Our Projects
Only in the last decade has the scientific community turned its attention to Tropical Dry Forests, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.
El Triunfo is one of the largest Tropical Dry Forest patches remaining in a country where 92% of this ecosystem has been lost. This is why we have partnered with various research institutes to study the current state of our biodiversity and further understand this ecosystem and its unique dynamics.
We welcome researchers from all over the globe to join us in our research and conservation efforts! Please contact us if you have a research project, Masters, or PhD thesis proposal here:
Expedición BIO - Alas, Cantos y Colores
Back in 1913, the American Museum of Natural History funded Frank Chapman and his team’s bird expedition through Colombia. They explored the composition and distribution of avifaunas and its relation to the geology and climate of the country, which was very innovative at the time as they went beyond only studying Taxonomy. This created the first baseline for birdlife understanding in Colombia. The Expedición BIO - Alas, Cantos y Colores recreated Champan’s journey through 5 of the sites visited in 1913, one of them being Hacienda El Triunfo. More than 100 years later we sampled our bird populations to study how they have changed over time and what factors have affected their diversity and population genomics. Innovation couldn’t be left behind this time around either, and the expedition therefore went beyond just leaving a scientific imprint by engaging with local communities, creating a birding route for tourism, and having female participation in a fully Colombian research team from the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the Universidad de los Andes and local expert ornithologists. The expedition was beautifully captured through the following documentary and pictures taken by the renowned Colombian nature photographer Sebastian Di Domenico.
Long-term Mammalian surveying
Mammalian species influence forest dynamics through their role in seed predation and dispersal as well as herbivore control, amongst other key ecosystem services (Rovero et al., 2014). Additionally, mammals indirectly benefit other species and ecological processes within the same ecosystem (Fourcade,Besnard & Secondi, 2017). However, poaching (Brodie et al., 2015) and forest fragmentation through human-induced activities such as cattle grazing, impact mammal species by disrupting movement, isolating populations (Lafortezza et al., 2010) and decreasing genetic diversity (Vranckx et al., 2012). Therefore, studies that assess the effects of human activities on mammal communities within Tropical Dry Forests are vital. In a joint effort with the Imperial College London and the Universidad de los Andes, more than 7,500 hectares were surveyed with 45 camera traps to study the impact fragmentation of the forest has upon populations, their occupation, species richness, and diversity. The results are being used for Masters and PhD projects and will be published in scientific journals in the coming months. The sites established through this study are continuously being surveyed by our local guides for long-term monitoring.
