Biological Inventory of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Laos

人们对东南亚国家老挝的两栖动物(青蛙、火蜥蜴和盲肠动物)和爬行动物(海龟、蜥蜴和蛇)知之甚少。老挝一直饱受战争、不稳定和与西方隔绝的困扰，这导致野生动物研究存在很大差距。政治局势的改善使新的田野工作成为可能，老挝现在已知拥有高度多样性的两栖动物和爬行动物物种，其中许多只出现在那里。老挝正在迅速发现新的国家记录和科学上的全新物种。低产能和糟糕的基础设施阻碍了国内科学家的此类研究。这个为期三年的项目将在老挝各地的九个优先野外地点对两栖动物和爬行动物及其寄生虫进行调查。这项工作将由美国和老挝的生物多样性科学家与美国一个非政府野生动物保护组织合作进行。了解哪些物种发生在哪里是全球生物多样性保护的基础。老挝的许多两栖和爬行动物物种正面临灭绝的危险，这主要是由于栖息地遭到破坏。该项目将通过博物馆展品向保护管理者、国际科学界和美国公众提供老挝两栖和爬行动物生物学的重要信息。一名美国博士后学者和老挝研究生和科学家将接受实地研究和博物馆科学方面的广泛培训，以确保该项目对下一代生物多样性科学家和管理人员产生影响。

Little is known about the amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) and reptiles (turtles, lizards, and snakes) of the Southeast Asian country of Laos. Laos has been plagued by war, instability and isolation from the West, and this has led to a long gap in wildlife research. An improved political situation has made new fieldwork possible, and Laos is now known to contain a high diversity of amphibians and reptile species, many of which occur only there. New country records and entirely new species to science are being rapidly discovered in Laos. Low capacity and poor infrastructure impedes such research by in-country scientists. This three-year project will undertake surveys of amphibians and reptiles, and their parasites, at nine priority field sites across Laos. The work will be undertaken collaboratively between U.S. and Lao biodiversity scientists in partnership with a U.S. non-governmental wildlife conservation organization. Knowledge of which species occur where is fundamental to global biodiversity conservation. Many species of amphibians and reptiles in Laos are at risk of extinction, primarily due to habitat destruction. This project will provide essential information on the biology of amphibians and reptiles in Laos to conservation managers, the international scientific community, and the U.S. public via museum exhibits. A U.S. postdoctoral scholar and Lao graduate students and scientists will receive extensive training in field research and museum science to ensure project impact on the next generation of biodiversity scientists and stewards.