Project for the Advancement of Networked Science inAmazoniaPARAMA

SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME

PRIORITY THEMATIC AREA“SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, GLOBAL CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEMS”

 

GLOBAL CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEMS SUB-PRIORITY

Project Duration: Dec 19th 2003-Dec 18th 2006

Total Budget: 400,000 euros

website:http://www.edb.ups-tlse.fr/panamazonia/PANAMAZONIA.htmlhttp://www.edb.ups-tlse.fr/panamazonia/PANAMAZONIA.html

AimTo build and strengthen European co-operation with Latin

American partners to allow the development of a critical mass of human capacity and techniques for monitoring and understanding the Amazon ecosystem’s role in climate change and maintenance

of biodiversity, and the effects of global change on the Amazon forest ecosystem.

 

Directly Funded Partners

• University of Edinburgh, UK• University of Leeds, UK• Free University of Amsterdam, Netherlands• CNRS, Toulouse, France• ALTERRA, Wageningen, the Netherlands• National Herbarium of the Netherlands, Utrecht,

Netherlands• Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany• National Amazon Research Institute (INPA), Manaus, Brazil• Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belem, Brazil• Museo Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Training Workshops

32%

Project Administrator

10%

Toulouse Kick-off Meeting

4%

Information Manager

5%

Overheads17%

Contingency3%

Six Research Fellowships

27%

Manuals2%

The PARAMA 400,000 euros

•Kick-off meeting: Brasilia July 2004

•3 Field workshops to be held in Brazil, August 1-10th 2004

•3 Analysis workshops to be held in Bolivia, 2006

•8 basic field manuals

•9 research (MSc level) fellowships

Workshop 1: Assessment and Monitoring of Forest Structureand Function· Forest structure, by measuring tree and liana diameters tree height, wood density, standbiomass, stand coarse woody debris, liana infestation.· Stand-level dynamics, by systematic recording rates of tree and liana growth, mortality andmodes of mortality.· Landscape-level dynamics, by assessing and mapping disturbances with aid of remote sensing.

Workshop 2: Assessment and Monitoring of Forest TreeDiversity· Standardised field plot-based techniques for forest diversity assessment (composition, diversityof functional traits) and long-term diversity monitoring.· Practical and analytical protocols for analysing spatial diversity patterns, and mechanisms andfactors that affect diversity, and monitoring diversity (species and species functional groups).

Workshop 3: Field Course on Ecophysiological ProcessUnderstanding· Leaf and soil nutritional and physical properties· Chamber techniques· Hydrology· Towers, weather stations and micrometeorology

2004 field workshops

Workshop applications 2004

8 participants to be funded per workshop, capacity up to 15

Biometry Diversity Ecophysiology TotalBolivia 3 1 4Brazil 19 3 20 42

Colombia 4 3 4 11Ecuador 1 2 3Guyana 2 2

Peru 13 8 7 28Portugal 1 1

Venezuela 3 3 6 Total 45 16 36 97

Manuals

Eight field methodology manuals in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French. •Plot-based forest structure inventory & monitoring; •Plot-based forest dynamics inventory & monitoring; •Plot-based biodiversity inventory & monitoring; •Digital herbaria standards; •Eddy covariance & related meteorological variables; •Litterfall & seasonal growth dynamics; •Soil moisture, sap-flow & plant water status; •Soil & plant gas exchange measurements.

•Manuals will be written by the key European participants in association with their South American colleagues.

Research Fellowships

At least eight research fellowships of two years for South American students, aimed specifically at research focussed on cross-Amazonian comparisons.

Fellowhips should fund all or part of MSc studies, or fund additional cost to an already existing MSc or PhD research project.

Fellowships will be based in South American institutions, but will be co-supervised by European scientists.

Fellowship applications May 2004

8 to be funded

Topic not clear Biometry Diversity Ecophysioloy TotalBrazil 1 3 12 16

Colombia 3 2 2 3 10Ecuador 1 1

Peru 4 1 2 1 8Venezuela 1 1 2

Total 8 5 8 16 37

Conclusions:

•PARAMA is all about training and capacity building

•The involvement of South Americans in coordination and teaching is high

•Still some uncertainties on procedures and affiliations but the project has made a good start

•CNPq approval pending

•We ask for the support of the LBA SSC

General Objectives

1. Construct three vibrant and well-integrated Networks across the Amazon Basin and Europe for understanding and monitoring:

1.1 forest structure and dynamics, 1.2 tree biodiversity,1.3 whole ecosystem physiology and carbon dynamics. 2. Harmonise standards for measurement of the above

across the Amazon Basin and into the future. 3. Integrate a critical mass of physical resources (data,

plots, herbaria, microclimate & soil instrumentation) to allow an improved understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of Amazon forest ecosystems.

  

General Objectives (continued)

4. Train researchers from Amazonian countries in state-of the-art techniques for monitoring biodiversity, carbon dynamics and ecosystem function, using the expertise of European scientists and specialists found in one Amazonian country but not in others.

 

5. Integrate the three Networks into a single meta-network of European and Amazonian researchers focussed on monitoring Amazonian biodiversity, carbon dynamics and ecosystem function in the face of global change.

WP 4Integration

leaderMPI-BGC

WP 3Processleader

ALTERRA

WP 2Biodiversity

leaderNHN-U

WP 1Structure/Dynamics

leaderULEEDS

VUA

CNRSTOUL

MPEG

INPAJBM

MHNK

OTHER SOUTHAMERICAN INSTITUTES(Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,

Ecuador, Fr Guiana, Guyana,Peru, Suriname, Venezuela)

AFFILIATEDEUROPEANINSTITUTES

AFFILIATEDU.S.

INSTITUTES

IAILBA

CI-TEAM

TrainingWorkshops

TrainingManuals

Research FellowshipsWebsite

DatabaseEmail newsletters

PAN-AMAZONIA

Project AdministrationUEDIN

Information ManagementULEEDS

Wider scientific

communityPolicy

Makers

Public in Europe andSouth America

Media

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