This project will provide continued support of core programs of the organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) as it takes on an increasing role in global efforts to train students in rain forest ecology and to understand, sustainably manage, and conserve ecosystems in the wet tropics. In the last 17 years training and research opportunities have increased dramatically through OTS. Spectacular biodiversity, diverse habitats for observation and experimentation, classroom space, availability of well-trained field technicians and natural history guides,advanced laboratory facilitates, a state-of-the-art Geographic Information/Database Management System, and a welcoming sociopolitical environment have all contributed to OTS's continuing growth. The National Park adjacent to the La Selva site increases long-term ecological security, and a comprehensive Master Plan and independent advisory committee guide management and facilities development. More than 60 graduate and undergraduate courses and over 250 researchers use the La Selva station each year. La Selva serves an unusually broad segment of the US academic community and is playing an increasingly important role in the development of science in Latin America and beyond. In so doing OTS merits long-term support. For economic reasons there will be only a handful of sites in the humid tropics where fully equipped field stations can be developed adjacent to very large protected areas with intact ecosystems. Very few other continental tropical areas have such a long, continuing history of easy access by US students and scientists. La Selva--with its exceptional facilities and protected habitats, location within the democratic Republic of Costa Rica, and intense activity by the US scientific academic community--is a world center for the study of tropical rain forests and their associated altered ecosystems. As such,the station is a valuable element of the nation's programs for undergraduate and graduate education, biodiversity, and global change, and serves a constituency that extends far beyond OTS member institutions.
