Every year in the U.S., thousands of Master's and Ph.D. students struggle to develop meaningful research projects in conservation and policy. At the same time, protected areas throughout Latin America are suffering from inadequate funding to meet their felt needs in research and development. Therefore, we of Duke University's Working Group on Latin America and the Environment are working with Colorado State University's Center for Protected Area Training and Management to offer a forum where students can come together with specific protected area managers to develop projects that will meet both of their needs. Students will have the potential to make a real and practical contribution to conservation, and parks will have their research priorities addressed.
Here, we simply list some research that managers in Latin America have identified as conservation priorities. Please note that we take no responsibility for the veracity of the postings. This page should be looked at simply as a starting point for the thorough research that is needed to develop a project. Do not send resumes or cover letters to this website. Posting is exclusively by the managers of protected areas. Posting parties: Please email jessica.hardesty@duke.edu a synopsis of your research needs, your contact information, what you can offer in collaboration with the students, and what languages are necessary and recommended for visiting researchers.
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CONTACT INFO Las Guacamayas Biological Station telephone (502) 926-1370 For additional information,
see: |
Inaugurated
in 1999 by ProPetén (formerly the Guatemalan program of Conservation
International but now an independent Guatemalan non-profit or "NGO"),
the "Las Guacamayas" Biological Station (named after the threatened
scarlet macaw, Ara macao), is the base of our conservation operations in
the eastern section of Laguna del Tigre National Park, the largest park
in Guatemala. Situated at the confluence of the San Pedro and Sacluc Rivers,
the biological station offers access to both wetlands, fresh water systems,
and subtropical dry forests. The station provides up to 40 researchers and
staff with a fully-equipped laboratory, solar energy, bathrooms and showers
with running water, and a kitchen. The biological station has a formal agreement
with the University of San Carlos (the national public university in Guatemala).
The station is open to scientific researchers at all levels. During the
past five years of operation (research was ongoing during the 2 years of
construction), scientists from around the world have carried out studies
on tropical birds species (7), flora (5), amphibians and reptiles (5), water
quality (3), invertebrate fauna (2), and Rapid Ecological Assessment (RAP)
of biodiversity (both aquatic and terrestrial). |
2) Laguna Blanca National Park, Argentina (see link)
CONTACT INFO
Claudio
Chehebar- drp.chehebar@bariloche.com.ar
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Darwin´s Rhea
The Darwin´s or lesser Rhea (Pterocnemia pennata) lives in the 11,000 Ha Park. One possible issue of interest would be to make a comparative study of the potential viability and effectiveness of protected areas of different size, for the long-term conservation of viable populations of this terrestrial bird. There are other protected areas with P.pennata in Patagonia -though not very near- which could be included in such a comparative study. As a species with particular conservation implications (e.g. Wildlife Conservation Society considers P. pennata as a "landscape species" in Patagonia), this study c ould have important and far-reaching results for conservation in Patagonia. |
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* What is happening with the aquatic macrophytes of the Laguna Blanca? The Laguna Blanca is an important water-body, the central feature which led to its designation as a National Park, because of the very significant waterfowl nesting. This in turn was always supported by extensive and dense beds of Myriophyllum which provided habitat for food, and nest support. In the last years, there has been an abrupt and dramatic change: almost no emergent Myriophyllum exists today, and this can be suspected as one of the causes of an equally dramatic decrease in the spectacular waterfowl which once populated the pond. In turn, as possible causes for the macrophytes decline, it has been speculated that introduced fishes (percas or perch Percichthys -native to the region but not to these fishless lagoon until 1960) could have precipitated a whole cascade of ecosystem changes. This research could have implications beyond this Park, because fish introductions are occuring across all Patagonia, in many closed watersheds and ponds. |
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Movements and large-scale habitat use by black-necked swan
The black-necked swan Cygnus melancoryphus was, in fact, the carismatic species which in those earlier years justified the creation of the Park. There used to be 1,500 or 2,000 individuals in the high season every year. In the last years, 100 or 150. Is this associated with the great changes occurred in the Laguna Blanca, or is it related to large-scale fluctuations in the population, or to changes, shifts and fluctuations in suitable habitats at a regional scale? In this regard, a technique with great potential could be satellite telemetry, in combination with other techniques. |
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The Laguna Blanca waterfowl community
The whole functioning of the waterfowl community has never been studied -its resources, its dynamic, relationships -several species of ducks, andean flamingo, coots, and others. |