Tropical Ecology 101 — Foundations for Landscape Architecture & Environmental Design
This lecture was delivered as part of LAN 252: Planting Design Principles, an undergraduate course in the Landscape Architecture program at KMUTT. Tropical Ecology 101 introduces students to the ecological foundations essential for design practice in tropical contexts, exploring why ecology is not simply background knowledge but the basis of every effective design decision. Topics include the climatic definition of the tropics, the role of rainfall and seasonality, major ecosystem types (rainforests, seasonal forests, savannas, and mangroves), and the mechanisms behind tropical biodiversity and disturbance.
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The session closes with applied principles that students carry directly into studio practice: trait-based plant selection, nucleation-based restoration strategies, and designing for long-term resilience and adaptation. It is part of a broader curriculum equipping undergraduate landscape architecture students with the scientific literacy and critical thinking needed to work responsibly and creatively in tropical environments.
LAN 252 — Planting Design Principles | King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi