STRI news
 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panam?        www.stri.org        September 13, 2002
Laurance joins RAINFOR
Global climate change predictions and greenhouse gas
models desperately need to be tested in the Amazon, home
of 45% of the world?s tropical forest. RAINFOR,
representing nearly fifty researchers from five Amazonian
countries, Europe and the US, is a new effort to monitor
biomass and dynamics of forests across the entire Amazon
river basin. Scientist William F. Laurance, with STRI and its
Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragment Project in Brazil,
(BDFFP) joined RAINFOR, the new Amazon Forest
Inventory Network. RAINFOR is working with data from
three clusters of long-term monitoring plots and is
identifying other understudied areas of the Amazon where work is needed to improve model
predictions. They aim to systematically test a number of hypotheses in different forest types using
consistent methodologies, coordinate on-the-ground monitoring of Amazon forests, and encourage
researchers to adopt common protocols for data collection. More information in Malhi, Y., et al.
2002. "An international network to monitor the structure, composition and dynamics of Amazonian
forests (RAINFOR)." Journal of Vegetation Science 13: 439-450.
Las predicciones de cambios clim?ticos globales y los modelos de gases de invernadero necesitan ser
puestos a prueba urgentemente en el Amazonas, hogar del 45% de los bosques tropicales del
mundo. RAINFOR, un grupo de cerca de cincuenta investigadores de cinco pa?ses amaz?nicos,
Europa y los Estados Unidos, es un nuevo esfuerzo para monitorear la biomasa y din?mica de
bosques de la cuenca del Amazonas. William F. Laurance, con STRI y el Proyecto de Din?mica
Biol?gica de Fragmentos de Bosques de STRI en Brasil, se uni? a RAINFOR, la nueva Red de
Inventarios de Bosques del Amazonas. RAINFOR est? trabajando con informaci?n de tres grupos
de parcelas monitoreadas a largo plazo y est? identificado ?reas poco estudiadas del Amazonias
donde es necesario mejorar las predicciones de los modelos. El grupo tiene como objetivos poner a
prueba un n?mero de hip?tesis en diferentes tipos de bosques usando metodolog?as consistentes,
coordinar el monitoreo en tierra de bosques del Amazonas, y animar a los investigadores a que
adopten protocoles en com?n al almacenar informaci?n. Mayor informaci?n en Malhi, Y., et al.
2002. "An international network to monitor the structure, composition and dynamics of Amazonian
forests (RAINFOR)." Journal of Vegetation Science 13: 439-450.
New collaboration agreement
Deputy director Cristi?n Samper (left) and Marco Zanini,
president of Fundaci?n Ecol?gica Isla Canales de Tierra
signed an agreement of collaboration, on Monday, August
26. Isla Canales is constructing a marine laboratory in
Bah?a Honda, Veraguas, at a cost of $850,000 for the use
of researchers. This agreement should facilitate the work
of scientists in the area. A similar agreement for the use of
the laboratory has been executed with the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
Tupper seminar
Tuesday, September 17, noon
seminar speaker will be Egbert
Giles Leigh, Jr., STRI
Madagascar
Bambi seminar
No Bambi seminar scheduled
for next week. Scott Powell is
leaving STRI next week. Scott
Mangan will be the new
Bambi ?jefe? Please contact
him if you will give a Bambi.
Arrivals
Albert Hulbert, University of
Nebraska, Sep 15 - Jun 15,
2003, to conduct the project
?Experimental community
ecology of Panamanian
drosophilids, on BCI.
Tania Dos Santos Silva,
Universidade Estadual de
Feira de Santana, Sep 15 - Oct
1, to collaborate with Mireya
Correa in ?Flora Neotropical?,
at Tupper.
David Goehring, Silke Steiger
and Martin Wikelski,
Princeton University, Sep 15 -
Oct 20, to work on STRI's
automated telemetry project,
for BCI.
Shinya Yoshioka, Osaka
University, Japan, Sep 17 -
Nov 16, to study the structural
color of Lepidoptera: fine
structure of scales and
interaction with light
environment, on BCI.
Patrick Helley, Harvard
University, Sep 16 - Oct 20, to
work with STRI's telemetry
project, on BCI.
Stefan Loube, short-term
fellow from the University of
Bonn, Germany, Sep 20 - Dec
18, to work on long-term
studies in the epiphytic
vegetation of Annona glabra
trees, on BCI.
El subdirector Cristi?n Samper y and Marco Zanini, presidente de la Fundaci?n Ecol?gica Isla
Canales de Tierra firmaron un convenio de colaboraci?n, el lunes 26 de agosto. Isla Canales est?
construyendo un laboratorio marino para investigadores en Bah?a Honda, Veraguas, con un costo
de $850,000. Este convenio facilitar? el trabajo de los cient?ficos de STRI en el ?rea. Un convenio
similar de uso de este laboratorio se est? llevando a cabo con el Instituto Oceanogr?fico Woods
Hole, Massachusetts.
Nuevo convenio de colaboraci?n
?Isla Galeta: vida
marina...vida terrestre?
?Isla Galeta: vida marina...vida terrestre. Visi?n art?stica en
Col?n? [Galeta Island: marine life, terrestrial life. Artistic
vision in Colon], a new exhibition of paintings and
ceramics by artists Rosario Carles, Ruben Contreras, Mario
Macias, Roy Arcia, Adonai Rivera Degracia, Rodrigo Jaen,
"Merejo" and Alexis Benalcazar, was inaugurated on
Thursday, September 5
th
 at the National Institute of
Culture (INAC), Colon old Train Station. The exhibit was organized by STRI, the University of
Panama and INAC. In the photo, Congos de Palenque dance ?La Cachimba? during the event.
?Isla Galeta: vida marina...vida terrestre. Visi?n art?stica en Col?n? una nueva exhibici?n de cuadros
y cer?micas de los artistas Rosario Carles, Ruben Contreras, Mario Macias, Roy Arcia, Adonai
Rivera Degracia, Rodrigo Jaen, "Merejo" y Alexis Benalcazar, fue inaugurada el jueves 5 de
septiembre en la galer?a del Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INAC) en la antigua Estaci?n del Tren de
Col?n. La exhibici?n fue organizada por STRI, la Universidad de Panam? e INAC. En la foto, los
Congos de Palenque, bailan ?La Cachimba? como parte del evento.
Training course
for nature guides
The group ?Aprender con la
Naturaleza? [Learning with Nature]
offered the training course ?A Day of
Adventures in the Forest:
Environmental Activities for Protected
Areas? for STRI nature guides, the
staff of the Visitors Program and
guides from Parque Soberania,
Metropolitan Park and the Canal Area
guardians of nature, from Saturday, September 7 to Sunday, September 8 in Gamboa. Sociology
students Luis Ramos and Alvaro Gonz?lez, former BCI gamewarden, also participated in the
course. C?sar Jaramillo, STRI, gave a guided night tour to the amphibians of Gamboa.
                                                                                            (Photos: Chelina Batista and C?sar Jaramillo)
El grupo ?Aprender con la Naturaleza? ofreci? el curso de
entrenamiento ?Un d?a de aventura en el bosque: actividades
ambientales para ?reas protegidas? a gu?as naturalistas de
STRI, el personal del Programa de Visitantes, gu?as del
Parque Soberan?a, el Parque Metropolitano y los guardianes
de la naturaleza del Area del Canal, del s?bado 7 al domingo
8 de septiembre, en Gamboa. Los estudiantes de sociolog?a
Luis Ramos y Alvaro Gonz?lez, ex-guardabosques de BCI,
tambi?n participaron. C?sar Jaramillo, de STRI, ofreci? un
recorrido nocturno para conocer los anfibios de Gamboa.
Congratulations!
To Mirna Samaniego, who
obtained her master's degree
with honors in environmental
engineering at Panama
Technological University, on
Wednesday, August 28.
 
Upcoming congress
The STRI community is
invited to participate at the
VIII Science and Technology
Congress, organized by 
Asociaci?n Paname?a para el
Avance de la Ciencia, from
Thu, Nov 21 to Sat, Nov 23 at
the Holiday Inn Hotel. For
more information please visit:
www.apanac.org.pa Contact
at STRI: Nelida Gomez.
Se invita a la comunidad de
STRI a participar en el VIII
Congreso de Ciencia y Tecno-
log?a organizado por la la 
Asociaci?n Paname?a para el
Avance de la Ciencia, del 21 al
23 de noviembre en el Hotel
Holiday Inn. Mas informaci?n
en: www.apanac. org.pa 
Contacto en STRI: N?lida
G?mez.
New publications
Malhi, Yadvinder, Phillips,
Oliver L., Lloyd, J., Baker, T.,
Wright, J., Almeida, S.,
Arroyo, L., Frederiksen, T.,
Grace, J., Higuchi, N., Killeen,
T., Laurance, William F.,
Lea?o, C., Lewis, S., Meir, P.,
Monteagudo, A., Neill, D.,
N??ez Vargas, P., Panfil, S.N.,
Pati?o, S., Pitman, Nigel,
Quesada, C.A., Rudas-Ll., A.,
Salom?o, R., Saleska, S., Silva,
N., Silveira, M., Sombroek,
W.G., Valencia, R., V?squez
Mart?nez, R., Vieira, I.C.G.,
and Vinceti, B. 2002. "An
international network to
monitor the structure,
composition and dynamics of
Amazonian forests
(RAINFOR)." Journal of
Vegetation Science 13: 439-450.