Tropical Forest Research
Although tropical forests cover only 7 percent of the Earth's land, they harbor the largest abundance of biological and genetic diversity of any terrestrial community. This unrivaled profusion of biodiversity also provides priceless ecosystems services, from the food, water, and firewood used by local communities to global climate control. Yet the current level of deforestation-approximately 40,000 hectares each day-could eliminate remaining tropical forests within 100 years.
Since the 1970s, Earthwatch Institute has supported over 100 scientists in the frontiers of tropical forest research, with field grants totaling more than $3.8 million, resulting in more than 200 peer-reviewed publications. Earthwatch teams working with these scientists, from 100 institutions around the world, have pioneered the study of tropical forest ecosystems and provided valuable results that are improving conservation of these dwindling resources.
Over the past 30 years, Earthwatch has facilitated more than 5,000 volunteers, including more than 500 teachers, 310 African fellows, and 36 students (see Legacy of Learning) to conduct forest field research alongside both distinguished and innovative young scientists. The results have been remarkable, ranging from the discovery of dozens of new species to assessing the role of biodiversity in the web of forest life (see Creatures of the Forest). Earthwatch teams have pioneered the field of tropical forest canopy research, including documenting one of the world's most diverse rainforests in Brunei, home to 281 species of trees belonging to 46 families (see The Forest Frontier).
But Earthwatch-supported tropical forest results don't stop at basic ecology. Teams have also helped introduce appropriate forest use practices, such as the sustainable livelihood from insect farming adopted by a local community in Papua New Guinea (see Use It or Lose It). On the other side of the world, in northern Mexico, more than 200 Earthwatch volunteers examined the effect of forest fragmentation on biodiversity, with startling results (see What's Left). Meanwhile, Earthwatch teams censused a phenomenal 250,000 trees in Panama to reveal the dynamics of rainforest development and speed forest restoration efforts (see Growing Forests).
Earthwatch-supported research has been instrumental in the development of tropical forest reserves, including Loma Alta Community Forest Reserve, Ecuador, Togean Island Protected Area, Indonesia, Biosphere Reserve Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, and Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. Earthwatch findings have also contributed to management plans for other protected tropical forest areas around the world, from Ilha do Cardoso, Brazil, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to Lamington National Park, Australia.
Explaining the valuable role of Earthwatch support, renowned tropical forest ecologist Dr. Dan Janzen estimated almost three decades ago that he got many more years of research done in just three years of Earthwatch support. "I got far more done with Earthwatch," said Janzen, who had volunteer support for his Costa Rica forest research in the 1970s, "both because of the actual work done by the participants and by the inspiration of having them along."
With the future engagement of communities both local and global, Earthwatch research will continue to play an important role in stemming the decline of tropical forests and their unsurpassed biodiversity. Click on the links to the right for more detailed information on important tropical forest results from Earthwatch-supported scientists, or go to Global Support for a list of all tropical forest projects funded in the last 30 years.