In 2001, the 1. Congress of Conservation of Biological and Cultural Diversity in the Andes and the Amazon Basin in Cusco, Peru, attempted to provide a platform to bridge the existing gap between Scientists, Non Governmental Organizations, Indigenous Populations and Governmental Agencies. This was followed by a 2. Congress in 2003, held in Loja, Ecuador together with the IV Ecuadorian Botanical Congress. The most important results of these conferences were published in Lyonia 6 (1/2) and 7 (1/2) 2004.

Since then, the "Andes and Amazon" Biodiversity Congress has become a respected institution, and is being held every two years in Loja, Ecuador, where it has found a permanent home at the Universidad Tecnica Particular.

In 2005, the 3. Congres on Biological and Cultural Diversity of the Andes and Amazon Basin joined efforts with the 2. Dry Forest Congress and the 5. Ecuadorian Botanical Congress, to provide an even broader venue.

The Tropical Dry Forests of Latin America as well as the Andes and the Amazon Basin represent one of the most important Biodiversity-Hotspots on Earth. At the same time, both systems face imminent dangers due to unsustainable use.
Attempts of sustainable management and conservation must integrate local communities and their traditional knowledge. Management decisions need to include the high importance of natural resources in providing building materials, food and medicines for rural as well as urbanized communities. The traditional use of forest resources, particularly of non-timber products like medicinal plants, has deep roots not only in indigenous communities, but is practiced in a wide section of society. The use of medicinal herbs is often an economically inevitable alternative to expensive western medicine. The base knowledge of this traditional use is passed from one generation to the next. Especially the medical use represents a highly dynamic, always evolving process, where new knowledge is constantly being obtained, and linked to traditional practices.
An increased emphasis is being placed en possible economic benefits especially of the medicinal use of tropical forest products instead of pure timber harvesting, an approach particularly appealing to countries with difficult economic conditions. Most research efforts, due to lack of manpower, time end resources, focus only on either biodiversity assessments or ethnobotanical inventories, or try to implement management and use measures without having a sound scientific base to do so. Often the needs of the local populations, e.g. their dependency on plant resources for health care are entirely ignored.

Lyonia presents the most important papers of these three conferences in parts of its 2005 and 2006 issues.

Lyonia 8(2) 2005 - Dry Forest Biodiversity and Conservation 1: Biodiversity

Lyonia 9(1) 2006 - Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity in the Andes and Amazon 1: Biodiversity

Lyonia 9(2) 2006 - Dry Forest Biodiversity and Conservation 2: Propagation and Conservation Strategies

Lyonia 10 (1) 2006 - Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity in the Andes and Amazon 2: Forest Conservation Strategies

Lyonia 10 (2) March 2006 - Biodiversity and Cultural Diversity in the Andes and Amazon / Dry Forest Conservation: Ethnobotany and Forest Use

Diurnal and nocturnal lepidoptera of Buenaventura (Piñas-Ecuador)
Sebastián Padrón
Resumen  En un bosque húmedo tropical en el sur de Ecuador, dentro de un gradiente altitudinal de 600-1000m sobre el nivel del mar, se realizo un inventario de mariposas diurnas y nocturnas elaborando así una lista preliminar de especies. La región de investigación (La Reserva Buenaventura) está ubicada en la parte alta de la provincia del Oro cerca de la ciudad de Piñas, esta reserva presenta una gran diversidad de aves, especies vegetales e insectos. Las comunidades de mariposas diurnas y nocturnas fueron muestreadas durante los meses de Agosto y Septiembre del 2004, para lo cual se utilizo trampas aéreas, de cebo, e intercepción con red y de luz Vapor de Mercurio 250 watt. Las trampas aéreas, de cebo y de intercepción... [Read Entire Article] Analysis of the presence of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Bd. in the Amphibian populations of 8 localities in the southern Ecuadorian Andes.
Freire, Diana1; Fernández, Carla1; Nogales, Fernando2
Resumen  En Ecuador existen 421 especies de anfibios, lo que lo convierte en el tercer país más diverso del mundo. En la última década esta diversidad se ha visto amenazada, en Ecuador algunos autores reportan la Chytridiomycosis, que es una enfermedad mortal que ataca la piel de los anuros, como una de las posibles causas. Sin embargo en la Región Sur, Loja y Zamora Chinchipe no existen estudios del B. dendrobatidis sobre la declinación de anfibios, es así que este estudio pretende identificar la presencia de agentes patógenos como el B. dendrobatidis. El análisis de la Chytridiomycosis se realizó en cortes de secciones de piel: parche pélvico y patas a través de rutinas histológicas de cortes... [Read Entire Article] Rarity of an endemic species in Ecuador
Tanya P. Montenegro Armijos
Resumen  La abundancia y distribución son parámetros utilizados para identificar a las especies raras. La rareza de las especies, y por ende su distribución y abundancia, puede deberse tanto a factores intrínsecos como extrínsecos. Este estudio reporta el número total de individuos adultos y el rango de distribución geográfica de Ecuadendron acosta-solisianum, una leguminosa arbórea, endémica de las tierras bajas de la Costa del Ecuador. Así también, analiza la influencia de las actividades antropogénicas en la reducción de la distribución espacial de Ecuadendron. El tamaño de sus poblaciones fue determinado usando transectos variables ubicados en tres sitios... [Read Entire Article] Variability of precipitation in the Reserva Biólogica San Francisco / Southern Ecuador
Rütger Rollenbeck
Abstract  Precipitation is one of the most important variables affecting biodiversity in all ecosystems. This holds especially true for tropical mountain forests of the andes, where additional water input is provided by scavenging of fog and cloudwater. Unfortunately, knowledge of the precise amount of precipitation in this regions is very scarce and temporal and spatial distribution is almost unknown, due to the low density of climate stations. The Project PREDICT employs modern techniques like remote sensing (Radar, satellite imagery) and meteorological data, to overcome this limitations. of Fog collectors and rain water samplers, installed in an altitudinal gradient, provide information about vertical variations of rain and fog input. The data are collected with high temporal resolution... [Read Entire Article] Preliminary study on the Taxonomic Significance of the Number of Spores per Sporangia of the filmy ferns family (Hymenophyllaceae)
Paola Pozo García1 & Robbin C. Morán2
Resumen  El número de esporas por esporangio en el 80% de los helechos (Polypodiales) es 64; no obstante, este número es variable en Hymenophyllaceae. Al realizar un conteo de las esporas de 17 especies de Hymenophyllaceae en Costa Rica, se encontró que el número de esporas por esporangio variaba en un rango de 24 a 240. El carácter tuvo poco significancia taxonómica a nivel genérico, sin permitir distinción entre Trichomanes e Hymenophyllum, al igual que sus subgrupos. Fortuitamente, se logró encontrar una diferencia clara entre dos especies cercanamente emparentadas, H. fucoides y H. tunbridgense.
Palabras Claves: Esporas, Esporangios, Hymenophyllaceae, Hymenophyllum ... [Read Entire Article] Predicting distributions of Andean-centered taxa using ecological niche modeling methods
1. Francisco Cuesta-Camacho, 2. Andrea Ganzenmueller, 3. Francis Baquero
Abstract  Using museum records we tested the utility of the program GARP for modelling species distribution of nine Andean genera based on a set of environmental variables. GARP models accuracy was evaluated based on a sensitivity analysis using extrinsic and intrinsic measures. For models with 20 or more presence points, extrinsic performance measures generally showed significant deviations from random predictions. Overall model performance suggest a high stability of the genetic algorithm; a consistent trend was observed between intrinsic and extrinsic measures of overall model performances. For species with less than 20 points at least 30% of the model outputs had a great level of uncertainty; most of all these models with a high level of uncertainty present a restricted geographic... [Read Entire Article] Landslides as ecosystem disturbance - their implications and importance in Southern Ecuador
Pablo Lozano1*, Rainer W. Bussmann2, Manfred Kueppers3
Abstract  Landslides along the Andean mountain chain produce serious damage with widespread environmental and economical effects for the Andean countries. Landslides have a particularly high significance in Southern Ecuador. Only few studies address the causes and effects of landslides, and much more data is needed to understand this phenomenon. In this paper the causes as well of landslides, their shapes in different environments and the environmental effects of landsliding are discussed from the biological and economical point of view. Special attention is given to South Ecuador, where constant landslides are characterized by a distinct vegetation and specialized pioneer flora. The lack of knowledge about gap size, seed bank and other internal or environmental factors does not... [Read Entire Article] Macrolichens of the Ecological Reserve Paramo El Angel and the Guandera Biological Station
Telma Elizabeth Paredes Martínez
Resumen  Los hongos liquenizados son componentes importantes del ecosistema, considerados como elementos bioindicadores del grado de madurez y estado de conservación de determinado hábitat. El estudio se realizó en los páramos de frailejones de la Reserva Ecológica El Ángel y Estación Biológica Guandera, zonas actualmente presionadas por actividades antropogénicas, por tanto valorar su estado de conservación e incrementar la información sobre la rica biodiversidad que albergan, es de suma importancia para el desarrollo de planes para su aprovechamiento y protección. Se inventarió los macrolíquenes del páramo de frailejones, determinó y comparó la riqueza de los macrolíquenes... [Read Entire Article] Composition and structure of a montane forest in Tambo Palictahua, Chimborazo
Jorge Caranqui Aldaz
Resumen  El bosque se encuentra ubicado en la cordillera oriental, estribación del Volcán Tungurahua. Es un bosque montano semi perturbado en el sector de Tambo Palictahua, Cantón Penipe, Provincia del Chimborazo a 2780 m.s.n.m.Para el siguiente trabajo se obtendrá datos como Densidad Relativa, Dominancia Relativa a nivel de especie en una parcela permanente de 0,2 Ha. Se encontraron 183 individuos > / = 5 cm de DAP que pertenecen a 30 especies con una área basal de 7,36 m2. Las especies con mayor densidad relativa son :Meliosma arenosa Idrovo & Cuatrec. ,con el 24%; Saurauia tomentosa (Kunth)Spreng. ,con 10.4% , Oreopanax ecuadorensis Seem., con el 9.8%, y Axinaea quitensis Benoist con el 8.2%. Sabiaceae es la Familia más abundante ya que Meliosma... [Read Entire Article]