
Workshops and Courses
Enhance Your Skills and Network through ATBC2025 Workshops and Courses!
Sign-up Deadline for Workshops and Courses:
June 15th, 2025
Below you will find a list of pre-conference and in-conference workshops and training courses offered as part of ATBC2025.
Workshops and Courses are open to all registered conference participants at no additional cost, unless otherwise specified.
Please note that enrollment in any workshop or course is only valid if you have completed your main conference registration. If you have not yet registered for the main event, your selections will not be considered confirmed.
If you are certain you will attend the conference but need a bit more time to complete your registration, please contact us at atbc2025@tropicalbiology.org.
Important:
Do not select workshops/courses scheduled at the same time. Due to scheduling overlaps, simultaneous sign-ups will not be honored.
Spots are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Please enroll only if you are certain you will attend, to ensure fair access for all participants.

Pre-conference Workshops and Courses
If you are interested in these sessions, we recommend registering for only one pre-conference session to ensure a focused experience. However, if you choose to attend more than one, please make sure there are no scheduling conflicts between the sessions you select.
The pre-conference activities will take place at the Unidad de Extensión Universitaria UNAM-Oaxaca, located at Av. de la Independencia 1002, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax.
WS-14

Workshop
Writing for Publication in Peer-Review Journals: An interactive and collaborative workshop
Saturday, June 28, 2025 | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM &
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Organizer(s):
Sophie Calmé, Sarah Bologna
Writing for Publication in Peer-Review Journals: A 2-day collaborative workshop to inspire, upskill, and motivate emerging scientists from the Global South to engage with global conversations and, through making their voices heard, help to enrich and bring diversity to global debates.
WS-12

Workshop
Communicating conservation science
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Organizer(s):
MariaIsabel Torres, Alexa Velez Zuazo, Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo
The workshop will help scientists build communication skills to increase the likelihood of attracting media coverage of their work, potentially leading to greater impact of their research and improved public visibility.
WS-25

Workshop
Challenges and Strategies in Transdisciplinary Research for Co-Producing Knowledge and Actions in Conservation Projects
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Organizer(s):
Karime León Sánchez, Juliana Merçon, Ana Pohlenz de Tavira
This workshop will foster the exchange of experiences among participants, through participatory methodologies, in order to identify challenges and co-create strategies for the transdisciplinary production of knowledge and practices around conservation with a socio-ecological approach.
C-16

Course
Proposing Alliance for Zero Extinction and Key Biodiversity Areas sites to protect threatened species
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Organizer(s):
Karolina Fierro
This course introduces Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) and Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites, focusing on their significance for governments, private sector, and grassroots organizations. It covers the KBA Standard, site nomination process, common mistakes, and navigating the World Database of KBAs, aiming for the successful nomination of new AZE/KBA
C-32

Course
Tropical restoration projects for the people: learning by doing in the Gulf of Mexico
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Organizer(s):
César Vázquez-González
Mangroves and flooded forests restoration with the aim of recovering ecosystem services and making carbon projects sustainable not only for investors, but also for owners and people of communities, and ensuring the conditions improvement of coastal socio-ecological systems.
WS-17

Workshop
Bridging Worlds: Using Illustration as a Common Language for Inclusive Science in the Tropics.
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Organizer(s):
Sumita Chatterjee, Jennifer Powers, Alejandra Perez-Enriquez
Join us at the symposium to explore how inclusive science and the use of illustration as a universal language can foster multidirectional knowledge exchange, bridging the gap between diverse communities and the scientific community for effective conservation and resilience in the tropics.
C-8

Course
Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Causal Inference in Ecology
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Organizer(s):
David Bauman, Luisa Truffi de Oliveira Costa
This course introduces Structural Causal Modeling (SCM) in Ecology, teaching participants to use causal diagrams and statistical tools (dagitty, R) to distinguish causal from spurious associations, identify control variables, and justify causal inference, bridging the gap between experimental and observational studies while addressing common pitfalls in ecological research.
WS-15

Workshop
Bee-ing Transformative: A Workshop for applying the Transformative Change Assessment through honey-tasting
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 15:00 PM
Organizer(s):
Rafael Calderón-Contreras
An illustration of the dimensions of Transformation in which the transformative change assessment of the IPBES through a guided tasting of stingless bee honey, highlighting the terroir—the unique environmental and botanical conditions that shape honey’s flavor, texture, and medicinal qualities, and its transformative potential.
WS-26

Workshop
Project Management for Impactful Field Courses
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Organizer(s):
Pablo Muñoz, Sofia Rodríguez-Brenes, Elizabeth Braker
In this workshop you will learn about how to apply the OTS model of Education into the preparation of a field course, from both the administrative and logistics side to the content and curriculum. We will equip you with the tools to strengthen your team and enhance your course.
WS-10

Workshop
Popular Science Writing for Beginners - Conceptualising, Pitching and Writing for Popular Media
Sunday, June 29, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Organizer(s):
Sutirtha Lahiri, Bhavya Iyer
This workshop will help participants share their research with a broader, non-scientific audience through popular media such as magazine articles, stories, podcasts, and more, through some examples of popular nature writing and the writing and publishing process.
In-conference Workshops and Courses
If you are interested in participating in in-conference workshops, please select a maximum of one workshop per day, as these activities are scheduled in the same time slot. Please note that parallel oral sessions will also be taking place during these times.
These workshops will be held at the main conference venue: the Centro Cultural y de Convenciones de Oaxaca (CCCO).
Be sure to review the schedule carefully to avoid any conflicts and to make the most of your participation.
WS-6

Workshop
Towards a decolonized and impactful tropical biology research: initiating a methodological debate and discussion.
Monday, June 30, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Organizer(s):
Vinita Gowda, Louis Santiago, Sumita Chatterjee, Claudia Garnica Diaz, Jedediah Brodie, Farah Carrasco
This workshop is aimed at initiating a dialogue between individuals who have intentionally implemented more inclusive, decolonial practices in their own research and research lab, individuals who recognize a need for equity, and those who want to learn more about the meaning of equity in tropical sciences.
WS-7

Workshop
Create and implement inclusive online learning modules using your own tropical biology research
Monday, June 30, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Organizer(s):
Ann Russell, Jorge Mora, Lindsay McCulloch, Michael Britton
Learn about creating online learning modules based on your own research through the OCELOTS network (Online Content for Experiential Learning of Tropical Systems). Working with specialists in pedagogy, interactive data tools, and media, tropical biologists create modules on a user-friendly, open-access platform. Instructors learn about implementing modules in courses.
WS-24

Workshop
Connecting Inner and Outer landscapes to contribute to the conservation of the tropics
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 | 3:40 PM – 5:40 PM
Organizer(s):
Leandro Macchi, Patricia Balvanera
We will explore the interactions between inner (e.g. emotions, visions) and outer (e.g. diversity, land use change) tropical landscapes, including a presentation of concepts, an exploration of these interactions, the experience of the role of meditation in fostering positive interactions that support more sustainable futures, and a group discussion
WS-23

Workshop
Rolling out research in urgent times: weaving arts and science through trans-disciplinary practice
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 | 3:40 PM – 5:40 PM
Organizer(s):
Tanaya Nair, Hannelie Coetzee
This participatory workshop explores how local knowledge, art, and science can co-produce culturally rich, site-responsive solutions to environmental challenges. Through real-world examples, weaving techniques, and outdoor reflection, we spark meaningful conversations and seek partners for a three-year residency engaging artists and scientists in climate-vulnerable regions.
WS-20

Workshop
What makes a network work? Keys for success in cross-border conservation networks
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 | 3:40 PM – 5:40 PM
Organizer(s):
Vanessa Luna Celino, Karen Kainer, Nina Attias, Sabina Ribeiro, Jonathan Dain, Bette Loiselle
This interactive workshop will explore strategies for strengthening tropical conservation networks. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises and discussions to co-develop an incipient roadmap for effective collaboration that integrates scientific research, policy engagement, and training.
WS-28

Workshop
From Canopy to Cosmos: Mapping the Anthropocene Through Poetry
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 | 3:40 PM – 5:40 PM
Organizer(s):
Catherine Hulshof
This workshop unites science, culture, and creative expression, guiding participants to “map” the Anthropocene’s impact on tropical environments through poetry, inspiring new visions of possible futures.
WS-21

Workshop
Beyond the Status Quo: How Visionary Leaders Drive Lasting Impact
Thursday, July 3, 2025 | 3:40 PM – 5:40 PM
Organizer(s):
Sumita Chatterjee, Tuyeni Mwampamba
This workshop invites conservation researchers to engage in deep self-reflection on how colonial narratives shape their work, fostering vulnerability and collective inquiry to develop intentional, accountable strategies for decolonizing conservation practices.
WS-11

Workshop
Providing tools to empower early and mid-career professionals in Tropical Biology
Thursday, July 3, 2025 | 3:40 PM – 5:40 PM
Organizer(s):
Salamatu Fada
This workshop provides vital tools for career development in tropical biology, focusing on Personal SWOT analysis, Personal Development Plan creation, and the role of mentorship.
Workshops and Courses with Independent Registration
If you are interested in participating in any of these courses or workshops, please review the specific information for each and follow the corresponding application process.
These offerings are not part of the main workshop registration system and have limited capacity. Each one has its own dates, requirements, and venue, and therefore requires independent registration.
We encourage you to read the details carefully and ensure you meet the requirements before applying.

ATBC2025 Field Course:
Tropical Ecology: Field Botany and Camera Trapping
June 26-29, 2025
Deadline for applications: June 6th, 2025
Organizer(s): Paul Fine , Onja Razafindratsima, Sabine Cudney-Valenzuela, and Reyna Domínguez
This hands-on field course is designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students to build practical skills in tropical botany and camera trapping while exploring key conservation strategies in Oaxaca’s montane cloud forests.

Curso Transdisciplinario:
¿Cómo pueden las colaboraciones transdisciplinarias fomentar sistemas alimentarios sostenibles en los bosques tropicales?
June 27, 28, 29 & July 4, 2025
Fecha límite para registro de interés: 6 de junio, 2025
Instructoras(es): Patricia Balvanera, Mariana Martínez, Lucía Pérez Volkow, Adriana Cadena Roa, Paola Miguel, Manyari López, and Diego Hernández (Cocina Colaboratorio – UNAM and collaborators).
Curso intensivo en español, especialmente dirigido a estudiantes de posgrado y personas en etapas tempranas de su carrera, que se llevará a cabo en diversas sedes de Oaxaca, facilitado por el equipo transdisciplinario de Cocina Colaboratorio, con el objetivo de brindar herramientas teóricas y prácticas para impulsar colaboraciones horizontales y sistemas alimentarios sostenibles en territorios tropicales.