Foundation supports pioneering work in the rainforest


Foundation supports pioneering work in the rainforest
The biodiversity of tropical rainforests is proverbial, but it is nothing that can be seen easily. Dense vegetation obstructs the view and often you can't see the wood for the trees. If you want to get an overview of the tangle of plants, you should be familiar with animal calls. Many species spend the majority of their time in the canopy and what happens there often remains hidden to the terrestrial biped. If you climb up the 20 to 30 meter into the canopy of giant forest trees, you will find yourself in a new world. Fruit-bearing trees have a magnetic effect and become traffic hubs for days or weeks. Bonobos are just one of many species that move through the canopy in search of fruit (Figure 1). Like humans, they have a preference for ‘ripe’ fruit. Other species reach for it earlier and do not wait until the fruit reaches its maximum nutrient content. To capture the race for harvesting jungle trees, a 24/7 observation design is needed. Camera traps offer an ideal solution. They are active day and night and not only record who is currently settling in the tree, but also allow projections to be made on the amount of food consumed. With the support of the Foundation for Animal, Nature and Species Conservation, Tanguy Deville (Figure 2) will install camera traps in a large number of fruit-bearing trees with cameras and thus record the consumption of fruit in the LuiKotale study area over many months. Tanguy is an expert in tree climbing and has tested the technical and logistical requirements for the demanding study in previous field trips. Meeting bonobos and other forest dwellers at eye level is one of the most exciting experiences for him. The support of the foundation enables an unusually ambitious project that will provide insights into a habitat that is still largely unexplored and bring us a great deal closer to the endangered bonobo.
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