‘Biodiversity conservation in a context of global warming in the Guayana Highlands (northern South America)’

Judith Rosales Godoy, Otto Huber, Valentín Rull del Castillo, Teresa Vegas Vilarrúbia.

The Guayana Highlands rank among the planet’s most biodiverse regions with the highest degrees of endemism. For the moment, they remain practically free of direct anthropic disturbances. However, no study has yet been made on how climate change may be affecting their biota.

This project seeks to evaluate the vulnerability to global warming of vascular plants in the Guayana Highlands and to put forward possible solutions to preserve their diversity. The methodology used will combine floristic and phytogeographical analyses with pollen analysis and sediment dating, in order to: 1) identify potentially endangered species, 2) estimate present and past migration rates to compare the natural situation with the post-industrial situation, and 3) predict the likely course of events. An impact assessment based on the results will allow us to estimate the real risk facing each taxon, and to draw up the best strategies for their preservation.