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July 2007
5th International Conference on the Biology of Butterflies. Members of the TABD Project participated in this conference in Rome, Italy. A poster showing progress made with the project this year was presented there.
May 2007
Small research project grants. Nearly 40 applications from 6 countries were received for small project grants from TABDP, of which 17 were selected to receive an award. Projects were selected based on their relevance to understanding diversity in tropical Andean butterflies and their conservation, on their overall scientific merit, on their feasibility, and on the importance of the research to the project members' own studies of butterflies. We would like to thank all who submitted applications. Please click here to see the projects granted.
April 2007
Collections databasing. The project has so far databased locality information from more than 90,000 specimens of tropical Andean butterfly species, including records from the Natural History Museum, London, the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, the Museo del Instituto de Zoología Agrícola Francisco Fernández Yépez, Universidad Central de Maracay, Maracay, the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Bogotá, the collection of Jean François LeCrom, Bogotá, the Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales, Quito, the collection of Padre Francisco Piñas, Quito, the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, and the Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Gabriel Rene Moreno, Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Databasing is being conducted by project members and assistants funded by the Darwin Initiative, Conservation International and the MIZA, and by other project members and volunteers.
ELEN II PANAMA. Various members of the TABDP attended the second International Conference on Neotropical Butterflies in the city of Panama. A poster was presented of the project to report achievements made since 2006. A number of potential new collaborators were contacted. For more details and copies of abstracts contact Blanca Huertas (b.huertas@nhm.ac.uk). Some photos and details are in ELEN Conference 2007.
Above Dr Angel Viloria in Panama.
September-December 2006
The first training courses in Methods for the Study and Analysis of Tropical Butterfly Diversity took place in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. Each course involved 3 days of lectures and practicals, with the remaining 3 days devoted to field methods. Course topics included butterfly systematics, ecology, biogeography, conservation, and collecting methods. Details of course attendants, dates, locations and numbers of participating students are detailed below.
December 2006, Sajta, Bolivia.
The first Bolivian training course took place at the Estación Biológica El Valle del Sajta, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, from December 11-16. Course lecturers included the following: Ing. José Luis Aramayo and Lic. Julieta Ledezma, Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Gabriel Rene Moreno, Santa Cruz de la Sierra; Lic. Fernando Guerra, Colección Boliviana de Fauna, La Paz; Lic. Yuvinka Gareca, Museo de Historia Alcides D'Orbigny, Cochabamba; Dr. Jorge Bizarro, "Reserva Ambiental Serelepe", Quatro Barras, Paraná, and Dr. André Freitas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; and Dr Keith Willmott from the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville. A total of 25 students attended. Funding from WWF Bolivia enabled the two Brazilian lecturers and students from Pando, Bolivia, to attend the course. The course featured in an article in Newspaper El Deber on 21 January 2007.
November 2006, Yanayacu, Ecuador.
The first Ecuadorian-Peruvian training course took place at the Estación Biológica Yanayacu, Cosanga, Napo, from November 20-25. Course lecturers included the following: Lic. Santiago Villamarín, Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales, Quito; Harold Greeney, Director of the Estación Biológica Yanayacu, Cosanga; Dr Gerardo Lamas from the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima; and Dr Keith Willmott from the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville. A total of 25 students attended.
October 2006, Villavicencio, Colombia.
The first Colombian training course took place at the Estación de Biología Tropical Roberto Franco, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Villavicencio, Meta, from October 9-14. Course lecturers included the following: Gonzalo Andrade, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Bogotá; Dr. Mauricio Linares and Dr. Camilo Salazar, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá; Luis Miguel Constantino, CENICAFE, Chinchiná, Caldas; Ing. Jean Francois LeCrom, editor Mariposas de Colombia, Bogotá; Dr. Gerardo Lamas from the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima; Dr. Jim Mallet, University College London, London; and Blanca Huertas from the Natural History Museum, London. A total of 28 students attended. The course received additional funding from AndinoNET.
September 2006, Rancho Grande, Venezuela.
The first Venezuelan training course took place at the Estación Biológica Dr. Alberto Fernández Yépez, Rancho Grande, Aragua, from September 25-30. Course lecturers included the following: Ing. Quintín Arias, Dr José Clavijo and Dr. Jurg de Marmels from the Museo del Instituto de Zoología Agrícola Francisco Fernández Yépez, Universidad Central de Maracay, Maracay; Prof. John Lattke, head of the Estación Científica Dr Alberto Fernández Yepez; Blanca Huertas from the Natural History Museum, London; Megan van Fossen and Grisel Velásquez from Conservation International; Dr Angel Viloria from the Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas; Dr Gerardo Lamas from the Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima; and Dr Keith Willmott from the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville. A total of 26 students attended. The course received additional funding from AndinoNET and was featured in the newspaper El Nacional on 7 October 2006.
June 2006, Bogotá, Colombia.
Foundation of the Asociación de Lepidopterología de Colombia (Association of Lepidopterology of Colombia)
In a meeting held in the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales of the Universidad Nacional of Colombia, in Bogotá, the foundation of the Asociación de Lepidopterología de Colombia (Association of Lepidopterology of Colombia), ACOLEP, was celebrated. Various well-known members of the lepidopterological community, at both national and international levels, were invited to and participated at this meeting as founder members. More than 40 members of different regions and occupations, including researchers, students, butterfly enthusiasts, etc., were present, among them several members of the Tropical Andean Butterfly Diversity Project which supported this initiative.
May 2006, Florida USA.
First international meeting of the Tropical Andean Butterfly Diversity Project
The first international planning meeting of the Tropical Andean Butterfly Diversity Project (TABDP) was held at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, in Gainesville. This event took place between 20-30 April 2006, with representatives of the principal organizations and institutions involved in the project (see attendants below).
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the project's objectives and development of project activities and methodology, with an emphasis on the requirements of each country for the training courses to be conducted beginning September 2006.
Meeting participants, Gainesville, 2006
