Cusuco National Park, Honduras Status, ecology and conservation of a cloud forest 2008 preliminary field report Peter Long and Richard Field 1 Contents Introduction 3 Physical geography of Cusuco 4 Spatial sampling framework 6 Field methods 7 Preliminary results 10 Status of Cusuco National Park 11 Research and management priorities 13 Appendix 1 – People 15 Appendix 2 – Dissertation projects 18 Appendix 3 – Species lists 19 Appendix 4 – Spatial data holdings 30 Appendix 5 – Agreement on ownership and use of data and intellectual property rights 32 Appendix 6 – Publications in preparation 33 Contact Dr Peter Long1 & Dr Richard Field2 1 Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK +44 (0)1225 385437
[email protected] 2 Department of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK +44 (0)115 84 66146
[email protected] Operation Wallacea Ltd. Hope House, Old Bolingbroke, Spilsby, Lincolnshire, PE23 4EX, UK +44 (0)1790 763194
[email protected] www.opwall.com 2 Introduction Operation Wallacea is an international conservation research organisation specialising in tropical forest and coral reef ecology and conservation. The University of Nottingham and the University of Bath are leading research-intensive universities in the UK. These organisations work together to manage a programme of research in the Parque Nacional Cusuco (PNC) in Honduras. The overall aim of this research programme is to inform the effective conservation management of this important tropical montane forest and cloud forest. Research each year is concentrated into a two-month period in July and August each year.