Canopy Studies
Why research the canopy?
The forest canopy is a world that has been largely unexplored. It has been called by some the “last biotic frontier”. What we do know about the canopy is that it is extremely important to the health and wellbeing of the forest ecosystem as a whole.
Far too often science is conducted and kept completely locked away in the world of academics, inaccessible to the community where the research was conducted. Our goal is to push back on this trend, and work with our fellow tree climbers and community members to learn about the trees together.
The canopy acts as a sponge, holding water and nutrients crucial to the survival of not only the plants and animals that live up there, but also to the dwellers of the forest floor.
By doing this, we are strengthening community connections that may otherwise not have been made, and more people are given an opportunity to invest time into understanding the nature around them.
The canopy is also home to an incredible amount of biodiversity, an astonishing 1/2 of all terrestrial species! It is essential that we understand more about this key piece of the forest so that we may better protect it.
Our goal is to help bridge the gap between the world of science and research (prevalent in our Monteverde community) to that of our community members, especially our youth so they may learn and become inspired by this new information.
‘You can’t care for something you don’t understand’ We believe that coming to understand the forests that surround us is a critical first step in creating a reciprocal relationship with nature.
Working alongside local canopy scientists and biologists, we focus on creating engaging environmental education curriculums for our in-person programs and content for our online communities.
Interns
Palo Vivo interns mostly come from college-level education organizations who, through Palo Vivo, have been able to access the tree canopy, the community with which we work, and our reforestation program creating research projects or continuing the data collection for on-going projects.
Some of these projects include:
Mycorrhizal Fungi in Epiphytic Bromeliads, Monitoring Usage of Artificial Arboreal Bridges
GPS Mapping and Data Collection of Palo Vivo Reforestation Plots
Tree Climbers' Impact on Fig Trees.
We translate data from the research projects we help facilitate into digestible and creative presentations to use within our course curriculums, teaching them to local youth. In doing so we help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and community understanding.
Internship collaborators -
