On September 6th, the Bolivian scientific expedition Identidad Madidi received second prize in the Natural Resources, Environment and Biodiversity Category, from the Minister of Education, Roberto Aguilar, during the National Science and Technology Prize award ceremony.
The research project Identidad Madidi was chosen among 28 finalists selected from more than 100 projects presented in six different categories. The other projects awarded were conducted by several Bolivian universities, so this recognition has great significance for the researchers participating in Identidad Madidi, as they represent six Bolivian scientific institutions (Institute of Ecology, Bolivian National Herbarium, National Museum of Natural History, Bolivian Fauna Collection, Alcide D'Orbigny Museum of Natural History and Armonía) and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The Identidad Madidi proposal for the National Science and Technology Award accompanied the recent publication of the 2015 Identidad Madidi Science Report, which synthesizes the results of the biodiversity surveys carried out at the first six study sites in Madidi National Park. It contains descriptions of the biological characteristics of each one of those sites: the montane savannas and gallery forests of Apolo, the Tuichi River dry forest, the treeline elfin forest, the paramo grassland, the high Andean western Puna, and the lower foothill Amazon forests. Besides, it includes a complete list of registered species of plants, butterflies and vertebrates in 2015, the new species identified for Madidi and Bolivia, and the possible new species for science.
One aspect that stands out in the report, is the photographic material from the landscapes and species of the visited places, which complement the scientific data and highlight the most outstanding biodiversity of Madidi National Park. It also includes the maps of each study site and tables and charts showing analyses of species richness and abundance.
Research carried out in 2016 continued the biodiversity survey in four additional study sites: Hondo River lower foothill forest, montane forest, mid-montane forest and montane cloud forest. In the 10 sites visited, between 2015 and 2016, in an altitudinal pathway between 250 and 4,750 meters high (from 820 to more than 15,000 feet), 1,020 new species were registered for Madidi: 278 plants, 525 butterflies and 217 vertebrates, of which 204 are new species for Bolivia. There are also 91 candidates for new species for science.
The most recent field trip, during the first semester of 2017, was to the Amazonian grassland of the Pampas de Heath and surrounding tropical rainforests, and, as predicted, revealed a great biodiversity. This savanna region is among the last untouched places left in the world. The scientific team recorded 620 species of vertebrates, including 65 new species for the park, among them the seven-banded armadillo (Dasypus septemcinctus), the yellow armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus) and the Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis). The list of birds of Madidi increased from 1005 to 1011 confirmed species, highlights include the blue-backed manakin (Chiroxiphia pareola), the white woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus) and the least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis): a new recorded for Madidi National Park and the Department of La Paz.
The scientific expedition Identidad Madidi is a large-scale project, not only because it involves several of the most important Bolivian scientific institutions, but also for the study of little known regions that are of great conservation value. Establishing that Madidi is the most biodiverse protected area in the world, reinforces its scientific importance and its relevance as one of the main touristic destinations in Bolivia. It also contributes to the international commitments of conservation of highly diverse natural spaces and ecological fragility. The generated knowledge will help prioritize sites for conservation, improve knowledge on species population dynamics and establish a baseline for evaluating the effects of climate change over time.