JASON Foundation for Education
Dr. Meg
Lowman will lead a herbivore study in the rainforest canopy working
from a canopy walkway, a new tool, and Dr. Tom Miller will lead a
geomorphologic study in a partially submerged cave located nearby. The
canopy walkway, a new method of research, will be designed to have a
minimum impact on the environment. The walkway will consist of
bridges built 13-15 meters and higher. The lower bridge will span
Blue Creek (scientists and others will be brought up on the
"production" side of the river and walk
across and into the canopy). Dr. Ballard will host the broadcasts
from a platform on the far side of the bridge. Above the broadcast
platform will be additional platforms, about 20-26 meters high. Lowman
and others will be studying a neotropical rain/moist forest area which
has not been extensively studied to date. Investigations will
include general surveys of biodiversity and ecology of both flora and
fauna in the canopy and on the forest floor. Through the JASON
Project, scientists will have the opportunity to conduct a biodiversity
study in a previously inaccessible area and to provide further evid
ence regarding the necessity for conservation of this and other areas.
Specific studies will also be conducted on defoliation, plant-insect
relationships, heterogeneity of insects in the canopy, susceptibility
of foliage to defoliation and a comparison of canopy systems between
the old and new world rainforests. Pretaped material introduced in
this segment will explore medicinal plant research at Ix Chel Tropical
Research Station and conservation and education efforts at the Belize
Zoo..
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Gene Carl
Feldman
(gene@seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov)
(301) 286-9428
Todd Carlo Viola,
JASON Foundation for Education
(todd@jason.org)