On June 24th, part of the results from the terrestrial ecosystem component undertaken under the INOGO initiative, were presented on the annual congress of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), held in San Jose, Costa Rica. The results, presented during the Sociological Systems session, attracted a substantial audience.  Many people were interested on the work that is being done in the Osa and Golfito region by INOGO; many of the attendees have also worked in the area. Professor Rodolfo Dirzo and consulting researcher Lucia Morales attended the meeting on behalf of INOGO's terrestrial ecosystems team.  

The conference brought together over 900 scientists and policy makers, all experts in tropical biology and conservation. It was an excellent opportunity to disseminate the results from INOGO's terrestrial ecosystems research. Additionally, this meeting marked the 50th Anniversary of ATBC, which also produced the San Jose Declaration (http://www.tropicalbio.org/images/stories/files/Declaration/San_Jose_Declaration.pdf).  This declaration urges the Costa Rica Government to maintain the integrity of the National Park System. It emphasized the need to maintain and create connectivity between protected areas; a key issue also highlighted by the INOGO terrestrial ecosystem component work.

You can download INOGO's conference presentation here.