An Interdisciplinary Team-Based International Research Experience in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Community Development in the Ecuadorian Andes Grant uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The next generation of conservation professionals will require a unique skill set encompassing trans-disciplinary problem solving, sensitivity to varying cultural and political norms, and creativity and rigor in the face of challenging research environments. This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project seeks to train such professionals through directed undergraduate research conducted in neo-tropical Ecuador, in a cooperative initiative between the University of Idaho (UI) and the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). Participating students from Idaho will work in small, vertically integrated, interdisciplinary teams (2-3 students) within the Andean Region of southern Ecuador, addressing individual research questions focused around an umbrella theme of biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development. Specific projects include the conservation genetics of endangered Andean species, biodiversity assessment and restoration of endangered orchids, international protected areas management and policy, and invertebrate taxa as bioindicators in regional watersheds. UI graduate students will serve as team leaders, while UTPL faculty and staff, coordinated by research vice-rector Dr. Juan Pablo Suárez, will serve as project leads.

    Southern Ecuador is noteworthy for its geographic, ecological, and cultural richness, and yet baseline knowledge is lacking for much of the country's natural heritage. This project's multinational research team encompasses expertise in landscape and organismal ecology, conservation biology, molecular systematics, landscape genetics, watershed management, environmental sociology, policy, sustainable community development, and education. Through targeted application of this expertise, the project will contribute to strategic conservation planning in the United States and other countries. Participating U.S. students will also gain experience with a rich array of cultures, thus building a sophisticated, externalized perspective on science and collaboration.
  • The next generation of conservation professionals will require a unique skill set encompassing trans-disciplinary problem solving, sensitivity to varying cultural and political norms, and creativity and rigor in the face of challenging research environments. This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project seeks to train such professionals through directed undergraduate research conducted in neo-tropical Ecuador, in a cooperative initiative between the University of Idaho (UI) and the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). Participating students from Idaho will work in small, vertically integrated, interdisciplinary teams (2-3 students) within the Andean Region of southern Ecuador, addressing individual research questions focused around an umbrella theme of biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development. Specific projects include the conservation genetics of endangered Andean species, biodiversity assessment and restoration of endangered orchids, international protected areas management and policy, and invertebrate taxa as bioindicators in regional watersheds. UI graduate students will serve as team leaders, while UTPL faculty and staff, coordinated by research vice-rector Dr. Juan Pablo Suárez, will serve as project leads.

    Southern Ecuador is noteworthy for its geographic, ecological, and cultural richness, and yet baseline knowledge is lacking for much of the country's natural heritage. This project's multinational research team encompasses expertise in landscape and organismal ecology, conservation biology, molecular systematics, landscape genetics, watershed management, environmental sociology, policy, sustainable community development, and education. Through targeted application of this expertise, the project will contribute to strategic conservation planning in the United States and other countries. Participating U.S. students will also gain experience with a rich array of cultures, thus building a sophisticated, externalized perspective on science and collaboration.

date/time interval

  • June 1, 2010 - May 31, 2013

total award amount

  • 144,883

People