August 4^th 2022

We are very proud to announce that the Gault Nature Reserve has just partnered with two other biological field stations: the Finca Las Piedras Research Station in Peru (managed by the Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon) and the Field Research Centre (FRC) of Hasselt University in Belgium. Since January, we have been working together to share experiences and develop new projects that will boost the impact of our work to study and protect biodiversity and natural areas across the globe.

Although the three biological stations are so far apart, our missions are fundamentally the same and there is so much we can learn from each other. We are thrilled to see where we can go together!

Finca Las Piedras Research Station - Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon (Peru)

Photo: Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon

Finca Las Piedras is the Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon research and education center in Peru's Madre de Dios region, in the southern Peruvian Amazon. The site provides access to thousands of hectares of diverse Amazonian ecosystems, including 'terra firme' or upland rainforest dominated by Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) and other tropical hardwoods and aquatic habitats ranging from streams to Mauritia palm swamps ('aguajales' locally). 

We conduct basic and applied research that is the foundation of science-based conservation. From biological inventories, population monitoring, and in-depth studies of rainforest ecology to the impacts of national policy and the issues facing our local communities, our projects aim to generate and share the information needed to effectively protect the Amazon, its plants and animals, and sustainable livelihoods. 

We also deliver quality environmental education and meaningful training experiences to students of all ages from across Peru to give them the knowledge and skills they need to become the next generation of rainforest defenders. Finally, we work towards reversing the effects of deforestation in the Amazon by employing a number of strategies and involving the local communities. 

The Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon is a nonprofit working to conserve biodiversity and other natural resources in the Peruvian Amazon, for the benefit of all those who live in and depend on the rainforest.  

For more information, visit their website.

Field Research Centre - Hasselt University (Belgium) 

Photo: Hasselt University

The Field Research Centre (FRC) is located in the periphery of Connecterra, the main gate to the National Park Hoge Kempen. Currently the National Park is the only recognized TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) region within Belgium. 

At the FRC, Hasselt University perform, promote and support biodiversity-related research within the Limburg region, together with volunteers, park rangers and students. The FRC also hosts the ECOTRON, the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS), and is a partner in Lifewatch and Long-Term Ecosystem Research Network (LTER). 

The Ecotron is part of the Field Research Centre, the scientific base of Hasselt University for top international research on biodiversity and climate in the Hoge Kempen National Park. The UHasselt Ecotron is a large-scale research infrastructure that allows for sophisticated state-of-the-art controlled climate experiments, to study the effects of climate, and climate change on ecosystem functioning. 

Visit their website for more information.

Making this project possible

This collaboration is made possible by the Matching Program of the Organization of Biological Field Stations of which the Gault Nature Reserve is an active member. 

Header: Photo by the Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon