ATBC 2008 - ATBC in the Guiana Shield

The Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation

ATBC in the Guiana Shield

In 2008, it will be the second time an ATBC Annual Meeting is held in South America. Suriname is a part of the Guiana Shield which encompasses five other territories: Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil (in part: Roraima, Northern Amazonas, Amapa and northern Para states), Venezuela (in part: Amazonas, Bolivar and Delta Amacuro states), and Colombia (a small part; see Hammond 2005). This region is characterized by high species diversity, generally poor soils, a wide range of forest types including monodominant forests, the presence of indigenous and other tribal people in or near protected areas, and extensive tracts of intact forest and wetland wilderness. Human population densities in forest areas are very low, e.g. 3 inhabitants/km² in Suriname, levels of resource extraction are also generally low, in contrasts with the situation in many other tropical regions, where human pressure has left forests fragmented and “empty” in terms of wildlife.

Suriname hosts one of the most intact rainforest on the Earth: The Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a Unesco World Heritage.

Reference : Hammond, D. S., editor. 2005. Tropical forests of the Guiana shield: ancient forests in a modern world. CABI International, Wallington, UK.

Paramaribo Declaration (2002)

The Guiana Shield
• is a unique and very special part of our planet;
• ranks as one of the world’s last great wild places;
• occupies roughly the northeastern third of Amazonia (between the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and the Atlantic Ocean);
• is particularly noteworthy for its endemism, unique / stable ecosystems, and exceptionally pristine state, as well as for its cultural diversity.

Available at the Guiana Shield Initiatives (GSI); see also Conservation Priorities for the Guayana Shield. Map (c) Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield, Smithsonian Natural Museum of Natural History.

ATBC in Suriname (continued)

Four-eye opposum (Philander opposum)