Debra K. Moskovits - Böcker

A synthesis of the ecological information on 4037 species of birds found from Mexico south to Tierra del Fuego. This work summarizes details on 40 key ecological parameters for each bird species. Additional data and further analyses are provided for migratory species. Because bird communities are good indicators of habitat type and condition, and because extensive bird surveys can be done quickly, bird communities are critical to rapid evaluations of an ecosystem's biological value and integrity. The authors analyze the bird species of major habitats from a conservation perspective, and develop specific guidelines to illustrate how governments, conservation organizations, and wildlife managers can use this ecological information to anchor conservation strategies on sound biological reality.

In August of 2005, scientists conducted a rapid inventory in Sierra del Divisor, a mountain range that rises dramatically from the lowlands of central Amazonian Peru. This assessment, presented here in English and Spanish, collects their research on the plants and animals of the region as well as the social and cultural assets of local villages and their use and management of natural resources. The report includes recommendations for conservation and management, including steps to safeguard the voluntarily isolated indigenous people living in the region.

In May of 2007, scientists conducted a rapid inventory in the Dureno Territory, part of the Cofan ancestral territories in the Amazon basin of eastern Ecuador. Presented primarily in Spanish but including sections in English and A'ingae, the language of the Cofan, this assessment collects those scientists' research on the plants and animals of the region, as well as a history of the grassroots conservation efforts of the Cofan. The report closes with recommendations for long-term management of the area.