Tropical Ecology, Assessment, and Monitoring Initiative (TEAM)
TEAM Field Station Questionnaire CABS recently launched its Tropical Ecology, Assessment, and Monitoring (TEAM) Initiative. Supported by a major donation from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the TEAM Initiative is dedicated to establishing a network among existing field stations in all of the world's major tropical ecoregions for the purpose of monitoring biodiversity. The TEAM initiative's mission is to monitor long-term trends in biodiversity through the network of tropical field stations, providing an Early Warning System on the status of biodiversity that can effectively guide conservation action.
All field stations in the TEAM network will be required to monitor and assess biodiversity using the same protocol. The TEAM network will combine with CABS' Remote Sensing monitoring to form the first global Biodiversity Early Warning System. Data from this global monitoring network will provide much needed knowledge about tropical ecosystems and will help supply the metrics necessary for assessing the overall effectiveness of conservation efforts. In addition, TEAM field stations will, by their very presence, enhance the protection of key habitats and will provide a focus for the training and capacity building of local personnel.
