Using science to save the Amazon: How research conducted at three biological stations in Peru's Andes-Amazon region is catalyzing conservation action

Background/Question/Methods

The southwestern Amazon supports some of the highest levels of biodiversity and endemism in the world and encompasses extensive wilderness connecting the lowland Amazon with the Andes Mountains. Over the past 15 years, the Amazon Conservation Association (ACA) and its Peruvian sister organization, la Asociación para la Conservación de la Cuenca Amazónica, have built a network of three research stations—Los Amigos, Villa Carmen and Wayqecha—that span a critical altitudinal gradient from 350 to 3,000 meters above sea level for the study of biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable natural resource management. Combined, these stations generally host 25 research projects a year, involving a growing number (55+) of research and academic institutions worldwide.

Results/Conclusions

The studies that have taken place at the research stations have resulted in a wealth of discoveries: 4,374 species at Los Amigos, 625 at Wayqecha, and 551 at Villa Carmen; and over 260 scientific articles published through 2014. Much of this research is valuable for its contribution to the scientific body of knowledge about the region, but a good proportion is also directly applicable to conservation work on the ground. In this presentation, examples of applied conservation and sustainable livelihood projects based on research at the stations will be given, including work involving species monitoring, conservation corridor design, protected area establishment, environmental education, reforestation, agroforestry, ecotourism and aquaculture.