Central American Biodiversity, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2015
Conservation, Ecology, and a Sustainable Future

This book highlights key results and lessons learnt from two field sites, La Suerte in Costa Rica and Ometepe Nicaragua. It provides long term data on species abundance and distribution. Primates receive specific attention in this book, as they are flagship species and good indicators for the ?health? of an ecosystem, but as well a money maker. Many primate species are sensitive to habitat alteration, and are often hunted out first. But they play an important role as seed dispersal agents for the regeneration of the forest. The book then compares results from the two field sites with regional trends, and explores potential solutions such as REDD+. This book strongly calls for new approaches in conservation, it makes the case for looking beyond the pure species biology and classic conservation angle and to take into account the economic and political realities.

Chapter 1

A Short Introduction to Tropical Land- and Seascapes and their Wildlife Conservation Management

Falk Huettmann and Moritz S. Schmid

Chapter 2

If leaders like Alexander von Humboldt, Ronald Reagan and Xi Jinping would have been environmental justice radicals using public internet and drones: A short political ecology of Central America  with regards to global agenda setting in 2014

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 3

Bird conservation status and meaningful socioeconomic correlates in Central America: Results from an open access data mining approach for parrots using machine learning indicate serious economic problems

Cynthia Resendiz-Infante and Falk Huettmann

Chapter 4

Reversed Kuznets Curves in the Caribbean: Linking Marine Biodiversity Endangerment with the  National GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and assessed with Human Metrics (life expectancy, infant mortality, population growth rate)

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 5

An Oceanography Conservation View of Central America: Caribbean Wealth, Pacific Wilderness, Plunder and Mis-Management meets Seafloor Mining, Deep See Drilling, Climate Change, and Human Population Explosion in the EEZs and beyond

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 6

Coral Reefs of Central America, Dimethylsulphide (DMS) Seascapes, Open Access Data, GIS and Machine Learning Predictions: Another  application of the new Megascience for Global Sustainability

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 7

Field Schools and Research Stations in a Global Context: La Suerte (Costa Rica) and Ometepe (Nicaragua) in a wider Perspective

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 8

A Brief History of the Molina Family, and the Birth of Maderas Rain Forest Conservancy (MRC) at the La Suerte and Ometepe field stations: A narrative by Renee Molinia

Renee Molinia

Chapter 9

Teaching (Tropical) Biodiversity with International Field Schools: A Flexible Success Model in a Time of  ‘Wireless’ Globalization

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 10

A Documented Plant and Tree Species Narrative of La Suerte (Costa Rica) and Ometepe (Nicaragua): Overcoming Ancient Taxonomy Demons for a more relevant and valid Conservation Research Effort in the Tropics

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 11

The incredible world of insects in Central America: A virtual interview with Prof Dr Bugs at La Suerte (Costa Rica) and Ometepe (Nicaragua)

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 12

Amphibians and reptiles at the Ometepe and La Suerte field sites:

Towards an overview of the evolution, distribution, and diversity of Central America's herpetofauna.

Mark Spangler

Chapter 13

Exciting findings and insights from the Caiman study at La Suerte: First lessons from the scientific frontline

Peter Skylstad and Falk Huettmann

Chapter 14

Conservation of a Neotropical herpetofauna: An introduction to the crisis of amphibians and reptiles in Central America and beyond

Mark Spangler

Chapter 15

Mammalian biodiversity conservation at two biological stations in Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Andrew P. Baltenperger and Casey L. Brown

Chapter 16

On the relevance and moral impediment of digital data management, data sharing and public open access and code in (tropical) research: The Rio Convention revisited towards Mega Science and Best Professional Research Practices

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 17

Conservation research in the Cloud Forest of Central America with lessons from Maderas vulcanoe, Ometepe, Nicaragua: A first-person narrative about very tough field work, unfinished data, and climate justice while running out of time

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 18

GRID sampling for a global rapid biodiversity assessment: Methods, Applications, Results and Lessons Learned

Dirk Nemitz and Falk Huettmann

Chapter 19

Birds of Ometepe (Nicaragua) and La Suerte (Costa Rica): From a narrative and species lists over species richness and bird photo documentations to a Central American conservation ornithology

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 20

Acoustic Determinants to Group-Specific Vocalizations and Dialect: The effects of environment on infant vocalizations of Cebus capucinus. Utilizing two field sites with a shared taxon for a comparative ecological study.

Andrew R. Halloran and Sarah Mancz

Chapter 21

Factors Involved in Variation in Tree and Species Use by Mantled Howler Monkeys:  A Case Study of Resource Use in Sector Santa Rosa, Area de Conservacion, Costa Rica

Barbara J. Welker

Chapter 22

Living in islands of forests: nutritional ecology of the howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) at La Suerte Biological Field Station, North-eastern Costa Rica

Flavia Occhibove, Claudia Ferro, Gian Battista Liponi, Silvana M. Borgognini-Tarli, Joerg Ganzhorn, Giuseppe Donati

Chapter 23

A First Rare Species Action List for La Suerte and Ometepe: Correlates with Extinction, Invasion, Declines, the Allee Effect and no Recovery in Island Habitats

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 24

Lost species at La Suerte (Costa Rica) and Ometepe (Nicaragua): Facts from over 10 years of research, some speculations, liabilities and a very grim future outlook to resolve

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 25

Genetics as a tool for biodiversity conservation: examples from Central America

K. A. Cleary, A. Sanfiorenzo, and L.P. Waits

Chapter 26

A Systematic Framework for Spatial Conservation Planning and Ecological Priority Design: An Example from St. Lucia, Eastern Caribbean

Jeffrey S. Evans, Steve Schill, George Raber

Chapter 27

Global Change in Central America, and Global Transitions toward  a Carbon-free Society achieved through International Field Schools? Carbon Dioxide remains the most Toxic Gas for Mankind to be resolved

Falk Huettmann and students of the Climate Change classes 2011 & 2012 with the Maderas Rainforest Conservancy

Chapter 28

Human Aspects and Population Structures in Central America and its so-called Free Trade Zones: Imperialism, Immigration, Remittance Payments, Leakage, Brain Drain, Global Citizenship and Virtually Unlimited Inequalities during War and Globalization

Falk Huettmann

Chapter 29

A short presentation and discussion of digital research data sets in Central America, and for the field schools of La Suerte (Costa Rica) and Ometepe (Nicaragua)

Chapter 30

Assessments of carbon stock hotspots in Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Moritz S. Schmid, Andrew Baltensperger, Jordan Grigor and Falk Huettmann

Chapter 31

Selected Undergraduate Student Projects at La Suerte and Ometepe Island: Try outs, Results, First Publications and more Ideas to Progress Research and Conservation

Falk Huettmann and many field school students & contributors

Chapter 32

The Good Future of La Suerte and Ometepe between Heaven and Decay: An informed Outlook for Central America leaves us with dramatic Environmental Obstacles for Conservation Management

Falk Huettmann and many Maderas Rainforest Conservancy field school students & contributors

Dr. Falk Huettmann is Associate Professor in the Biology and Wildlife Department, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska-Fairbanks. His research interests are in wildlife/habitat modeling, GIS and remote sensing, and data management worldwide.

Focuses on digital databases, GIS layers, open access, data mining and inventory issues

The online appendix of this book provides relevant and highly sought after background material for courses or field work

Provides detailed information on field studies in the tropics ?

Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras