Biologist Nigel Pitman has spent more than a decade studying the forest in Peru’s northeastern region of Loreto. With few roads to serve as conduits for settlement, Loreto is the most heavily forested part of Peru. Scientists consider it one of the most biologically diverse places, per acre, on Earth. Pitman is co-author of a study presented this month on the region’s enormous diversity of bird, mammal, plant, amphibian and reptile species. He says the reason for the startling array of natural richness is still a mystery. In an effort to understand geographical patterns in the diversity of tree communities and the abundance of tree species, he has carried out a number of tree inventories in the region. He also has participated as botanist and editor in five rapid biological inventories conducted by Chicago’s Field Museum. Pitman has degrees in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University and a doctorate in biology from Duke University, where he is a research associate. He spoke recently with EcoAméricas correspondent Barbara Fraser. [Log in to read more]

Would you like to Subscribe?