This award, funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering, the Division of Environmental Biology's Biotic Surveys & Inventories Program, and the Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems Program, supports preliminary research to study the dynamics of climate and land-use change in the tropical Andes region in Peru and Bolivia in collaboration with teams of researchers from the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad el Cusco, Universidad Nacional Agraria, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, Nacional Forestal Martin Cardenas, and Universidad Autonoma Gabriel Rene Moreno.
Data needed by climate, ecosystem, vegetation researchers, and species distribution modelers will be collected and analyzed to gain insight on how global and regional forces affect local biodiversity. It is anticipated that this work will facilitate interaction among a variety of research groups studying the Andes, and will provide general insight on the unique aspects of the Andean forests, the natural processes that produce and maintain life's diversity, and their conservation.
