Funding Body: Newton Fund
Project Duration: 09/2019 – 02/2020
Project Overview:
When managed sustainably, biodiversity can provide a viable pathway to economic development for communities in tropical forest regions. In the northern Peruvian Amazon, palm fruits are some of the most valuable forest resources: sale of fruits of the palm Mauritia flexuosa can generate an annual income of up to 40,000 USD for a community, and, together with other palm species, contributes, on average, 30 % of income to rural communities. However, stems have typically been cut to harvest fruits, and this has led to a reduction in the number of trees, and, as M. flexuosa has separate male and female trees, to a depletion of female, fruit-bearing individuals.
In this project, we will address the urgent need to develop cost-effective monitoring systems of the extent and health of M. flexuosa stands by developing a new methodology based on UAV technology to map the distribution and degradation levels of this species at landscapes scales.
Team Members:
| Name | Role | Affiliation/Institute |
| Tim Baker | Principal Investigator | Leeds |
| Freddie Draper | Co-principal investigator | Leeds |
| Ximena Tagle | Co-principal investigator | IIAP / Wageningen |
| Euridice Honorio | Researcher | IIAP |
| Gerardo Flores | Field team leader | IIAP |
Project Partners: IIAP, SERNANP, Leeds, AMPA, RAFSAC
Contact Information: Tim Baker ([email protected]), Ximena Tagle ([email protected])