human-wildlife conflict issues that are special to the mountain ranges and the Mediterranean. You will perform independent research projects on topics as diverse as insect-plant interactions, bird behaviour, diversity-disturbance relationships and altitudinal gradients. We will stay in a high mountain refuge and learn about important work on evolutionary ecology and conservation in this eco-region.
Year 3: Human-Wildlife Interactions, Poland
North-Eastern Poland contains two of Europe’s most important wildlife habitats, the ancient Bialowieza forest and the famous Biebrza marshes. This field-course will explore the relationship between humans and wildlife and work with local biologists to learn more about conservation in the region. The field course will visit Bialowieza forest, home to almost all the remaining European Bison, as well as rare endemic birds and populations of beaver, wolf and elk. We will also visit the Biebrza marshes, the largest continuous riverine wetland in Europe and home to large populations of water birds. The field-course will be timed to coincide with the autumn bird migration and provides a fabulous opportunity to learn more about biodiversity, ecology, evolution and behaviour in an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot.
Year 3: Mediterranean Ecosystems, Corsica
The island of Corsica boasts a vast diversity of different ecosystems, ranging from tundra-like vegetation near its 2700m peaks to the maquis and garrigue arid shrublands that are a staple of Mediterranean biodiversity. Its mountain forests host a broad range of wildlife such as Corsican mouflon, Lammergeier and endemic species such as the Corsican fire salamander. The island is surrounded by plankton-rich waters that attract large numbers of dolphins and whales. This course provides you with some of the major examples of the challenges faced by Mediterranean ecosystems like those on Corsica. Guided by our leading field ecologists, you will study how rapidly warming seas change Mediterranean marine life and how forests ecosystems recover after forest fires. You will perform your own field research projects in this unique ecosystem, ranging from studying behaviour in migratory songbirds to how plants vary in their defences against herbivory.
Year 3: Global Research Skills Virtual Field Course, Penryn Campus
For those who would like to stay at home while enjoying an in-depth experience of key habitats across the world, join us on the global research skills virtual field course. During this field course, you will learn about the field research performed by our staff to preserve some of the most threatened and pristine habitats across the globe such as Costa Rica, Yukon and Alaska, Kenya, Borneo and the Azores. You will learn about some of the key challenges to study and preserve wildlife across these different global locations, giving you all-round expertise to assess biodiversity on a global scale. Guided by some of the world’s best field biologists, you will learn the latest skills in analyse image data of various field sites, studying topics such as plant distributions, how animals migrate or social interactions in group-living animals.
Year 3: Ecology, Behaviour, and Conservation in Wild Places: The forests and oceans of Yukon and Alaska
The Yukon Territory and Alaska in North America are home to some of the largest remaining wilderness areas in the world. In this field course we will explore wilderness habitats starting from the boreal forests, lakes, and taiga of Kluane Lake, through the alpine tundra and icefields of the St Elias mountain range, the coastal rainforest of southern Alaska, culminating in Sitka at the rocky shore and kelp forest of the Pacific ocean. You will study how these ecosystems formed and how they function. Along the way we shall try to spot moose, beaver, grey wolves, Canadian lynx, wolverine, pine marten, ptarmigan, Dall sheep, bald eagles, sea otters, humpback whales, and grizzly and black bears feasting on the migrating salmon. You will encounter key study systems including the coupled population dynamics of lynx and snowshoe hare, the behavioural ecology of Kluane red squirrels, and mountain habitats as indicators of climate change. You will develop your own research skills by undertaking field studies in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments, and by developing projects in small groups.
Hands-on field experience during day trips
Dependent on the choice of modules in your study programme, you will have the opportunity to get out in the field on several day trips. In year 1, Marine students will join us on the research vessel Tiger Lily to learn marine surveying techniques, such as how to work with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), take seawater measurements and how to sample plankton. In year 2, you will be out in the field again, learning how you will measure the structure of ecological communities by catching and recording fish species across different marine habitats.
Next to marine day trips, students will also have the opportunity to study terrestrial biodiversity. Dependent on module choice, you can join our expert staff to study animal behaviour during a day trip to Newquay Zoo, or take our field trip to Tehidy Woods during which you will learn various ecological sampling techniques and how to measure forest communities. We also have day trips to the fantastic nature surrounding our Penryn Campus, such as to study rockpools in Gyllyngvase and Castle Beach in Falmouth. Other day trip destinations offered (dependent on module choice) are Sennen Cove and Land's End, Gwithian Towans, the Helford Estuary on the Lizard Peninsula, Devichoys Woods as well as various practical field experiences in our fantastic garden campus.
"The Centre for Ecology and Conservation aims to tackle the Global Biodiversity Crisis. Our degree programmes share the field skills required for your future careers, and the immersive, collaborative experience of visiting precious ecosystems and seeing awe-inspiring wildlife. While studying on our Penryn Campus you will experience daytrips to Cornwall’s incredible marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and you will be taken on two residential field courses to fantastic destinations. Students see the world’s most extraordinary fauna and flora and meet stakeholders in the fight to prevent extinctions... meanwhile learning how to minimise their environmental footprint. In 2019 the University of Exeter declared a Climate and Environment Emergency, and our approach to field courses is a crucial step towards net zero for our activities by 2030."
Professor Dave Hodgson, Director of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation
Our field course was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I learnt so much about plastic pollution on this course, which has been extremely helpful when working on my dissertation.
Daisy
BSc Conservation Biology and Ecology
Whilst on my field trip to the Scottish Highlands, I was reminded why I decided to do Zoology as a degree. Getting to learn about the variety of biomes in Scotland, ranging from Caledonian forest to Tundra, was a pretty magical experience - let alone the wildlife that is rarely seen elsewhere in the UK such as Arctic Skuas, black grouse and even the resident bottlenose dolphins (the largest of all bottlenose dolphins globally).
It was also a great opportunity to put our scientific skills to the test, coming up with our own mini research projects, with the support of our lecturers. All whilst having a great time with peers that you may not usually see outside of the lecture theatre, creating great memories!
Kacey
BSc Zoology
The field course was an epic guided tour of Scottish wildlife. We were on safari, guided by zoologists with real-world experience of conducting research in the wild. The collective knowledge and enthusiasm of students and staff alike was incredible. I came away with a greater appreciation of UK wildlife and enhanced field research skills, whilst ticking off some bucket-list species along the way.
Lucy
MSci Zoology
