The Amazon Biodiversity Center’s students are returning to the field!

The city of Manaus, where our Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) is headquartered, was hit particularly hard by the pandemic.  In 2020, most BDFFP students returned to their homes in other parts of Brazil, South America, and the world – doing desk research, organizing data and studies, and writing scholarly articles.  It was a particularly stressful time for staff and researchers living in Manaus, following government shutdown policies and doing their best to keep themselves and their families safe and healthy.  Starting in summer 2021 vaccines began reaching a significant portion of population in Manaus.  Cases and hospitalizations are decreasing, and the city is beginning to reopen.

Consequently, at the end of August, we were permitted to begin field research again.  Students have returned to Manaus.  BDFFP staff have made plans for them to return to our research reserve 50 miles north of the city, with very careful considerations to reduce the risk of COVID (particularly variants) exposure and contingency plans in the event of a health emergency.  We all are excited about the return to field research.