Mexico - School expeditions

Mexico schools booklet 2012

Structure of the expedition

The Mexican research project is run in the vast Mayan forests that cover some of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico and across the border to Guatemala and form part of the proposed Meso-American wildlife corridor.  Students spend their first week in the core zone of the Calakmul archaeological Biosphere Reserve and their work contributes in the following ways to the research objectives:

·    to collect data on the carbon storage, tree diversity, and levels of forest disturbance, which  form part of a submission under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+ scheme) for funding the protection of the Calakmul forests

·    to ascertain population density of large mammals to enable creation of sustainable hunting quotas for buffer zone communities

·    to assist in the biodiversity surveys of other taxa being completed by specialists

The teams will spend half of their time at base camp in the archaeological zone of  Calakmul and half of their time at one of the more distant field camps of KM27, Bel ha, Nadzca’an y Patzajol, Zona, Candelaria Balam Ku or Arroyo Negro. While in the archaeological zone, students will complete a day-long course on the Ancient Maya that includes a guided tour of the ruins. All research activities will be conducted both in the archaeological zone and in the smaller field camps.

The second week of the expedition will be run from the marine research site operated by Operation Wallacea in Akumal.  During this week, the students will mainly be completing training or the Caribbean reef ecology course (if already dive certified) but in spare time they will be helping with surveys with the following objectives:

·    to determine the annual abundance and distribution of turtle nesting sites and abundance and health of juvenile turtles in the sea grasses of Akumal Bay

·    to assist with water quality assessment of Yal Ku lagoon

Forest week

During their week in the Mayan forests, the students will complete 12 half days of activities as follows: 

·     introduction to the Ancient Maya (1 session)

·     jungle skills training (3 sessions)

·    forest carbon and habitat surveys (4 sessions).  After one session of training, the students will be working in teams each completing measurements of 20m x 20m quadrats to collect data on the diameter at breast height of all woody species, canopy height, quantity of vegetation at different heights from a touch pole, light penetration to forest floor using a canopy scope, evidence of disturbance (e.g. cut stumps) and sapling density

·    learning about biodiversity monitoring techniques and helping with field surveys (4 sessions).  This consists of a lecture course on Neotropical Forest Ecology comprising lectures on forest structure and diversity (nutrient cycling, definitions of rainforest, biodiversity hotspots), adaptations and co-evolution (Batesian mimicry, leaf cutter ants and fungus gardens, evolutionary traits of frugivores), amphibians and reptiles (dangerous snakes, crocodiles, treefrogs), Neotopical birds (lekking species, antbirds, hole nesting species), Neotropical mammals (Great American faunal exchange, spider monkey social structure, jaguars and pumas) and sustainability (threats to Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, REDD+ scheme, sustainable hunting of peccary and deer).  The practical sessions will include:

o   Mist net sampling for birds and learning how to identify birds in the hand and take morphometric measurements and DNA samples

o    Scan search sampling for herpetofauna from forest transects

o    Large mammal transect surveys. When a mammal is detected, the species, number of individuals, distance travelled along the transect and perpendicular distance of the mammal to the observer will be recorded.

o    Mist netting for bats

o    Dawn point counts for birds

o    Spotlight surveys for reptiles.  Species encountered will be identified and the main identification features explained.

Marine week

During their marine week, the students will be completing one of the following options:

·    a full PADI Open Water dive training course

·    completion of a Caribbean reef ecology course consisting of lectures and in-water practicals either by diving (if a qualified diver) or snorkelling.  The lectures cover an introduction to coral reef ecosystem (characteristics of a reef, reef formation), coral and algal species (growth forms and common species),  mangrove and seagrass ecology (importance of connective systems, threats to mangroves), ecologically important invertebrates (lobster fishery, aquarium trade), identification of coral reef fish (main reef fish families), reef survey techniques (quadrats, transects, stereo video), threats to and conservation of reefs (Akumal case study, other marine protected areas in Caribbean).

·    completion of a PADI Open Water referral course (students need to arrive having completed their theory and pool training) which takes the first 3 days and they then join the Caribbean reef ecology course

The main research objective at Akumal is to complete annual monitoring of the coral and reef fish communities, and to measure water quality as a means of determining how water contamination and sedimentation affect the coral reef system.  Whichever marine option the students are doing, they will need to attend a couple of evening lectures about this research.  In addition, they will be able to participate in the snorkel transect surveys for counts of juvenile turtles and on beach surveys of availability of suitable nesting.

Example research questions for IB, EPQ or CoPE

How can carbon stock of forests be calculated and linked to REDD+ payments?

Describe the social structure of spider monkeys.

Describe how camera trapping is used to estimate jaguar, puma and tapir population levels.

How are large mammal stocks estimated in the Mayan forests and used to set hunting quotas?

Describe the structure of the ancient Mayan city of Calakmul.

What are the main nest habitat requirements for Loggerhead, Green and Hawksbill turtles?

Can the growth of tourism at Akumal be achieved whilst still protecting the turtle populations?