Tropical Biology Association

Name

Tropical Biology Association

Legal name

Tropical Biology Association

Website

https://tropical-biology.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Education and Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Schools of Pharmacy (EDAHAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

Keywords

• Conservation training programs
• Tropical ecology education
• Field-based capacity building
• Biodiversity research training
• Conservation capacity development

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Course Fees: TBA charges course fees for field courses and specialist training programs. Field course fees are £1400 for standard participants and £1000 for member organization participants, with scholarships available for African applicants.
2. Membership Fees: Universities and institutions pay membership fees to gain priority access to courses, reduced fees for their students, and networking opportunities with member organizations.
3. Donations and Scholarships: Individual donors, grant-giving organizations, foundations, and businesses support TBA through donations and scholarship funding. Scholarship donations of £5000 can fund one African conservationist's training.
4. Bespoke Training and Consultancy: TBA provides tailor-made training and consultancy services for conservation and research institutions, including corporate training for sustainability programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TBA delivers conservation training and capacity-building programmes for early-career scientists, conservation organisations, and corporate clients. Its primary offerings are month-long field courses at tropical sites in Africa and Asia, specialist tailor-made courses for conservation and research institutions, online courses for remote skill development, and bespoke consultancy that includes the proprietary BROA tool for assessing biodiversity impacts. The organisation is funded through course fees, institutional membership subscriptions, donations, grants, and corporate training contracts.

Product overview

The Tropical Biology Association is a conservation training organisation offering a portfolio of field-based and online educational programmes. Its core offerings include month-long Field Courses held at tropical field sites across Africa and Asia, Specialist Courses providing tailor-made training for conservation organisations, and Online Courses for remote skill development. The organisation also runs a Scholarship Programme to fund African conservationists, provides Bespoke Training and Consultancy services including the BROA tool for agribusiness, and maintains an Alumni Network of over 2,000 trained scientists with 15 national groups. TBA co-organises the Student Conference on Conservation Science and offers Corporate Training programmes for sustainability education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Field Courses Month-long immersive training programmes held at tropical field sites in Africa and Asia, providing practical skills in tropical ecology and conservation for early-career scientists.
• Specialist Courses Tailor-made training programmes for conservation and research organisations to address specific skills gaps, covering topics such as citizen science, project design, ecosystem services, and organisational capacity building.
• Online Courses Virtual learning programmes enabling aspiring conservationists to develop skills in scientific writing, publishing, and data analysis remotely.
• Bespoke Training & Consultancy Customised training programmes and consultancy services for conservation organisations, corporations, and research institutions, including the Biodiversity Risk and Opportunity Assessment (BROA) tool developed for agribusiness clients.
• Scholarship Programme Funding initiative providing full and partial scholarships for African conservationists to attend TBA training courses, with scholarships costing £5,000 per student covering travel, accommodation, tuition, and subsistence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 environmental scientists trained, many now leading conservationists in research, government and NGOs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major, key and minor.

• Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTBA is a founder member of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, a collaborative venture bringing together the University of Cambridge and ten leading conservation organisations for global biodiversity conservation. CCI partners tackle existing and new conservation challenges with innovative approaches.
• National Museums of KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides TBA with a home base in Africa; TBA's Nairobi office is hosted by NMK. They collaborate to run joint annual courses including Fundamentals of Ornithology, and share equipment for national surveys.
• Makerere University Biological Field StationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost site for TBA field courses in Kibale National Park, Uganda. TBA works closely with this station managed by Makerere University.
• Uganda Wildlife AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain government agency for wildlife protection managing Kibale National Park. Partners with TBA on course delivery and wildlife conservation.
• Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTBA is a co-organiser of SCCS, the only annual forum specifically for young conservation scientists to deepen knowledge, share ideas and build networks. Has hosted 2,500+ delegates from 124 countries.
• British American TobaccomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner15-year partnership where TBA helped guide BAT to lighten its impact on nature and create more sustainable supply chain for small-holder farmers. TBA developed and implemented the BROA tool globally.
• British Ecological SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Ecology Masterclass: Designing Projects in the Field, a new field course for early-career African researchers. 24 participants with full scholarships provided.
• Moi University, Kenyatta University, Egerton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with Kenyan universities provide TBA with specialist teaching staff for field courses. In return, their students have priority access to training programmes.
• University of AntananarivocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Madagascar's university facilitates training courses in the country's dry deciduous forests. Teaching staff share expertise with TBA participants.
• Amani Nature ReservecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMemorandum of Understanding for annual field courses in the forests of the Usambara mountains in northeastern Tanzania. TBA has helped build accommodation and trained Reserve staff.
• British Trust for OrnithologykeyTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on citizen science training, bringing expertise in bird mapping and monitoring developed through UK bird monitoring programmes.
• University of Cambridge Museum of ZoologykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in citizen science project bringing expertise in community outreach and conservation education.
• Global Environment Facility (GEF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for training Operational Focal Points across West Africa on project oversight and strategic management of environmental projects. Training event in Accra, Ghana for 13 countries.
• A Rocha KenyakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation NGO co-founding Kenya Bird Map project. Partner in citizen science training and biodiversity monitoring initiatives.
• Nature KenyakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenya's oldest environmental society. Partner in Kenya Bird Map project and co-founder of conservation initiatives with TBA.
• Kenya Bird Map CommitteekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by National Museums of Kenya, involves A Rocha Kenya, Nature Kenya, and TBA. Maps current distribution of all Kenya bird species.
• CIBIO (Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch centre from University of Porto, Portugal. Partnership for TBA's first field course in Guinea Bissau.
• Tree TalkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal NGO in Uganda that partnered with TBA to train young farmers to build fuel-efficient stoves, reducing fuelwood usage by 50%.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Global conservation organization with extensive training, capacity-building, and conservation education programs across Africa and Asia. Listed as a TBA partner; comparable at a broader scale as a major incumbent in the same conservation and capacity-building space.
• Zoological Society of London (ZSL): International conservation and zoo organization running professional training courses, conservation education, and capacity-building programs including the EDGE of Existence programme. Listed as a TBA partner; comparable as an incumbent running structured conservation training for practitioners worldwide.
• BirdLife International: Global partnership of conservation organizations focused on birds and biodiversity, with significant training and capacity-building for partner organizations worldwide. Comparable as a larger incumbent in conservation training with overlapping ornithology and citizen science work (e.g., TBA's Kenya Bird Map project).
• Fauna & Flora International (FFI): One of the world's oldest conservation organizations with extensive conservation training, capacity building, and partner programs across tropical regions. Listed as a TBA partner on their website; broadly comparable as a major conservation NGO with a strong training and partner support mission.

Direct peers

• Frontier (Frontier Conservation): Organization running tropical conservation field research and training programs across Africa, Asia, and South America. Comparable as it delivers field-based conservation training with academic affiliations and a focus on building practitioner capacity in biodiversity-rich regions.
• Operation Wallacea: Provider of tropical conservation research expeditions and field courses in biodiversity hotspots, with similar academic partnerships and structured training programs for students and early-career scientists. Comparable in offering field-based conservation learning experiences in multiple tropical geographies.
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust: Conservation training organization running the Durrell Conservation Academy and field-based programs on species recovery and island ecosystems. Most directly comparable peer as it combines professional training, conservation science, and international field course delivery for early-career practitioners.
• Earthwatch Institute: Field-based conservation research and citizen science training organization with global expeditions engaging scientists and volunteers. Comparable peer in delivering hands-on field conservation training with structured learning components.

Regional players

• African Wildlife Foundation: Africa-focused conservation organization delivering training, scholarships, and capacity building for African conservation professionals. Comparable peer in the African conservation training space with similar mission focus on building local practitioner capacity.

Emerging players

• WildTeam: Bangladesh-based conservation training organization offering practical courses in conservation skills, particularly for South Asian practitioners. Comparable as an emerging regional capacity-builder with a similar training-focused mission for early-career conservationists.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tropicalbiology
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCf6Y8uQ0-a6IUMLnNRdcDRw
• Facebookfacebook.com/tropicalbiologyassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tropical-biology-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/tropicalbiologyassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tropical Biology Association