Collaborative Research: Planning For the Future: Developing a Five Year Plan for Wildsumaco Biological Station

Wildsumaco生物站（WBS）的主要任务是科学研究和教育（www.wildsumacobio.org）。WBS本身是弗朗西斯·马里恩大学（FMU）、北卡罗来纳大学威尔明顿分校、厄瓜多尔教廷大学Católica和怀尔德苏马科野生动物保护区（WWS）之间的合作项目。虽然该站在2012年才开放，但它迅速成为苏马科地区高质量教学和研究的中心。WBS举办了许多本科课程，并发表了许多科学论文和演讲。这项拨款可用于制定一个全面的五年计划，以促进WBS发展成为一个具有许多社会效益的世界级生态研究站。首先，由于WBS位于世界上最重要的生物多样性热点地区之一，加强对该站的研究将增加我们对热带生物多样性的了解。特别是，与安第斯山脉东坡沿线的其他实地站发展伙伴关系，将能够协调监测从低地热带雨林到高海拔云雾林的生物多样性变化。第二，发展广播站将增加代表性不足群体的教育机会。FMU的大多数学生来自南卡罗来纳州贫困的农村地区，少数民族学生的比例非常高。有机会在世界生物多样性热点地区之一进行生态研究，对许多这些代表性不足的群体来说是一个独特的机会，这不仅使他们参与科学，而且使他们参与全球文化。第三，该站加强的研究和教育将产生实际的管理后果。在Wildsumaco野生动物保护区和Sumaco国家公园内进行的研究有助于更好地教育公园工作人员了解当地的生物多样性，同时为管理决策提供信息，并提高发展生态旅游的潜力，作为威胁周围森林的破坏性木材实践的可行替代方案。这项活动的主要合作伙伴包括北卡罗来纳大学威尔明顿分校和厄瓜多尔天主教大学。WBS位于热带安第斯生物多样性热点地区，地处低地亚马逊和高地安第斯生物群的交汇处，具有全球生态和保护意义。除了发现新物种的潜力外，WBS是监测全球气候变化和相关气候变化驱动下该地区物种分布变化的理想场所。这一规划过程将产生一个管理空间站的五年行动计划，确定当前和未来学生和研究人员的基础设施需求，并建立和加强科学合作和教育推广。这将部分通过三个规划讲习班来完成。第一个是在美国，将向已建立的外地站的特邀工作人员征求意见和战略。第二个项目在厄瓜多尔，将寻求WBS管理者、利益相关者和当地社区的投入并巩固承诺，并将包括访问三个类似的研究站，以学习他们的经验。在美国举行的第三次也是最后一次研讨会将提炼和整理来自前几次研讨会的信息，并寻求科学家和商学院的指导，以起草最后的五年行动计划。该计划将确定最有效的策略，以维持和加强WBS的科学和教育计划，向科学界和公众传播研究成果，并招募研究小组和学生（特别是少数民族学生）到该站。WBS网站位于http://www.wildsumacobio.org。

Wildsumaco Biological Station's (WBS) primary mission is scientific research and education (www.wildsumacobio.org). WBS itself is a collaboration between Francis Marion University (FMU), the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and Wildsumaco Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS). Although the station only opened in 2012, it is quickly becoming a hub for high quality teaching and research in the Sumaco region. WBS has hosted numerous undergraduate courses and produced a number of scientific papers and presentations. This grant allows for the development of a comprehensive five year plan to facilitate WBS's development into a world class ecological research station, with a number of societal benefits. First, because WBS is located in one of the world's premier biodiversity hotspots, improving research at the station will increase our understanding of tropical biodiversity. In particular, developing partnerships with other field stations along the east slope of the Andes will allow for coordinated monitoring of biodiversity changes from lowland tropical rainforest to high elevation cloud forests. Second, developing the station will enhance educational opportunities for underrepresented groups. Most students at FMU come from poor, rural areas of South Carolina, with a very high proportion of minority students. The opportunity to conduct ecological research in one of the world's biodiversity hotspots is a unique opportunity for many of these underrepresented groups, and one that not only engages them in science, but also global culture. Third, the enhanced research and education occurring at the station will have practical management consequences. The research being done at the Wildsumaco Wildlife Sanctuary and within Sumaco National Park itself are helping to better educate park staff on local biodiversity, as well as inform management decisions and improve the potential to develop ecotourism as a viable alternative to the destructive timber practices that threaten the surrounding forest. Key partners in this activity include the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. WBS's location in the Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot, at the confluence of lowland Amazonian and highland Andean biotas, render it a site of global ecological and conservation significance. In addition to high potential for new species discovery, WBS is an ideal site in which to monitor distributional changes of species driven by global climate change and associated shifting climate envelopes in this megadiverse region. This planning process will produce a five year action plan for management of the station, identify infrastructure needs for current and future students and researchers, and establish and enhance scientific collaboration and educational outreach. This will be accomplished in part through three planning workshops. The first, in the USA, will seek advice and strategies from invited staff of established field stations. The second, in Ecuador, will seek input and solidify commitments from WBS managers, stakeholders, and the local community, and will include visits to three similar research stations to learn from their experience. The third and final workshop in the USA will distill and collate information from the previous workshops, and seek guidance from scientists and business faculty to draft the final five year plan of action. The plan will identify the most efficient strategy to maintain and enhance WBS's scientific and educational programs, the dissemination of research findings to the scientific community and general public, and recruitment of research groups and students (particularly minority students) to the station. The WBS website is located at http://www.wildsumacobio.org.