In this module, we will examine tropical forests from an ecological lens. Understanding how natural ecological processes work will lay the groundwork for knowing how to develop effective conservation and restoration techniques, which we will cover in later modules.

Now that we have examined the ecological forces that shape tropical forest landscapes, we will shift our focus to people. In this module, we will consider how people are affected by and affect tropical forest landscapes and how considering local access to resources is a pivotal consideration when considering effective, equitable interventions.

In this module, we will look at some fundamental conservation concepts. At its core, conservation involves protecting existing habitat or forest cover, but selecting where to prioritize protection, is more complicated. Conservation decisions depend on a suite of considerations, such as how one measures biodiversity, how one considers changes in the landscape over time, and how conservation affects other goals, such as ecosystem function.

In this module, we will explore the process of restoration. As you will soon see, forest restoration encompasses a range of different practices. Selecting which practice to use will depend on a variety of considerations, starting with the level of degradation and the overall goals of the initiative.

In the last two modules, we looked at fundamental concepts for both conservation and restoration. Here, we will look at a third approach to sustainable land management, which integrates tree cover with other agricultural practices: agroforestry. Agroforestry systems have many different forms and applications - we will learn about several of them here.

In this last part of the course, we will learn about funding conservation and restoration initiatives. This module introduces some financial terminology and tools that are useful for communicating to investors, then discusses obtaining two different types of funding: philanthropic and public.