Las Cuevas: Projects

Las Cuevas

Research Station & Explorers Lodge

PROJECTS

A full list of the numerous projects, publications and presentations delivered by Las Cuevas since becoming operational in 1995 is presented below

(Researchers - if your projects not listed and should be please let us know)

The list reflects the great diversity and depth of work undertaken at Las Cuevas, and demonstrates that Las Cuevas has become a thriving and internationally important centre for biodiversity research. You will see that there has been a steady increase in the number of Scientists and Students working at Las Cuevas, with people from Belize, USA and Canada studying alongside those from Britain.

Whilst there have been are many significant achievements in the last 5 years, we would highlight these in particular:

Between 2001 and 2003 staff at Las Cuevas played a leading role in providing objective and informed data to the international debate surrounding a proposed dam at Chalillo on the Macal River. The wildlife impact assessment field work and report carried out by Las Cuevas provided the most respected and valuable basis for decision making. Uniquely, Las Cuevas was able to provide unbiased, accurate and valid information to all parties including the Government of Belize, NGOs, campaigners, media and developers.

The Harpy Eagle Project, based at and supported by Las Cuevas, is an exciting programme aimed at re-introducing one of the world’s largest eagles into part of its former range. The successful release of the first 4 eagles has taken place at a ‘hack’ site run by Las Cuevas. This has been a flagship project for the Meso-American Biological Corridor.

Important studies of Jaguar and Ocelot abundance and behaviour have been based at Las Cuevas, using innovative photo-trap technology.

Other pioneering work has involved the development of live web-casts from Las Cuevas to the Darwin Centre in London and to the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Finally, it is worth noting that Las Cuevas has been responsible for environmental impact assessments for other protected areas of Belize and thus plays a wider role in promoting professional conservation efforts throughout the country.

Research Projects at Las Cuevas between 1998 - 2003:

Principal Investigators	Project Title	Institution
Alastair Rogers	New Millennium Expedition to the Upper Raspaculo, Maya Mountains.	NHM
Alex Hayward	Tank bromeliads in Chiquibul Forest: their associated diversity and conservation value	NHM
Alex Monro	Botanical Collections	NHM
Allan Warren	Studies on the use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment	NHM
Andrew Jackson	Parasitoid wasp collection	University of Oxford
Andy Englis	Small mammal survey	University California Davis
Andy Polazek	Whitefly collections	NHM
Angel Mula	Harpy Eagle Release Project	Peregrine Fund
Angela Newton	Floristic studies of neo-tropical mosses	NHM
Anna Watson	Automated hawkmoth identification using resting position images	University of Wales
Barry Fox	Entomological Collections	Independent
Barry Meatyard	Student Group Visit	Brathay Expeditions
Bill Dubbin	Mineralogical controls on long-term soil organic carbon storage and partitioning	NHM
Bradley Kropp	Macro-Fungi of Belize	Utah State University
Brian Holland	Geological review of Macal Valley	Belize Minerals
Bruce Miller	Bat Soundings	Wildlife Conservation Society
Caroline Whitefoord	Botanical Collections	NHM
Cecilia Sanchez	Population dynamics of Brysonomia Classifora (Breadnut)	NHM
Charles Godfray	Leaf miner studies	Imperial College
Charles Yaculik	Leaf miner studies	University of Oxford
Chris Bowls	Macal River Flow Monitoring Project	PWA
Christine Taylor	Leaf-cutter ant study	NHM
Craig Weatherby	Herpetological site visit	Michigan University
Daegan Inward	Dung Beetle Collection	Imperial College
David Allsop	Student Group Ecology Course	Edinburgh University
David Sutton	Diversity and Dynamics of forest communities	NHM
Deirdre Doherty	Abundance of frugivores mammals	University College Davis
Elizabeth Wilder	Agro ecosystems as refuges for forest butterfly	Imperial College
Emily Fitzgerald	Project Anuran Phase II	University of Edinburgh
Erika Elswick	Geological survey	Indiana University
Esther Kamau	Population structure of Schizolobium parahyba in Belize	Cambridge University
Eve Dyson	MSc Study	Imperial College
Forrest Davis	Avifauna studies	HLT
Francis de la Santos	Radio tagging Brown Capped Warblers	University of York
Fred Rumsey	Allozyme invariability in Hepatics	NHM
Geoff Martin	Lepidoptera Belize: DNA methods for collecting, preserving and storing.	NHM
George McGavin	Membracidae: The Art and Science of Treehopper Disguises.	University of Oxford
Hans Klompen	Soil – Micro mites	Utah State University
Holly Porter Morgan	Study of the flowering phenology and pollination ecology of Camaedorea (Palmae)	NYBG
Ian Menzies	Project Anuran IV	University of Edinburgh
James Churchill	Frog Study	Acadia University
Jeffrey Maurer	Student Group Visit	Sierra Institute
John Martin	Host-correlated inventory study of whiteflies and other sternorrhynchous Heiptera	NHM
John Shuey	Entomological Collection	TNC
K. Sidwell	Curators Collecting Trip	NHM
Karen Allen	Student Group Ecology Course	SI
Kate Finlinson	Project Anuran Phase III	EU
Kris Kaiser	Frog Study	Cleveland State University
Malcolm Beasley	The Belize Bibliography Project	NHM
Malcolm Penn	Spatial analysis of forest composition, productivity and micro environmental	NHM
Mamen Pena	Aboreles de Mundo Maya	NHM
Marcella Kelly	Jaguar abundance	VTU
Martin Kellman	Forest refuge in the MPR	University of York
Mathew Barnes	Moths of Belize	Independent
Mathew Miller	Student Group Ecology Course	Monkey Bay Sanctuary
Matt Kaplan	Science Communication to Darwin Building	NHM
Meg Krawcnuk	Beetle Collections	Acadia University
Meg Yeadon	Beetle ecological interactions	Acadia University
Melissa Alexander	Live Web Casts	SFE
Miriam Kahlil	Student Group Visit	International Field School
Nancy Garwood	Variation in morphology and life history traits of Trema micrantha	NHM
Nancy Garwood	50 ha Forest Dynamics Plot at Las Cuevas, Belize	NHM
Neil Stuart	Geo-reference mapping	University of Edinburgh
Nick Arnold	Herpetological studies	NHM
Nick Wicks	Xate study	NHM
Nigel Gibbens	Veterinarian Studies	Independent
Noel Wanner	Live Web Casts 2	San Francisco Exploratorium
Osmany Salas	Belize Bird Count	Belize Audubon Society
Owen Lewis	Coexistence of competitors in a fragmented landscape: insect and parasitoids	University of Oxford
Paolo Alfonso Pedata	Whitefly collection	CNR
Pat Murphy	Preliminary site visit for joint NHM/SFE webcast	San Francisco Exploratorium
Paul Davis	Palaeobotany of the Cretaceous period	NHM
Paul Kenrick	Palaeozoic palaeobotany and Cretaceous and Tertiary palaeozoology of Belize	NHM
Paul Waring	Entomological Studies	British Ecological Studies
Peter Furley	Soil and Plant relationships in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve