Scientific studies

Local team of the PROEVAL RAXMU Bird Monitoring Program.

Several studies emphasized the conservation value of the Chelemhá cloud forest. Investigations on the Quetzal (Unger 1988, Mühlenberg et al. 1989) showed that Chelemhá is one of the sites with the highest density of Quetzals in Guatemala.


Valuable specimens for the floristic inventory were collected during botanical excursions, headed by Dr. Harald Förther. The specimens are deposited in the herbarium of the University Del Valle in Guatemala City, in the herbarium of the Institute of Systematic Botany of the University of Munich, in the Museum of Natural History Vienna, in the Museum of Natural History London, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.


Studies on soils, climate, forest cover and the avifauna were carried out from 2000 to 2003 within an interdisciplinary project of the University of Göttingen (Markussen 2003, Renner 2003, Birner et al. 2003).


In 2004, the School of Biology of the San Carlos University Guatemala (Program COMPAI - Conservación y Manejo de Paisaje - Landscape Conservation and Management) carried out a study on optimizing the use of the landscape by indigenous communities.


The PROEVAL RAXMU Bird Monitoring Program is studying the bird community of the Yalijux mountain since 2006 (Eisermann et al. 2006).

References


Birner, R., M. Mañez Costa, P. Maas, M. Markussen, S. Renner, C. Andersohn & H. Wittmer (2003): Valoración y manejo de la biodiversidad: Implementación de las estratégias de protección de la naturaleza en el marco de la convención sobre la diversidad biológica. Informe de resultados preliminares 2001-2003. Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainable Development, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.


Eisermann, K., N. Herrera & O. Komar (2006) Highland Guan (Penelopina nigra). Pp. 85-90 In: D. M. Brooks (ed.) Conserving Cracids: the most threatened family of birds in the Americas. Miscellaneous Publications of the Houston Museum of Natural Science 6.


Markussen, M. (2003): Waldkonversion und Bodendegradation in Bergnebelwaldgebieten Guatemalas (Alta Verapaz) - Ein Beitrag zur Biodiversitätsfoschung in sensiblen tropischen Ökosystemen. Dissertation, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.


Mühlenberg, M., T. Hovestadt & D. Unger (1989): Schutz des Nebelwaldes in Guatemala. unpubl. Bericht zum GTZ - Projekt PN 87.2253.0-01.100 "Bäuerliche Waldwirtschaft", Fabrikschleichach/Univ. Würzburg


Renner, S. (2003): Structure and diversity of cloud forest bird communities in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, and implications for conservation. Dissertation, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.


Unger, D. (1988): Welche Funktion hat der extreme Sexualdimorphismus des Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno)? Diplomarbeit der Fakultät für Biologie der Universität Tübingen.

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