In The Field at Cocobolo
Education
The start of 2023 has been a busy one, with CREA hosting two visiting university Study Abroad groups from the USA. Austin College and Virginia Tech. Despite the late arrival of the dry season both groups gamely carried out activities in the mud and showers. Students from varied disciplines including biology, conservation, meteorology and engineering were all introduced to Cocobolo’s rainforest and its inhabitants and were able to actively participate in biological field work. It’s a once in a life time opportunity for many to undertake these activities in a tropical forest, for example, mist netting birds, conducting tree and fresh water invertebrate surveys and learning how to use trail cameras and small mammal traps for monitoring mammals.
This year, one group was fortunate to coincide their trip with Drew Bristow, expert climbing arborist. Drew and Trev offered each student and their professors the chance to climb up into the canopy to get a bird’s eye view of the reserve, a truly unique experience. The visits give CREA the opportunity to inspire young people with Cocobolo’s natural beauty and to demonstrate how conservation works at a grassroots level, the take away message being that everyone of us can make a difference.
Our study abroad program is finally back on its feet after the Covid interlude and we hope to expand it to other school/university groups. If you know of any professors who would be interested in the Cocobolo Experience then please pass on our details or get in touch.
Research
The Margay Project Field Work Begins
CREA’s Margay Project is finally off the ground. Field work started in mid-December with Lucy, Trev and Drew getting to grips with arboreal camera-trap placement. The field sites served as on the job training for Drew to teach Trev and Lucy how to access the trees and work safely with ropes. Ten arboreal and ten ground based camera-traps were installed in two weeks. A great accomplishment when you factor in the hiking involved with heavy packs, the time needed to select a site and the slower climbing pace of the researchers.
However, one skill that takes much longer to develop is knowing the best spot to place the camera-traps that won’t result in lots of images of leaves blowing in the breeze. As the camera-trap sites were checked it became clear that there were one or two issues. Learning from our mistakes (and 4000 images of leaves later) we fine tuned what we were targeting with the camera-trap to reduce mis-triggers. No one said arboreal camera-trapping would be easy, its physically trying and requires a lot more thought than ground placement. Still, we are starting to get some great data even at this early stage. Margay, our target mammal, has appeared on two of the camera-traps, one a high log crossing and the second on the ground in the cloud forest (see pic below).
We have matched the id of the cloud forest individual to an individual we captured on a camera-trap last year. We believe that the effort involved is well worth it. The potential insight into Margay habits is of course our goal but our effort is also lifting a veil to another world as we start to document animals such as Rothschild’s Porcupine, Kinkajou and Olingo going about their normal nocturnal routine. Without arboreal access we would still be in the dark as to their activities here at Cocobolo Nature Reserve.
A New Species of Frog Discovered in Cocobolo?
Erick Barria, a Panamanian biology student has been periodically visiting Cocobolo over the last year as part of his research into frogs. He also joined the team to help host the University Study Abroad visits and his natural enthusiasm and amazing photography helped show the students just how fascinating and beautiful reptiles and amphibians are. Whilst here at Cocobolo, Erick has been looking closely at our frogs and it is very possible that he has discovered a new species of Diasporus sp. nov. Still to be verified using DNA samples we hope to bring more news soon. The find highlights just how biodiverse and important Cocobolo Nature Reserve is and justifies our efforts at preserving this little piece of Panamanian paradise. (A teaser…we are also analysing results of our botanical survey that suggests there are more new species waiting to be discovered here at Cocobolo. We will let you know just as soon as we know more…)
Conservation Club
CREA’s Margay researchers have been working with a group of 6- to 8-year-old school children in the UK from Brighton College Prep School. An innovative partnership, the conservation club was set up to support the Margay Project by funding a camera-trap station. In return the children are learning about the Margay and the rainforest through camera-trap images taken on the cameras they sponsor and through personalised video diaries from the research team. It’s a great way for the children to actively participate in conservation and feel like they are truly contributing to the planet’s future at the same time as giving CREA the opportunity to educate and inspire a future generation. If this sounds like something a school you know would like to participate in, do get in touch.
News from Around the Tropics
Germany pledges millions to help Brazil protect Amazon Rainforest
After a decade of destruction under the former Brazilian government of President Jair Bolsonaro, the new government under Lula de Silva promises better management. In light of this, Germany has pledged $38 million to the Amazon Fund, an international mechanism that aims to prevent deforestation. It also promises $87 million in low interest loans to farmers to restore degraded areas and a further $34 million to Brazilian states to protect the Amazon Rainforest.
Read more here.
Special Drone collects Environmental DNA from Trees
Swiss researchers have been developing a drone that is able to land on branches and collect DNA samples. The drone is equipped with sticky tape, when it lands on a branch DNA samples from what ever has been present sticks to it and can be analysed. In tests, DNA from different taxa has been successfully collected including from birds mammals and insects. Although some work is still required to fine tune the robustness of the drones, the potential to reach and sample remote difficult to access places such as little studied rainforest canopies is revolutionary.
Read more here
Canopy bridges connect forests, wildlife, and international researchers
In our increasingly fragmented world, arboreal mammals are often cut off from habitat resources when roads and highways cut through forest habitat. A serious problem, especially for animals that cannot descend to the ground to cross over to another patch of forest. One solution gaining purchase amongst practitioners and researchers is the use of arboreal bridges, a low cost solution helping arboreal mammals stay connected.
Read more here