Studying the Amazon: the experience of the Amazon Forest Inventory Network

Abstract

Lopez-Gonzalez,  G.,  Phillips,  O.L.  (2012).  Studying  the  Amazon:  the  experience  of  the  Amazon  Forest  Inventory  Network. Ecosistemas 21(1-2):118-125

Establishing and monitoring permanent plots in the tropics is essential to understand the dynamics and biodiversity of tropical forests. The development of the Amazon Forest Inventory Network (RAINFOR) has allowed researchers to study the Amazon at a regional level and has promoted the exchange of information between independent researchers. This review presents: a) the objectives and lessons learnt by the RAINFOR network; b) the importance of ForestPlots.net as a tool for a forest plots network; and c) some of the major scientific discoveries generated by RAINFOR. RAINFOR is a scientific network that in the last ten years has collected organised and analysed data from more than two hundred plots. Diametric measurements and taxonomic information are stored  and managed in the database ForestPlots.net. Some of the key findings include: 1) the increase in biomass in the Amazon; 2) the difference in turnover rates and biomass between the West and Central-East regions; 3) long-term increases in liana densities, and short-term increase in mortality in response to drought. Given the importance of the Amazon, due to its diversity and its contribution to the global carbon cycle, it is necessary to develop research projects that will allow us to understand how it responds to environmental changes.