Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest Symposium

Though tropical dry forests are one of the most representative and highly endangered ecosystems in Latin America, knowledge about this ecosystem remains limited in numerous fields. Furthermore, the relevant information that does exist is scattered and poorly disseminated in the scientific and policy literature. The most significant compilation on the ecology of these forests was produced over a decade ago (Tropical Dry Forests, ed S.H. Bullock, Ernesto Medina and Hal Mooney, 1995), and although recent papers (e.g., Sanchez-Azofeifa et al. 2005, Biotropica 37:
477-485 and refs.; Miles et al. 2006, Journal of Biogeography 33: 491-505), and a recent book by one of our participants (Pennington, R.T., Lewis, G.P., & Ratter, J.A. (eds). 2006. Neotropical savannas and seasonally dry forests: plant diversity, biogeography and conservation.), are making efforts to bring our attention to this forest ecosystem, there is a need of substantial updating and highlighting of its exciting biology and an urgency for its understanding, conservation and restoration.

This symposium will be held at Stanford University on December 8th and 9th 2006 and is open to the public. Please register if you plan to attend.

A map of the areas to be covered in this symposium is included below.

Schematic distribution of seasonally dry forests and savannas in the Neotropics. Seasonally dry
forest: 1. caatingas; 2. south-east Brazilian seasonal forests; 3. misiones nucleus; 4.
Chiquitano; 5. Piedmont nucleus; 6. Bolivian inter-Andean valleys; 7. Peruvian and Ecuadorean
inter-Andean valleys; 8. Pacific coastal Peru and Ecuador; 9. Caribbean coast of Colombia and
Venezuela. 10. Mexico and Central America. 11. Caribbean Islands (small islands coloured black
are not necessarily entirely covered by seasonally dry forests); 12. Florida. Savannas:
A. cerrado; B. Bolivian; C. Amazonian (not all areas represented); D. coastal (AmapÃ¡, Brazil to
Guyana); E. Rio Branco-Rupununi; F. Llanos; G. Mexico and Central America; H. Cuba. Ch: Chaco.
Modified after Pennington et al. (2000) and Huber et al. (1987).

Map from Fig. 1.2 from Pennington, R.T., Lewis, G.P., & Ratter, J.A. (eds). (2006). Neotropical savannas and seasonally dry forests: plant diversity, biogeography and conservation. CRC Press, Florida.

Sponsored by:

The Stanford Center for Latin American Studies

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico









			The Stanford University Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS-Stanford) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) are joining efforts to host an international symposium on the ecology and conservation of tropical dry forests in Latin America to be held on December 8th-9th, 2006, in Stanford, CA. This symposium will convene the prominent researchers in the field of tropical dry forests with the aims of 1) reviewing the state-of-the-art of our collective knowledge on the ecology and conservation of tropical dry forests and 2) putting together an edited volume composed of chapters prepared by the participants to the meeting. The volume will be edited by Rodolfo Dirzo, Hal Mooney, and Gerardo Ceballos and is expected to be published in 2007. A Spanish language volume of this volume will also be produced. Though tropical dry forests are one of the most representative and highly endangered ecosystems in Latin America, knowledge about this ecosystem remains limited in numerous fields. Furthermore, the relevant information that does exist is scattered and poorly disseminated in the scientific and policy literature. The most significant compilation on the ecology of these forests was produced over a decade ago (Tropical Dry Forests, ed S.H. Bullock, Ernesto Medina and Hal Mooney, 1995), and although recent papers (e.g., Sanchez-Azofeifa et al. 2005, Biotropica 37: 477-485 and refs.; Miles et al. 2006, Journal of Biogeography 33: 491-505), and a recent book by one of our participants (Pennington, R.T., Lewis, G.P., & Ratter, J.A. (eds). 2006. Neotropical savannas and seasonally dry forests: plant diversity, biogeography and conservation.), are making efforts to bring our attention to this forest ecosystem, there is a need of substantial updating and highlighting of its exciting biology and an urgency for its understanding, conservation and restoration. This symposium will be held at Stanford University on December 8th and 9th 2006 and is open to the public. Please register if you plan to attend. A map of the areas to be covered in this symposium is included below. Schematic distribution of seasonally dry forests and savannas in the Neotropics. Seasonally dry forest: 1. caatingas; 2. south-east Brazilian seasonal forests; 3. misiones nucleus; 4. Chiquitano; 5. Piedmont nucleus; 6. Bolivian inter-Andean valleys; 7. Peruvian and Ecuadorean inter-Andean valleys; 8. Pacific coastal Peru and Ecuador; 9. Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela. 10. Mexico and Central America. 11. Caribbean Islands (small islands coloured black are not necessarily entirely covered by seasonally dry forests); 12. Florida. Savannas: A. cerrado; B. Bolivian; C. Amazonian (not all areas represented); D. coastal (AmapÃ¡, Brazil to Guyana); E. Rio Branco-Rupununi; F. Llanos; G. Mexico and Central America; H. Cuba. Ch: Chaco. Modified after Pennington et al. (2000) and Huber et al. (1987). Map from Fig. 1.2 from Pennington, R.T., Lewis, G.P., & Ratter, J.A. (eds). (2006). Neotropical savannas and seasonally dry forests: plant diversity, biogeography and conservation. CRC Press, Florida. Sponsored by: The Stanford Center for Latin American Studies Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico