IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Campbell, P.; Alonso, A.; Lee, M.; Dallmeier, F. | |
| Biodiversity Research, Monitoring and Training in the Gamba Complex | |
| 2003 Full Book | |
The Smithsonian Institution Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program of the National Zoological Park has been studying the biodiversity of a remarkable wild area as part of the Gabon Biodiversity Program. This study represents the fourth assessment in the Gamba Complex and the first assessment of the newly created Loango National Park. This program is a successful collaboration of international scientists and their Gabonese counterparts. The team members are working, with support from Shell Foundation, Shell International and Shell Gabon, to better understand and protect the natural heritage of Gabon. The results from the Loango assessment, have tremendous regional, national and international value. They provide initial baseline data for this area, which is crucial for continued conservation efforts. The findings also serve to increase awareness about conservation of biodiversity in Loango, the Gamba Complex, Gabon and throughout Central Africa. To date, 27 Smithsonian scientists and associates, 20 Gabonese scientists and eight parataxonomists have participated in training sessions and research projects. Open houses, lectures and slide presentations in surrounding communities and regular reports from the field have informed scientists, governmental officials, Shell employees, local residents and other stakeholders of our progress and results. Recently, the Shell Foundation launched a new website (www.shellfoundation.org) providing details about the program. The Smithsonian Institution Biodiversity Center at Vembo, established in 2001, proves to be a world-class facility for research and an ideal venue to host a regional scientific reference collection, house an information management system and serve as a training and local education outreach center. The Loango assessment has produced remarkable results. Botanists established 27 0.1-hectare plots and have collected information on 2019 trees. Herpetologists, using techniques such as pitfalls, recorded 67 species. These include 36 species of reptiles and 31 species of amphibians. Ornithologists, employing mist nets, sightings and vocalizations, recorded 200 bird species. The mammal team, using scent posts, vocalizations and sign (tracks, scat, bones, hair, etc.), recorded 18 species of medium and large-sized mammals and at least 12 species of small mammals. The arthropod study in Gamba continues as the scientists analyze data from more than 440,000 insects at the Smithsonian Institution Biodiversity Center in Vembo. The team's first manuscript was recently accepted for publication by the Journal of Tropical Ecology. This document will answer questions such as; What is the overall impact of human activities on insect fauna? |
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