Projects and programmes in Latin America
Research-based conservation and capacity building in Mato Grosso, Brazil
 On the southern edge of the Brazilian Amazon, Kew is working with the Cristalino Ecological Foundation (a local NGO) and the University of the State of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT) to develop research-based support of the establishment and management of protected areas. The project is located near Alta Floresta, at the cutting edge of Amazonia's 'arc of deforestation'.
Activities include training and capacity building for botanical research and vegetation mapping, support for the development of management plans of new private reserves (RPPNs) and the adjacent Cristalino State Park, and production of resources for environmental education and awareness raising.
Latin American Plants Initiative (LAPI)
This project, funded by the Mellon Foundation and initiated in 2007, aims to database and image all the Latin American type specimens held in the Kew Herbarium . The specimens and information will become available from the ALUKA website
(a not-for-profit international collaboration of educational and cultural institutions), together with those from other participating organisations in Latin America, Europe and the USA.
Interactive key to the flowering plants of the Neotropics
 Kew is developing an interactive, multi-language, multi-access key to the flowering plant families of the Neotropics. The key, based on LUCID 3 software, will be available on the Internet at no charge. It is being designed for use by specialists and non-specialists alike, with images to aid the identification process.
This is a collaborative project involving taxonomic specialists and generalists from many countries.
Conservation & sustainable management of dry forest in South
Coast Peru
 The Huarango (Prosopis pallida) forests of the south coast
of Peru are among the most highly threatened ecosystems on earth.
The majority of Huarango forests have been cleared for industrial
fuel and large-scale agriculture. The few remaining relics are
suffering illegal felling and burning for the production of charcoal,
sold in the cities. The region (Ica and Nazca) is home to over 600,000
people, most of whom are very poor and have few economic
resources.
The project is working with local communities to promote habitat restoration, conservation
and sustainable management in this important
habitat.
 Priority conservation areas in the Central Andean Valleys of Bolivia
This programme of applied research and dissemination is following up on the results of a three-year project, funded by the UK Darwin initiative, that identified key areas of plant diversity in the Central Andean Valleys.
Work includes in-depth botanical inventory, capacity-building with local communities and park guides, and the development of information resources (leaflets, posters).
Conservation of the Cerrados of Eastern Bolivia
Kew is a partner in this three-year project (2007-2010) which aims to identify conservation priorities in the savanna woodland formations (Cerrados) of the Chiquitano region of Eastern Bolivia. The project is supported by the UK Darwin Initiative, and is led by the University of Oxford.
Cactus conservation in the Central Andean Valleys, Bolivia
 The dry valleys on the eastern edge of the Andes support many endemic cactus species. A local initiative in Pulquina (Santa Cruz), developed with support from the Mayor of Comarapa, is working to establish a small conservation area/botanic garden in this region. It is hoped that this will become a visitor attraction and focal point for information on rare Bolivian cacti. Kew is providing technical support for this project, including botanical research, plant propagation/management techniques and interpretation.
Vegetation mapping and management in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
 In February 2005 a team of botanists from the Herbarium worked with scientists and students from the University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), EMBRAPA (Brazil's agricultural research organisation) and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to undertake the first detailed vegetation survey and mapping of the Morraria de Santa Cruz, near Corumbá. This impressive ironstone mountain, rising from the edge of the internationally important Pantanal wetlands, supports a complex mixture of habitats including cliff vegetation, grassland, tree savanna (cerrado) and semi-deciduous forest.
The purpose of the survey was to provide baseline information on the vegetation of the mountain, for improved management of a large iron ore mine. Our long term aim is to help minimise the impact of mine development and improve local capacity for restoration of damaged habitats.
We are continuing to work with a range of local and international partners to develop and implement recommendations and solutions for biodiversity action planning, habitat restoration and compensatory conservation measures for the site.
Tree Flora of Peru
 This project is working with the Universidad Agraria La Molina and the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh to document tree diversity in Peru and provide information on silviculture and utilization of the more important species in the Peruvian Amazon and Andes.
The Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru was published in 2004, the Guide to the Useful Trees of the Peruvian Amazon in 2003, and the Guide to the Useful Tree of the Peruvian Andes in 2006.
The project also provided herbarium- and field-based training for Peruvian scientists and foresters.
Guyana: Biodiversity and Sustainable Development of Butterfly Production (Lepidoptera)
Kew is a partner in this Darwin Initiative project (2007-2009) led by the University of Warwick. The project purpose is to
increase knowledge of the butterfly diversity and sustainably exploit these populations within the Iwokrama forest and surrounding community areas.
Plantas do Nordeste - Sustainable use of fuelwood in NE Brazil
 Plantas do Nordeste (Plants of the Northeast) was Kew's flagship project in Brazil for over ten years. This collaborative initiative worked with a range of Brazilian partner institutions to promote botanical research, conservation and sustainable plant use in the Northeast of Brazil. The region supports a diverse flora composed primarily of dry vegetation, much of which is under considerable pressure from the expanding human population.
The PNE programme includes one of Kew's ongoing projects in Brazil, working towards sustainable use of fuelwood in the caatinga vegetation .
Orquideas da Chapada Diamantina (Orchids of the Chapada Diamantina)
A new illustrated account of the diverse orchid flora of part of Northeast Brazil was published in January 2006. This was the result of a long collaborative effort between Brazilian and Kew scientists.
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