Parque Nacional "Noel Kempff Mercado" is one of only three functioning biological reserves in the Andean country of Bolivia. Several preliminary inventories of its flora and fauna have been conducted by U.S.-based scientists and have consisted of short term visits during the dry season. This new project is a joint effort by two Bolivian research institutions and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Project personnel will conduct an extensive plant inventory over a three year period, during wet and dry seasons, and the results will be incorporated into a computerized Geographical Information System that will be used to formulate management plans for the park and surrounding areas. Bolivia's largest forest reserves are adjacent to the park, and rational stewardship of these resources including surrounding watersheds requires information about the plants, their habitat preferences and flowering and fruiting schedules, and geographical distributions. A significant component of the research involves training and research with host country botanists and students.
