In this U.S.-Ecuador planning visit supported by the Americas Program of the Office of International Science and Engineering, Catherine Graham and a graduate student from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Steve Latta from the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) in California will develop a collaborative research program involving Dr. Gustavo Chacon and Boris Tinoco at the University of Azuay (Cuenca, Ecuador) and Ian Davidson of BirdLife International (Quito, Ecuador). They will discuss a project to pursue avian ecological research in Cajas National Park, Cuenca, Ecuador, that includes the monitoring of bird populations that can result in the development of management and conservation guidelines for the National Park.
This prospective collaborative project combines a unique set of methods from traditional ecological studies with birds to landscape ecology and behavioral ecology. By interacting with non-governmental and academic institutions in both South America and the U.S., the results and analytical techniques developed in any collaborative project would have a broader impact on conservation and education in the highly diverse high-Andean regions. The proposed research project would enhance the career development of a young female faculty member and expose her students and post-doctoral researchers to international collaborations.
