FSML: Planning for the Future of the Las Cruces Research Station, Costa Rica

Organization For Tropical Studies Inc

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of the Las Cruces planning session is to produce a five-year development plan for the Las Cruces Research Station, a field station of the Organization for Tropical Studies located in southern Costa Rica. The station contains 365-ha of primary and secondary forest and one of the most important botanical gardens in Central America. The station's physical location places it at the intersection of natural and human dynamics that are central to tropical environmental science. It is embedded in an agricultural landscape yet has exceptionally high levels of biodiversity due to the rugged topography, the surrounding remnant forest fragments, and its role as part of a biological corridor between two of the most critical conservation areas in Central America: La Amistad International Park and the Osa Peninsula. However, the current lack of adequate infrastructure is a strong limiting factor to ongoing and new lines of research. The Las Cruces planning session will address expansion of station infrastructure to meet current project needs and allow for the modernization and technological improvements that will make the station a hub for research and conservation. The importance of reliable data on a broader range of physical conditions and their temporal behavior is becoming ever more critical to understand the function and dynamics of natural systems. The Las Cruces planning session will assess the opportunities for expansion of environmental monitoring and instrumentation and evaluate associated needs for improved cyberinfrastructure. Finally, upgrades to station facilities will open new lines of research that can be integrated with education and research training opportunities for students. Las Cruces Research Station currently supports a suite of ongoing projects addressing landscape-level question in biogeography, forest fragmentation, and ecological restoration. The Las Cruces planning session will focus on: (i) potential expansion in current research areas as well as new research directions, especially in environmental sciences, that best utilizes the Las Cruces-Las Alturas biogeophysical setting; (ii) new facilities, laboratory infrastructure, cyberinfrastructure, and equipment needed to support current and emerging areas of research; (iii) key environmental monitoring and instrumentation needed to support existing and emerging research questions; and (iv) integration of this research with education and research training for students. The planning grant will enable sixteen U.S. researchers and graduate students to travel to Las Cruces for a three-day workshop, with overnights in San Jose, Costa Rica, six hours from the station. The planning session will facilitate communication among established scientists as well as graduate and undergraduate students from a range of disciplines and enable new ideas and directions for research in tropical environmental sciences to emerge. Collaboration among these researchers and students at Las Cruces Research Station is expected to result in the development of new, regional multi-disciplinary projects. As such, the Las Cruces planning session will enhance opportunities for underrepresented groups by encouraging collaboration and planning for new education opportunities and hands-on field research projects.