A Biological Assessment of the Alto Madidi Region and Adjacent Areas
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Rapid Assessment Program RAP Working Papers F A Biological Assedsment of the Alto Madidi Region and adjacent areas of Northwest Bolivia May 18 - June 15,1990 CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 1991 Rapid Assessment Program Knowledge of the pl;unet's biota is uneven. While some regions have been st~~diedextensively by biologists, others have scarcely been touclieci by scientific exploration. In recent years, large-scale changes in land use worldwide have made it impel.ative that we analyze as Inany of these un- k~iow~i11, '1 ?* ft'lts ns, , possible while they continue to exist in relatively pris- tine states. Rapid assessments allow conservationists to evaluate anel compare areas as a means of determining the biological base for conserva- tion priorities. Conservation International's Rapid Assessment Progra~n(RAP) as- sembles teams of world-renowned experts and host country scientists to generate first-cut assessments of the biological value of different sites, ar- eas, ancl regions around the worlcl. RAP aims to identify regions of highest biological importance for conservation. An area's importance can be char- acterized by its total biocliversity, its elegree of encle~nism,the ~~niq~~eness of an ecosyste~n,or the elegree of risk of extinction on either a national or a global scale. As a conservation tool, RAP precedes long-term scientific inventory. When satellite images of an area targeted for a RAP assessment are available, the team consults them prior to a trip to determine the extent of forest cover ancl likely areas for exploration. Once in-count~y,the scien- tists make overflights in s~nallplanes or helicopters to identify forest types ancl points for field transects. Groi~ndtravel is more difficult: Oftcn a combination of vehicles, boats, pack animals, ancl foot travel is required to get the team to re~notesites where few, if any, roads exist. Trips may last from fo~~rto eight weeks. On each trip, in-country scientists form a central part of the team. Local experts arc especially critical to ~~nclcrstandingareas where little ex- ploration has been ~unclertaken. Furthermore, any subsequent research and protection of habitats following a RAP trip will invariably depend on the initiatives of local scientists and conservationists. We hope that Rcrl., Wol.Itilig PCIIICI.Swill contribute to scientific knowledge of the earth's biodiversity. But even more i~nportant,we hope these st~~dieswill provide conservation groups around the world with data they need to help preserve the earth's biological heritage for future gen- erations. Ted Parker ancl Brent Bailey Series Editors Rapid Assessment Program RAP Working Papers A Biological Assessment of the Alto Madidi Region and adjacent areas of Northwest Bolivia May18 - June 15,1990 CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 1991 Rapid Assessnzerzt Working Pa11er.s are occasional reports published three to five times a year. For subscription information write to: Conservation International Publications 1015 18th Street, NW Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: 2021429-5660 Fax: 2021887-5188 Conse~vationInternational is a private, nonprofit organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. @ Con~er\~ationInternational, 199 1 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 9 1-078 133 @ Printed on recycled paper Table of Contents Acknowledgments 2 Participants 3 Organizational Profiles 4 Overview 6 Conclusions 6 Opportunities 9 Summary Of Field Work I I Further Research 12 Technical Report 14 Alto Madidi Region 14 Pampas Region 25 Apolo Region, Mid-Elevation Wet Forest 26 Apolo Region, Mid-Elevation Dry Forest 30 Appendices 34 1. Birds of the Alto Madidi 36 2. Birds of the Lower Rio Heath, Bolivia/Peru 48 3. Birds of Ixiamas 61 -- 4. Birds of Calabatea 5. Mammal List 72 6. Observations on the Herpetofauna 74 7. Plant List: Alto Madidi, Bajo Tuichi, and the Foothill Ridges 8. Plant List: Apolo-Mid-Elevation Wet Forest 93 9. Plant List: Apolo-Mid-Elevation Dry Forest 100 10. Plant List: Pampa-Ixiamas 104 Bibliography 107 Acknowledgments Many people contributed to the success of this trip and production of the report. Our thanks go to Eduardo Forno for coordinating extensive pre- trip arrangements and anticipating numerous details. Ana Martinet de Mollinedo, Marina de Montafio, and Lourdes Larea of the CI Bolivia of- fice cheerfully accommodated the team and provided logistical support. Marcelo Sommerstein generously offered use of the Madidi camp and support from camp personnel. Padre Nivardo graciously provided assis- tance with field transportation. Maria Marconi and Isabel Mercado of the Bolivian Conservation Data Center provided valuable review of the ap- pendices. Dr.Sydney Anderson generously shared records from his files on Bolivian mammals. Stephen Nash prepared the map of the region, Leonor Greenidge helped prepare the manuscript, and John Carr and Tom Schulenberg provided valuable editorial assistance. Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the MacArthur Foundation for establishing the Rapid As- sessment Program, and the Beneficia Foundation and CI members for ad- ditional financial support. Editors' Note This report is both a synthesis and compilation of the findings of the RAP team. The Overview section provides highlights of the trip, and integrates suggestions and conclusions that were shared by team members after ana- lyzing their results. The Technical Report provides more detailed infor- mation on species and natural communities, and is derived from separate reports submitted by the individual team members. Authorship of sepa- rate sections is attributed to the contributors whenever possible, though some sections were combined in order to avoid overlap or repetition. CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL Rapid Assessment Program Participants SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL Flavio Hinojosa Mammalogist Instituto de Ecologia Theodore A. Parker, Ill Ornithologist FIELD ASSISTANCE Conservation International Hermes Justiniano Robin B. Foster Pilot; Director, Fundaci6n Amigos de la Plant Ecologist Naturaleza, Santa Cruz Conservation International Bolivia Louise H. Emmons Abel Castillo Mammalogist Fundaci6n Amigos de la Naturaleza Conservation International Brent Bailey Alwyn H. Gentry Director of Biological Programs Conservation International Botanist Conservation International Edward Wolf Editorlwriter Stephan Beck Conservation International Botanist Herbario Nacional de Bolivia EDITORS Silvia Estenssoro Theodore A. Parker, Ill Botanist Centro de Datos para la Conservacibn de Bolivia Brent Bailey RAP Working Papers One December 1991 Organizational Profiles servation of living resources of Bolivia. View- Conservation International (CI) ing conservation as the appropriate use of these Conservation International (CI) is an interna- resources, with the goal of improving the qual- tional, nonprofit organization based in Wash- ity of life of present and future generations, the ington, D.C., whose mission is to conserve CDC promotes sustainable development that biological diversity and the ecological proc- integrates ecological, social, and economic fac- esses that support life on earth. CI employs a tors with basic principles of conservation. The strategy of "ecosystem conservation" which CDC's central mission is to provide the techni- seeks to integrate biological conservation with cal base for the development of strategies, poli- economic development for local populations. cies, programs, and projects of protection and CI's activities focus on developing scientific rational use of the country's biological heri- understanding, practicing ecosystem manage- tage, and focuses on bridging the gap between ment, stimulating conservation-based develop- those who generate biological information and ment, and assisting with policy design. those who use it. Conservation International (CI) Centro de Datos para la Conservacion 1015 18th St. NW de Bolivia (CDC) Washington, D.C. 20036 U.S.A. Calle 26, Cota-Cota Casilla 11250 202-429-5660 La Paz, Bolivia CI-Bolivia (5912) 797399 Avenida Villaz6n #1958, Of. 10-A Casilla 5633 La Paz, Bolivia Herbario Nacional de Bolivia (5912) 341230 Herbario Nacional de Bolivia is a botanical re- search center, established in 1983 by agree- ment between the Universidad Mayor de San Centro de Datos para la Conservacibn AndrCs and the Academia Nacional de Cien- de Bolivia (CDC) cias de Bolivia under the sponsorship of the The Centro de Datos para la Conservaci6n de Neotropical Flora Organization in La Paz. Bolivia (CDC) is a private, nonprofit Bolivian The Herbarium's principal goal is the organization created to contribute to the con- study of the flora of Bolivia, through floristic CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL Rapid Assessment Program inventories, establishment of botanical collec- Fundacion Amigos de la Naturaleza tions, and development of basic and applied re- The Fundaci6n Amigos de la Naturaleza search projects, thereby contributing to (FAN) is a private, nonprofit organization es- scientific training at national and international tablished in 1988. FAN'S mission is to protect levels in the Neotropical region. Bolivia's biological diversity. In collaboration Herbario Nacional de Bolivia with other nongovernmental organizations, the Casilla 10077 Bolivian government, and the international La Paz, Bolivia conservation community, FAN provides vital (59 12) 792582 and 7924 16 technical and financial assistance to Noel Kempff and Amboro National Parks and the lnstituto de Ecologia de Bolivia Rios Blanco y Negro Wildlife Reserve, pro- The Instituto de