• Assess climate- versus human-driven environmental change in the tropics

 • Investigation of various aspects of modern and palaeoenvironments using: pollen, charcoal, etc

 • Field work in eastern cordillera of the Bolivian Andes

 • Potential to provide insights valuable to archaeologists, ecologists, climatologists, policy makers

 

Unravelling the relative contributions of human activity and climate change is fundamental to any effective conservation strategy, but particularly so in diverse but geographically restricted and isolated ecosystems.  The significance of the high Andean woodlands dominated by the tree genus Polylepis lies in the high biodiversity that is found within the ecosystems that they sustain.  The Polylepis woodland ecosystems are threatened by increasing human population demand for fuel wood and building materials in an otherwise sparse Andean landscape.  Ecologists believe that the current fragmented distribution of these woodlands is a product of the long history of human activity. However, recent fossil pollen data from Lake Titicaca points towards a strong sensitivity to climatic factors over the last >400,000 years.  This raises serious concerns about the robustness of this unique ecosystem under future possible climate change.  Collecting palaeoecological data is the only way to provide a baseline understanding of

 

The principal objective of this project is to assess whether the long history of human activity in the Andes is responsible for the fragmented distribution of Polylepis woodlands or, alternatively, whether climatic variability is the dominant factor in determining the distribution of Polylepis woodlands in the Andes.  This will be achieved by obtaining high resolution palaeoenvironmental records from four mid-high elevation lakes in the Cochabamba region of Bolivia.  Four environmental indicators will   be examined: pollen (vegetation), charcoal (fire history), dung fungus (herding activity) and midges (climate).  Training will be provided at the supervisor's institutions, the Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh and Centro de Biodiversidad y Genética (Cochabamba, Bolivia).

 

Other funding:

 

The sediment cores that will be the basis of this project will be collected in summer 2007 thanks to a National Geographic Research and Exploration Committee grant (WDG).

 

The Department has a thriving postgraduate community and the postgraduate training program provides a full range of courses covering: research techniques, scientific methods, information technology, communication and interpersonal skills, tailored to the needs of each student.

 

 

 

Alternative sources CAN be sought for non-UK/EU citizens.

 

For further information see:

 

 

Research environment: