The changing conditions in Latin America require a new focus and new approach to ecological research. These trends underscore the importance of ecological systems in the sustenance of human activity and life quality. Latin America contains the largest remaining areas of undisturbed natural ecosystems of the world including over half of the world's biodiversity and most of the world's untapped freshwater supplies. Increasingly, regions are considering large scale development projects that affect this vast natural resource base. Yet, the region has a low information base including a low density of scientific infrastructure, a low population of natural resource scientists, and some of the least studied and least understood ecosystems in the world.
Reliable information is needed to guide the use of the natural resources of Latin America.
Ecological research can provide the necessary knowledge to balance the needs of people with those of the ecological systems of the region. Such research must consider both the global and local context under which ecosystems function, including both natural and anthropogenic factors. There is an emerging concensus among the scientific community that long-term ecological research focused on a variety of temporal and spatial scales is the most effective way of understanding ecosystems. Comparative studies along spatial and temporal gradients are particularly effective. Participants of the workshop recommend the establishment of an international network of LTER sites from Tierra del Fuego to the Caribbean.