Botanical Inventory of the Madidi Region, Bolivia

Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

0101775 Jorgensen, Churchill, Killeen, Telleria. Bolivia is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world and the Madidi region has the highest level of biodiversity within Bolivia. A collaborative research effort is underway to catalogue and describe the plant and fungal diversity of that region. The survey is designed to measure biodiversity at different levels using complementary methodologies: 1) A general inventory will be based on newly collected specimens in order to produce a comprehensive list of fungi, mosses, and vascular plants. Collections will contribute to phylogenetic and biogeographic research carried out by specialists all over the world using both traditional and DNA sequencing techniques. 2) Permanent study plots will be used to determine plant species richness within specific habitats and to establish a long-term effort to monitor the health of the ecosystems that house that biodiversity. 3) Satellite images will be combined with data on topography, elevation, geology, and climate in a geographic information system (GIS) to create detailed vegetation maps that provide estimates of both habitat and landscape-level biodiversity. The project involves research institutions and conservation organizations from Bolivia, the United States of America, and Spain, as well as the close collaboration of the Bolivian National Park Service. The lead institution in Bolivia is the National Herbarium of Bolivia, which is coordinating with the Missouri Botanical Garden (under the overall supervision of Dr. Jorgensen) and the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. Also collaborating are the Ecology Institute of La Paz, the Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum of Santa Cruz, Bolivia and the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science of Conservation International. The project involves a large training component for both graduate and undergraduate level students at Bolivian universities. The information produced by the project will be used by the Bolivian National Park Service to support a variety of management initiatives within Madidi National Park and the adjacent Pilon Lajas and Apolobamba Biosphere Reserves.