Saving Belize’s Savannas
April 7th, 2009 Posted in News
The University of Edinburgh, in collaboration with the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh and local Belizean organizations, has planned a study which aims at protecting the rich biodiversity found in the savannas of Belize, Central America.
The three-year study will investigate, and map vegetation at different sites helping to identify the areas where conservation needs to be directed, in order to ensure the survival of the rich plant and animal life found in Belize’s savannas. Areas more suitable for economic use will also be identified.
Belize is already developing protected areas, but is short on knowledge about the ecosystems of its regions. According to Dr. Neil Stuart from the School of Geosciences: “[Belize] lacks the necessary expertise to pin down which areas must be considered priorities for conservation”. The study should help to elucidate this, building on research work with which the University of Edinburgh has been involved in since the early 1960s.
Funding for the project comes from the Darwin Initiative, established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to enable the involvement of UK scientists in projects which are helping to maintain and improve biodiversity around the world .
For more information on the project, please contact:
– Dr Neil Stuart, School of Geosciences, tel 0131 650 2549; email ns@geo.ed.ac.uk
– Norval Scott, Press and PR Office, tel 0131 650 2246; email norval.scott@ed.ac.uk
More information on the Darwin Initiative can be found at http://darwin.defra.gov.uk/.
-Jorine Willems
