December 17, 2008
THE 2008 TALAMANCA FLOOD A SCIENTIFIC OPPORTUNITY?
In late November, 2008, the Talamanca
region of Costa Rica, where our work has been
centered for more than 30 years, suffered what
some are calling the worst flood disaster in 35
years. Without endeavoring to compare historic
floods on the basis of inadecuate data we can
confirm that, at least in terms of damage to
infrastructure in some communities, it was the
worst such event ever. (Although fortunately
there was no loss of human life.)
More to the point of this document, there were
severe impacts to stream and river channels
realignment, widening, sedimentation, loss of
riparian trees, etc. In most places we still do
not have a grasp on the extent and severity of this type of damage.
Readers with experience in the humid
tropics will perceive that this is far from a
unique situation. What may be unique is that
this has happened in an area for which there
exists an extensive biomonitoring database (fish
and benthic macroinvertebrates) from ca. 160
stream sites (Sixaola/Telire and Estrella
watersheds), for the years 2000-2008. It may
thus represent a unique opportunity to evaluate
the recovery and resilience of tropical stream ecosystems.
· To what extent do recent rains and
flooding represent natural variability, or are
they symptomatic of anthropogenically induced climate change?
· How rapidly will damaged streams and
watersheds recover, and will pristine watersheds
prove to be more resilient than previously
impacted ones? (In this respect, Talamanca is a
natural laboratory, with a full range of stream
conditions from untouched streams within major
protected areas to totally altered fruit company canals.)
Some of the work toward answering
these questions will be accomplished routinely,
as a part of ANAIs ongoing Talamanca Stream
Biomonitoring Program. But we are not capable of
fully responding to this challenge/realizing this opportunity because:
· We are a 3 person team, supplemented by
volunteers and local parataxonomists.
· We are underfunded, even in terms of
carrying out our basic program, let alone taking on a new program area.
· We are not primarily a scientific
institution. While our biomonitoring database is
clearly a contribution to aquatic science, the
primary mission of our Biomonitoring Program is
to develop and apply monitoring capability as
part of a larger program of sustainable
development and community-based conservation, for and with the local people.
Not wanting to see what may be a first-ever scientific opportunity pass by
unnoticed, the idea of inviting outside
investigators occurs to us. However, if we
attempt to do this on an ad hoc basis, we incur
the danger of creating a tail which could wag the
ANAI dog. Especially in economically difficult
times like these, we cannot afford to invest in
projects which may create administrative
difficulties, or end up costing us money we dont have.
We do wish to explore the possibility
of mutually beneficial collaborations. This
could take the form of formal partnerships with
scientific and educational institutions with
programs compatible with our conservation-focused
biomonitoring program. Or there might also be
opportunities for independently financed outside
investigators. We could provide:
· Access to our 9 year (and growing) database.
· Logistic assistance with in-country
travel, lodging in remote communities, contracting day labor, etc.
· Collaboration in some aspects of field work.
· A broad base of prior experience in the zone.
· Facilitation of Costa Rican and
indigenous government collecting permits.
· Contacts with the Costa Rican scientific community.
Collaborators would need to be largely independent in their day-to-day work
(apart from mutually agreed-upon projects). All
investigators, or at a minimum team leaders,
would need to be at least modestly proficient in
spoken Spanish. The capability to incorporate
Costa Rican or other Latino student investigators would be a plus.
All investigators and collaborating
institutions would need to be responsible for all
their own costs, including equipment, food,
insurance and most transportation within
Talamanca. (Our fleet consists of one truck,
which is in daily use.) This could in some cases
include low-cost housing in ANAI facilities, or
in facilities operated by members of the
Talamanca Ecotourism Network. In addition,
financial reality compels us to charge a percentage of any research budget.
This document purposely leaves out
many details. Its purpose is to invite serious
inquiries and creative ideas. If our ideas are
to bear fruit, we need to move rapidly
recognizing that institutional inertia will
impede progress in the best of cases. In any
event, the ANAI Stream Biomonitoring Team will be
in the field advancing the work beginning in February, 2009.
Anyone interested, please contact Dr. McLarney at
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected].
Thank you.
Dr. William O. McLarney
Maribel Mafla H.
Directors,
ANAI Stream Biomonitoring Program
