Parque Nacional Yanachaga Chemillen

Parque Nacional Yanachaga Chemillen (Foto: Abel Monteagudo M.)

Peru. 2015.

During the last 60 days, from 6th July to the 30th September 2015, the RAINFOR research team led by biologist Abel Monteagudo M., joined by Carolina Ramírez Méndez; Yaneth Quispe Mamani; Miguel Alex Pedraza Arando; Yanh Carlos Soto Shareva; Antonio Peña Cruz and Katy Rondinel Mendoza, installed 3 permanent plots and re-measured 4 plots of 1.0 ha, in the ​​area of San Alberto, Oso Playa, Tunqui and Abra Yanachaga within the Yanachaga Chemillen National Park, at altitudes of 2420, 2900, 2420, 2800, 2250, 1800 and 3100 masl. All new individual trees and tree fern recruits from all these plots were measured and collected. These plots, located in montane forests of the Yanachaga Chemillen National Park, because of their inaccessibility and remoteness, and the adverse weather conditions team members face, are amongst some of the most difficult and dangerous within the RAINFOR Network in Peru. We want to thank all the remeasurement team who were in the field during the last three months, with special thanks to the team of researchers and technical staff for all the logistical support from the Missouri Botanical Garden and in particular Mr. Cesar Augusto Rojas Tello for taking us to these distant places.


  A: Botanical collection of samples from the PNY-14 plot. 

  B: Facilities at the Estación Biológica Paujil.

  C: Osteophloeum platyspermum leaves at the PNY-14 plot.

  D: Travelling by boat – River Iscozacín.

  E: Travelling by boat – River Iscozacín.

 
  (Text by: Abel Monteagudo M.)

Photo: Bosques de la Cordillera del Yanachaga

Brazil BR-319

BR-319, Brasil (photo: Fernanda Coelho de Sauza 2015)

July – August 2015. PPBIO/RAINFOR. Brazil

The joint PPBio/RAINFOR Amazon monitoring campaign started in July 2015, funded by a Newton grant from NERC to Oliver Phillips and Flavia Costa. For 4 weeks a team formed by Fernanda Coelho, Adriane Esquivel and Thaiane Sousa led a research expedition joined by 9 local assistants to re-measure 8 permanent plots of 1-ha each along the BR 319 road.  These plots were installed in 2010 and 2011 between the Purus and Madeira Rivers along an 850-km federal road that connects Manaus-AM to Porto Velho-RO, in the heart of the Amazon and addressing one of the biggest un-sampled gaps in the world. During the field campaign the team recorded diameter measurements, heights, additional informations in relation to liana infestation and tree mode of death, and collected hundreds of recruits and other individuals to improve species identifications for the plots.

All recensused plots are well distributed along BR 319 transect: Manaquiri Km 100 (3 plots), Igapo-Acu km 260 (2 plots) and Orquestra km 300 (3 plots). In August the team is continuing on to re-measure 5 more plots closer to Porto Velho: Capana km 400 (3 plots) and Puruzinho km 620 (2 plots). The re-measurement of these plots provides the first ever ground data to help address fundamental questions concerning forest dynamics and carbon fluxes from this part of the Brazilian Amazon.

BR-319, Brasil (photo: Fernanda Coelho de Sauza 2015)

Mato Grosso, Brazil

RAINFOR Sinop-Sorriso Campaign Team_2015

RAINFOR-Sinop-Sorriso Field Campaign. 2015.

We have had an extremely active campaign throughout the dry season, establishing and recensusing more than twenty RAINFOR plots across Mato Grosso and the southern part of the neighouring Para state. Much of this area lies within the natural transition zone between Amazonia and drier ecosystems to the south. Fieldwork led by Professor Beatriz and Ben-Hur Marimon of the Universidade de Mato Grosso team included important contributions from several post-doctoral and student colleagues, and was supported by grants from the PVE (Special Visiting Researcher) programme of CNPq as well as on-going UNEMAT projects with PELD and PPBio.

While large areas have now been converted to agriculture, the remaining natural vegetation contains a fascinating diversity of species. Much of the vegetation is hyper-dynamic, with stem turnover rates reaching or exceeding 3% a year, and in some localities may be especially vulnerable to climate change.

Santana do Araguaia (SAA-01, SAA-02 e SAT-01.
Com Bia e Ben Hur Marimon (Professores), Bianca Oliveira (MSc, bolsista PELD), Dr. Denis Nogueira (Pós-Doc) e Eder Carvalho (MSc student).

Sinop/Sorriso campaign
Remedindo as áreas SIP-01 (Floresta) and SOR-01 (cerrado) para Rainfor e PPBio.
Com Beatriz e Ben Hur Marimon, Oliver Phillips, Edmar Olveira e Paulo Morandi Lei