Project for the Advancement of Networked Science in Amazonia PARAMA SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME PRIORITY THEMATIC AREA “SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, GLOBAL CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEMS” GLOBAL CHANGE AND ECOSYSTEMS SUB-PRIORITY

Project Duration: Dec 19 th 2003-Dec 18 th 2006 Total Budget: 400,000 euros website:

Aim To build and strengthen European co-operation with Latin American partners to allow the development of a critical mass of human capacity and techniques for monitoring and understanding the Amazon ecosystem’s role in climate change and maintenance of biodiversity, and the effects of global change on the Amazon forest ecosystem.

Directly Funded Partners University of Edinburgh, UK University of Leeds, UK Free University of Amsterdam, Netherlands CNRS, Toulouse, France ALTERRA, Wageningen, the Netherlands National Herbarium of the Netherlands, Utrecht, Netherlands Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany National Amazon Research Institute (INPA), Manaus, Brazil Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belem, Brazil Museo Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz, Bolivia

The PARAMA 400,000 euros

Kick-off meeting: Brasilia July Field workshops to be held in Brazil, August 1-10 th Analysis workshops to be held in Bolivia, basic field manuals 9 research (MSc level) fellowships

2004 field workshops

Workshop applications participants to be funded per workshop, capacity up to 15

Manuals Eight field methodology manuals in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French. Plot-based forest structure inventory & monitoring; Plot-based forest dynamics inventory & monitoring; Plot-based biodiversity inventory & monitoring; Digital herbaria standards; Eddy covariance & related meteorological variables; Litterfall & seasonal growth dynamics; Soil moisture, sap-flow & plant water status; Soil & plant gas exchange measurements. Manuals will be written by the key European participants in association with their South American colleagues.

Research Fellowships At least eight research fellowships of two years for South American students, aimed specifically at research focussed on cross-Amazonian comparisons. Fellowhips should fund all or part of MSc studies, or fund additional cost to an already existing MSc or PhD research project. Fellowships will be based in South American institutions, but will be co- supervised by European scientists.

Fellowship applications May to be funded

Conclusions: PARAMA is all about training and capacity building The involvement of South Americans in coordination and teaching is high Still some uncertainties on procedures and affiliations but the project has made a good start CNPq approval pending We ask for the support of the LBA SSC

General Objectives 1. Construct three vibrant and well-integrated Networks across the Amazon Basin and Europe for understanding and monitoring: 1.1 forest structure and dynamics, 1.2 tree biodiversity, 1.3 whole ecosystem physiology and carbon dynamics. 2. Harmonise standards for measurement of the above across the Amazon Basin and into the future. 3. Integrate a critical mass of physical resources (data, plots, herbaria, microclimate & soil instrumentation) to allow an improved understanding of the spatial and temporal variability of Amazon forest ecosystems.

General Objectives (continued) 4. Train researchers from Amazonian countries in state-of the- art techniques for monitoring biodiversity, carbon dynamics and ecosystem function, using the expertise of European scientists and specialists found in one Amazonian country but not in others. 5. Integrate the three Networks into a single meta-network of European and Amazonian researchers focussed on monitoring Amazonian biodiversity, carbon dynamics and ecosystem function in the face of global change.