Individual projects: Species Conservation Plan
Brazil Global Seminar, University of Colorado Study Abroad Program
I. Goal —
Develop a conservation plan for a threatened or endangered species in a South American biome
outside of the Atlantic Forest (see Section III) that integrates conservation requirements and human
community needs.
II. Approach —
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Can be a terrestrial or aquatic, plant or animal species; cannot be any species already covered in
class.
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Your conservation plan should systematically cover all layers of IPÊ’s Conservation Model.
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Components (suggested; for details also see: http://culter.colorado.edu/~kittel/ProjectGradingCriteria_BrazilGS.pdf)
1.
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9.
Brief introduction to the biome
Introduction to your selected species
Current status of the species and their habitat
What is it about their species biology that makes them vulnerable
a. Including conservation medicine – e.g., disease, genetics
Current and future threats
Human Communities – Needs and underlying causes of threats;
a. Including e.g., social structure, economic issues, political issues
Current Action – A review of existing conservation plans
Your Plan – What integrated conservation-community strategy you devise as next steps
Summary
III. South American Biomes (other than the Atlantic Forest) – see maps at end of doc.
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Savannas of Northern South American – Lavrados (Amazonian savannas of Roraima, N
Brazil) & Llanos (Venezuela)
Tepuis (Highland plateaus of Venezuela and adjacent regions)
Amazonian Lowland Forest – Várzea (Seasonally flooded forest) & Terra Firme (Upland
forest)
Cerrado (Savannas south of the Amazon Basin)
Caatinga (Thorn Woodland and Shrublands of Brazi’s NE)
Pantanal (Freshwater wetland in SW Brazil – largest such wetland in the world)
Pampas (Warm temperate grasslands – S Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina)
Campo de Altitude (SE Brazilian Alpine Grasslands)
Gran Chaco (Tropical Dry Woodlands of Paraguay and vicinity)
Patagonia (Cold Temperate Deserts of southern Argentina and southmost Chile)
Northwestern South American Pacific Tropical Forests (Ecuador, Columbia)
Andean Montane Tropical Forest (Eastern Andean slope of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia)
Puna & Páramo (Grasslands and Alpine of the Andean Highlands)
Atacama Desert (Chile & Perú)
Chilean Mediterranean
Chilean Temperate Rain Forest
2
IV. Format
 10-minute presentation (+ 5 minutes for questions)
 PPt as report (see course website for Presentation Guides)
 Not all the details, but sufficient to give depth to what’s going on
 Citations as in Essay 1 instructions.
IV. Evaluation – For details on criteria, see: http://culter.colorado.edu/~kittel/ProjectGradingCriteria_BrazilGS.pdf
 Content (see section II. Components) (70)
 Presentation (20)
o Slides
o Grammar
o References
o Oral presentation
 Participation (10)
V. Starting Point References and Web Sources –
Overall web sources —
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WWF ecoregions
o Background:
 http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/item1847.html
 Olson et al. 2001 –
http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/WWFBinaryitem6498.pdf
o Neotropics: http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial_nt.html
o Interactive map: http://gis.wwfus.org/wildfinder/ (place cursor over search box, and
click on “click on map”)
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IUCN Red List
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Conservation International Hotspots (for some biomes, links noted below)
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Conservation Biology vol 19, issue 3 – Special Section: Brazilian Conservation: Challenges
and Opportunities. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cbi.2005.19.issue-3/issuetoc
By biome —
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Savannas of Northern South American:
o Lavrados (Amazonian savannas) (Roraima, N Brazil)
 Barbosa and Campos (2011)
http://www.academicjournals.org/jgrp/PDF/pdf2011/Mar/Barbosa%20and%20
Campos.pdf
o Llanos (Venezuela)
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Tepuis (Venezuela)
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Amazonian Lowland Forest – Várzea e Terra Firme
o http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/education/documents/second_teachsumm.pdf
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Cerrado
o http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/cerrado/Pages/default.aspx
o
3
o
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Klink, C.A., and R.B. Machado. 2005. Conservation of the Brazilian Cerrado.
Conservation Biology 19(3):707–713. DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00702.x
Caatinga
o Leal, I.R., et al. 2005. Changing the Course of Biodiversity Conservation in the
Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil. Conservation Biology 19(3):701-06. DOI:
10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00703.x
Pantanal
o Harris, M.B. et al. 2005. Safeguarding the Pantanal Wetlands: Threats and
Conservation Initiatives. Conservation Biology 19(3):714–720. DOI:
10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00708.x
Pampas
o
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Campo de Altitude
o Stafford (4 papers)
The Gran Chaco
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Patagonia
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South American Pacific Tropical Forests
o http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/tumbes_choco/Pages/default.aspx
Andean Montane Tropical Forest
o http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/andes/Pages/default.aspx
Puna & Páramo
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o
o
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o
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Atacama Desert
o
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Chilean Mediterranean
o
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Chilean Temperate Rain Forest
o http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/chilean_forests/Pages/default.aspx
Maps follow
tk 512r
4
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/South_America_vegetation_map.jpg