The mission of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is to conserve our natural heritage by deepening our knowledge of the plant world and achieving public understanding of the value plants bring to life. The Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program is carrying out this mission in the Andes-Amazon region of southeastern Peru.
The region where the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains meets the Amazonian lowlands in southeastern Peru harbors one of the greatest concentrations of biological diversity on Earth. This area is the focus of major conservation efforts as human encroachment threatens these ecosystems. Thousands of species exist along an altitudinal gradient from 3,800 meters (12,000 feet) in the Andes to 240 meters (650 feet) in the Amazonian lowlands. Vegetation varies widely with climate along this gradient from grasslands and cloud forests at high elevation, to rainforests, palm swamps, and tropical bogs in the lowlands. An accurate accounting of the botanical diversity of the region will be indispensable in preparing wise management programs and decision support.
The AABP at BRIT aims to document and study the rich fauna and floral diversity of the Andes-Amazon region of southeastern Peru through small, focused, long-term projects at selected field sites. The mission is to promote understanding, improved communication, appreciation, and conservation of fauna and floral diversity through basic and applied science, training/education programs, and development of information products and innovative tools and services.
To understand the rich biological diversity of the region and to ensure long-term conservation, botanical studies and ecological investigations are required immediately. Botanical information from ongoing studies of the AABP is already contributing significantly to studies of other groups of organisms and their interactions with the environment. Read more!