NRES 285/ 499

After writing this paper, I wanted to learn how my subject fit in with the other students’ reports on ecotourism, plant community structure, and the expansion of urban industry, among others. Furthermore, how does all this relate to palm ecology, resource use, and conservation in rural communities? Obviously I have a lot of questions in my head at this point, and I may not be able to answer them until we walk around Mexico and talk to people. I am excited, and slightly frustrated with my lack of understanding. For now, this is what I want to investigate in Sonora:

• Are people in favor of conservation programs for all reptiles and amphibians? Do reservations remain for some species, particularly the venomous lizards? Do people care more about birds and mammals?

• Are we going to see a lot of wildlife in the palms?

• How widespread are the effects of damming on stream quality? Are people’s opinions of dams generally positive or negative?

• What about resource management plans largely spearheaded by outsiders convinces locals they are a good idea? Is it the enthusiasm of the people involved? The level of commitment? Financial incentives? Promises of greater sustainability? A combination of these?

• How severe are palm-poaching problems within an area designated for conservation? Grazing problems?

• Are people in Sonora generally more familiar with animal and plant species than Americans? If so, how do they learn?

It seems as though I have a lot of groundwork to do. Awesome.--Lenna O.

Steph and I decided to work together on the paper. After lectures about harvesting and grazing in the TDF, we wanted to examine how this and other land use changes affected wildlife. We were interested in how conservation groups like NCI were helping to improve conditions for wildlife. Stephanie took over birds and I learned about amphibians and reptiles. We decided to focus on only a few species and the conservation efforts for each.

Here’s the meat of what we found:

• Biodiversity in Sonora is high relative to adjacent states because of topography variation and precipitation patterns. Migratory birds benefit from the diversity of plant species in TDF stopovers. Microclimates in streams, wetlands, and rocks provide reptiles and amphibians with habitat.

• The effects of forest clearing and damming threaten species richness and evenness for both birds and herpetofauna. Bird migration corridors are fragmented and edge is increased. Herpetofauna microclimates are lost in these land conversions.

• Multi-disciplinary teams of biologists, local volunteers, and NGOs have formed conservation strategies for many of these species. A conservation team for the thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) compensated local landowners on an ejido for preserving the bird’s habitat. They implemented a logging plan that minimizes habitat damage. The extirpated Tarahumara frog (Rana tarahumarae) was selectively bred with ecotypes and reintroduced into the wild by another conservation team. Other efforts to survey species, manage metapopulations, and prevent poaching continue to increase wildlife viability in this changing landscape.--Lenna O.

photo from San Diego Zoo

Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations

WHOA. Okay my mind was just blown. Again. We just got the crash course in what we’ll actually be researching—HOW, WHY, WHEN, WHERE—in the Sonoran TDF.

We want to find out about these things: palm density over plots and the landscape, population structure, what proportion of the palms is reproducing, and current levels of grazing and harvesting. For insight on those things, we’ll be collecting these data:


• Tree height
• Diameter
• Number of leaves
• Number of spears
• Leaf length
• Reproductive status and number of fruit
• Herbivory clues
• Number of cut rachis (from harvest)
• Skirt (hanging leaves)
• Slope
• Other tree species present in the plot
• Canopy height

We’re not sure at this point where the plots will be, or how they will be generated. However, here is a sample scheme of what could happen.

Basically we are guinea pigs testing the Zoo’s protocol for sampling this palm. Based on our research, what we find and how much we struggle, the Zoo can determine if the sampling plots are in a good location and what data we take is helpful. Then these plots can be used for long-term research collection.

So it’s clearly a big task. But everyone’s getting pretty excited about it, and our team of 20 will add up to be something like 800 man-hours over the week, which is pretty impressive. LET’S DO IT!!!!! I'm not joking. --Lenna O.

photo from Bryan E.

Palm Ecology and Sustainable Use

NGO Student Presentation

It could be because I am really into plants, find them super interesting, and consider myself a plant guy …BUT undoubtedly this lecture from Bryan on palms was excellent. It may be my favorite yet because it presents a clearer idea of what we will investigate in Sonora. It’s definitely worth going through the pdf above to check out pictures, fun facts, and well-explained material. Don't you want to now? Go on and do it!

As we learned before, palms are an important non-timber forest product used by rural communities for food, roof thatching, oil, and even clothing. On the other hand, palms provide food and shelter for many organisms, such as bats, in the TDF. Due to habitat loss, grazing, and overharvesting, Brahea aculeata is listed as “vulnerable” by IUCN. We need to learn more about the life history and reproduction patterns of this palm through research in the field so we can begin to answer more questions. And there are a lot of questions, both ecological and social in nature:

• Where are the palms found? What environmental factors influence this?
• What proportion of palms is reproductively active?
• What is the best way to harvest B. aculeata? How many leaves and how often?
• How many leaves should be left alone?
• What are the effects of grazing on reproduction? What could be some ways to curb these negative effects?
• Could the palm trading system be amended to emphasize quality rather than quantity? Could wages be improved?


The life cycle diagram shown is for another palm, Chamaedorea radicalis. Since it has been researched extensively, the specific plant stages are known. Our research in Mexico will include trying to delineate plant stages for B. aculeata. It will be a good starting point to reach the ultimate goal of balancing ecological benefits and social benefits. --Lenna O.

photo from Bryan E.

Coffan Project

REDD Lecture 1

REDD Lecture 2

Remember when I said last week was insane? Well this was just as crazy. “Carbon Credit Crazy Town.” NCI employee Emily Welbourn spoke to us about REDD projects, or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. REDD projects preserve forests to conserve biodiversity, promote ecosystem services, and prevent greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere. Selling carbon credits funds the projects.

The study Emily worked on was for an Ecuadorian indigenous group called the Cofán. Significant deforestation and road construction for oil exploitation have encroached on the Cofán reserve. The Cofán are seeking means to prevent this deforestation as well as adapt a sustainable livelihood. They are under a great deal of pressure from drillers, as oil makes up 40% of Ecuador’s economy.

The study aimed to measure the feasibility of REDD carbon offsets for the Cofán reserve by analyzing five variables. The variables were measured on a scale of red, yellow, and green, where green means GO:


1. Political climate (yellow) – The current leaders want to curb deforestation and for the Cofán to receive the benefits of sold credits. On the other hand, there is uncertainty whether the carbon credit system will be nationalized. Then, benefits might not go directly to the Cofán.

2. Additionality (yellow) – If it were green, this means things would not have occurred if the program hadn’t been implemented. Since several factors could change the outcome and it’s uncertain, additionality is graded yellow.

3. Leakage (green) – This is the idea that deforestation would be displaced outside the reserve. They believed it wouldn’t be displaced.

4. Permanence (green) – There are some long-term risks to maintaining the program (political, economic, natural), but overall these risks should not prevent REDD from being implemented in the first place.

5. Indigenous and Cultural Considerations (green) – The Cofán could still live sustainably off the land with REDD in place.

Even though there are some yellow areas, Emily and her colleagues believe that REDD is a viable solution for the Cofán people in Ecuador. The punch line is the program would cost about $7 million over a 20-year period to break even. These costs cover monitoring over the reserve and expanding the park guard program. It’s still uncertain how the credits would be priced (from $6.73 to $18) and whether they would wait for a regulated credit market (as opposed to entering voluntarily now).

The take-home message is that REDD is a plausible program and definitely a new way of thinking about conservation. It’s comforting to know there are many alternatives, such as ecotourism, non-timber forest products, and now carbon credits, for people in biologically significant areas to embrace. I also just think it’s amazing Emily worked on this as part of her graduate degree. I hope we can all do something as cool. --Lenna O.

P.S. Easily the best quotes of the night:

(after a 5 minute break) “Well, you caught me chewing I’m afraid. I was able to go out during the break and grab a sweet treat from the vending machine.”

“I’m beginning to get pretty psyched, so I don’t know about you.” –both Tony E.

photo from Emily Welbourn

NCI Lecture 1

NCI Lecture 2

This lecture from Mike McColm was intense. I would like to call it "NCI Crazy Town". He basically told us everything that NCI does and gave us a good idea of what it’s like to work for a conservation-oriented NGO. For those planning on entering the profession, keep these paraphrased tips from Mike in mind:

• You should be resourceful in new conditions, and respectful of the diverse types of people with whom you collaborate
• This is a lifestyle choice—how willing are you to “jump into the river of insecurity” to work in unfamiliar places?
• Your values to make the world a more beautiful and sustainable place will probably trump your other values of American ideas of comfort and financial security

These tips all pretty much say the same thing, which is to say, you gotta be cool to work for an NGO.


Mike discussed NCI’s role in Ecuador, Peru, and Mexico. In Ecuador, massive deforestation efforts to clear land for biofuel propagation have resulted water supply issues. Challenges also arise from lucrative grazing and mining opportunities. This also puts the astounding diversity of tropical plants and animals at severe risk. To counteract these effects, NCI has worked with local governments to reforest logged patches and set aside other species-rich areas as preserve. There is ongoing research by NCI and local people on species preservation, potential non-timber forest products, and shade-grown coffee. Finally, NCI seeks to involve more of the community through education. In Peru and Mexico, NCI has adapted similar strategies in palm conservation: hiring local people, promoting sustainable livelihoods through responsible resource use, and educating communities. It’s an effective pattern, and one that could probably be adapted in many places.

I think the coolest thing about NCI is the attention it pays to local people. These people have a much richer understanding of culture, traditions, and local politics than outsiders, and are therefore incredibly valuable as a resource to effect change. NCI recognizes this fact by partnering with locals to preserve precious ecosystems. The resources, from palms to freshwater, are connected to the land and to the people. Maintaining this relationship, within the goals of research, conservation, and education, is what makes NCI so successful. What a sweet organization. --Lenna O.

Tropical Deciduous Forest

This January, we are going to a very cool place, ecologically speaking, on earth. Let it suffice to say that the TDF has it going on. Because of its temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration regimes, the TDF can be classified as a unique ecosystem. This can also be viewed in Köppen’s climate classification and Holdridge’s life zone chart (check out that pdf).

During this lecture, I’m thinking, palms and cacti at the same time. Whaaaa?? How is this so?


Temperature and wacky seasonal precipitation cycles have something to do with that. We also have to consider the variety of topography in the Sierras. Slope and aspect create specialized microclimates that support different species. Three levels of vegetation appear with changing altitude in the TDF. They are the thorn scrub at lower elevations, TDF at middle elevations, and the pine oak forest at highest elevations. It is at these middle elevations where palms and cacti coexist (piquing my academic curiosity).

There is a high degree of plant species richness and endemism here, allowing for amazing diversity of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. As such, resource management decisions must carefully consider both the people and the native resources that support them. --Lenna O.

photo from Stephanie L.

Applied Plant Conservation at the San Diego Zoo

FAST FACTS

• San Diego Zoo operates the Institute for Conservation Research, and this is the “largest zoo-based multi-disciplinary research team in the world”!!! We’re collaborating with the applied plant ecology branch to work on palm research.

• Goals of the Zoo are to help find solutions to resource use issues through
research and application

• One application for harvest of palms is non-timber forest products, such as food, crafts, and medicines. This can help rural families thrive on palms if used sustainably. There is also a desire to further research palm ecology (no one has extensively researched this palm before) by working with locals who are familiar with palm harvest.

• Nature and Culture International (NCI) seeks to foster this connection between local knowledge and people, sustainable resource use, and land protection.

• 30,000 palm leaves are used to weave ONE ROOF!

• Similarly insane are the photos in this slideshow; the town of Alamos looks gorgeous and those palms couldn’t be cooler. Check them OUT. --Lenna O.

photo from Stephanie L.

Course Overview

This is the first class I have ever taken where I need to push a button to indicate that my hand is raised. There is also a confused face, which I may use often, and an applause/satisfaction icon. I have my karaoke-style microphone plugged in, and I am ready to go. I just hope this rickety 2005 Dell Inspiron does not crash from managing so many complex audio and visual operations. I realize somewhat oddly this a unique experience in that I’m sitting alone in my room, door closed, isolated, yet interacting with other students in similar settings in this virtual classroom of ours. Hopefully their computing equipment is in vastly superior condition. Inspiron and I may not make it til December.


According to the schedule, it looks like we’ll be treated to several guest lecturers on topics as various as palm sampling, carbon offset programs, and the role of NGOs in conservation, all of which can be applied to the tropical deciduous forest (TDF). Our trip to Mexico is tentatively scheduled for January 4-15, 2010, where our mission will be to pilot permanent data collection plots for the palms. It’s exciting (to me at least) how the trip is still in the planning stages; it forces everyone to be dynamic. I like that. It’s still a little abstract as to what we’ll be doing and what we’ll be seeing, even where we’re going, but that will become more concrete with every class. --Lenna O.

photo from notebookreview.com

There is a tendency when you do a Google search for Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, to catch one of two cities in the state by that name. The one Google usually tags is the city further north near the city of Hermosillo--which, by the way is one of our layovers getting to Alamos and back. The location of the course's base camp is the town of Alamos located further south near the border of Sonora and Sinaloa.--Julie D.

Click map to enlarge.

This was the two-step plan for an NRES field course I took this past semester:

1. Meet online every other week to learn about the culture and ecology of palms, land use change, and conservation efforts in the tropical deciduous forest (TDF) surrounding Alamos in Sonora, Mexico.
2. Go to Mexico over winter break to experience all of the above firsthand.

Unsurprisingly, my roommates continue to be horribly jealous of my major.

The class is composed of half grad students and half undergrads. We're meeting online so grad students living in cities other than Urbana-Champaign could participate. Bryan Endress, Christa Horn, and Leonel Lopez of the San Diego Zoo Conservation Branch are spearheading the palm research in Sonora. Bryan will give us lectures emphasizing the known ecology of the palm Brahea aculeata. The unknown parts will be the subject of our research in Mexico. Other lectures will center on factors, such as grazing and over harvesting, that may jeopardize this CITES listed species’ survival.

An equally important theme will be that of conservation and the role of NGOs. In Mexico, we'll learn firsthand how Stephanie Meyer of Nature and Culture International (NCI) collaborates with local people and San Diego Zoo. By providing jobs, setting aside land in a preserve, and facilitating research, this contingent can conserve Brahea aculeata in both a social and ecological context.

Before the trip, each student will complete a research paper and present his findings to the class. Professor Tony Endress will also assign us to each write a list of investigative questions to explore further. Our job is to have an understanding of the main issues before we leave home. Furthermore, we're to be enthusiastic about experiencing the culture, willing to work together, and ready to help research the moment we step off the plane in Ciudad Obregon.--Lenna O.