Global Litter Invertebrate Decomposition Experiment

Caparo Research Station, Venezuela

Site Manager

Dr. Armando Torres Lezama
INDEFOR, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Ambientale
Universidad de Los Andes, vía Los Chorros de Milla
Mérida, Edo. Mérida 5101
Venezuela
Telephone: (+58) 274 2401507
Fax: (+58) 274 2401503

Site Description

Caparo forest reserve (170,000 ha) was under long-term forest management for timber production until very recently. High social pressure caused by agricultural settlers, however, has converted most of the forest to grasslands. Current research include: biodiversity conservation and management, tropical forest dynamics, sustainable development, agroforestry and forestry plantation. Fires are frequent during the dry season.

Site Location

The site coordinates are7° 25' N and 71° 7' W. The site location is 200 km southwest of Barinas City, Barinas State, Venezuela.

Site Area

Site area is 7,000 ha.

Site Elevation

Site elevation is 100 m.

Annual Rainfall

Annual rainfall is 1750 mm.

Annual Temperature

Mean annual temperature is 24.6°C.

Soil

Soils are young alluvial (mostly inceptisol and vertisol). Nutrient capacity is high in comparison to zonal neotropical forest.

Native Forest/Vegetation Types

Native forests are deciduous flooded forest, deciduous bank forest, semi-deciduous flooded forest, semi-evergreen flooded forest, semi-evergreen transition forest.

Principal Biome/Ecoregion

Principal biome is seasonal evergreen forest, plains

Photo Gallery

Photo courtesy of Armando Torres Lezama

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This webpage is funded by the Soil Science Society of America.

Please contact the GLIDE headquarters (email: glide@nrel.colostate.edu) if you have any comments or questions.

GLIDE was a project of the International Biodiversity Observation Year 2001-2002

This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 98 06437 Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.