History

The Biomonitoring or biological monitoring is a pathway to understanding and evaluating environmental health and quality by, studying living organisms whose susceptibility or tolerance to certain conditions permits us to quantify and qualify levels of disturbance or pollution of a given environment.

The biomonitoring program developed in Talamanca, Valle de la Estrella and surrounding areas of Panama, focuses on the monitoring of rivers and watersheds of these areas, in order to assess the health of river ecosystems and to obtain information on possible causes (anthropogenic and / or natural) of the conditions observed, thus providing guidelines for the design and development of management strategies to protect and restore  the integrity of these ecosystems.

The biological assessment techniques applied in the project are based on sampling of fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages, along with direct evaluation of  habitat parameters thus permitting the determination of indices of biotic integrity.

ANAI Association in conjunction with the Talamanca Biological Corridor (CBTC), launched the biomonitoring project in 2000 with the intention of  developing a permanent mechanism for continual monitoring in support of conservation efforts focused on species and ecosystems of the area.  We are now in our12^th consecutive year of implementing this mechanism, and are also well embarked on the challenge of sharing our  knowledge and  methodology with other regions of Mesoamerica.

The program engages the people of Talamanca in assessing and understanding the health of their rivers and watersheds, with a strong component of scientific research. It aims at promoting interest and appreciation of biodiversity, in order to apply the information to protecting and restoring rivers, creeks and streams in the area, in the context of their watersheds. It has a strong environmental education component and as a pioneer effort in the tropics, seeks help in establishing similar programs elsewhere.

Vision and Mission

The Main Goals of the Biomonitoring Program are:

• The establishment of a permanent, locally-managed environmental health monitoring program for the region’s streams and watersheds.

• Systematization of the biological knowledge of Talamancan streams (a poorly understood component of biodiversity in the region).

• Locating and defining watershed health problems.

• Providing hands-on environmental education and training opportunities for local people of all ages.

The Biomonitoring Program builds on five main beliefs:

• Aquatic biodiversity and the biotic integrity of aquatic systems are reliable indicators of  water and physical habitat in  fluvial systems.

• As a consequence of the force of gravity, rivers and streams also serve as indicators of environmental health and the quality of land management upstream and upslope.

• Communities anywhere in the world will respond positively when offered the opportunity to participate in monitoring the health of the ecosystems on which they depend.

• To monitor events is to participate in writing history.

• Each time new information is recorded it not only adds value, it enhances the value of all the information accumulated previously, but to fully realize that value the information  must be made widely available.

INVESTIGATION

Based on what has been feasible in previous years, the Biomonitoring Program will undertake full-scale of monitoring of approximately 430 sites,  with site selection based.

Sampling Sites

Field Study Sites

In a normal year the Biomonitoring Program will undertake full-scale of monitoring of approximately 430 sites, spanning a range of conditions from large rivers to tiny brooks, pristine wilderness sites to heavily impacted streams, sea level to 200 m. altitude with site selection based on the following criteria:

Reference Sites: These comprise an assortment of sites representing the “best” (least altered by human activity) sites in a variety of stream categories.  Data from these sites is used to establish standards applied in monitoring and interpreting results from other sites.

Fixed Stations : We have now accumulated enough information to be able (in Costa Rica) to designate several fixed stations, to be monitored annually as a barometer of general conditions in Talamanca.

Local requests : Local interest is always a priority for us in selecting monitoring sites.  To the greatest degree possible we try to honor requests for monitoring services from local individuals, communities or conservation groups.

Educational sites : A few individual sites have been and will continue to be monitored in conjunction with specific schools; others simply correspond well to pedagogical needs.

Perceived changes or threats : Some sites will be selected because of perceived changes (for better or worse) or threats.  Factors under this category range from restoration projects to fish kills.

Relation to protected areas : Our work area includes several Protected Areas such as the Hitoy/Cerere Biological Reserve and Gandoca/Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica and the Palo Seco Forest Reserve and San San/Pondsak Wetland of International Importance in Panama, but of particular significance is the huge La Amistad International Peace Park, a World Heritage Site which constitutes a major biodiversity “Hot Spot”.  One of the most important developments during the life of the ANAI Stream Biomonitoring Program has been the emergence of the threat to biodiversity through elimination of diadromous species above dams, including in La Amistad and other protected areas.  For this and other reasons we have increasingly factored relation to proposed dam sites and the boundary of La Amistad into our site selection process.

Fishes

Fish Surveys

To collect fish we use electrofishing equipment complemented with a variety of fishing nets.  Depending on the size and characteristics of a river, the team consists of between 3 and 9 people the majority are normally volunteers.  Volunteers are essential to the work we do not only in practical and economic term, but because including local volunteers is part of the biomonitoring project´s environmental education objective.  It usually takes three to four hours to complete a sample. Fish are identified by species, counted, examined for illnesses, parasites and other anomalies before being returned to the water.
Based on the results of the sample, we calculate a score, or Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for each site. According to the score,  complemented by the knowledge and professional judgement of ANAI staff, a bioclass rating is assigned (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor and Very Poor). The lowest possible score is 12. A score of 60 (Excellent) corresponds to a river that has not been altered by humans. Key aspect of the information used to determine the Index of  Biotic Integrity include:

• Number of native species found
• Trophic level (place in the food chain) of the species encountered
• Habitat  requirements (where species  live in the aquatic system)
• Tolerance of contamination

Since 2008 we have also been involved in development of a Visual Index of Biotic Integrity (IBIVI), calculated on the basis of instream inventories, using facemask and snorkel. This method greatly facilitates participation and eventual “ownership” of the biomonitoring process by rural communities.

Development and refinement of fish-based biotic indices for Talamanca, and the humid tropics in general, is an open-ended process in which the ANAI team occupies a leadership position.  In 2010 we concluded that we had accumulated a sufficient body of data to permit a more rigorous statistical analysis of much of our data.  This is reflected in recently revised indices, but further improvement is to be expected.

Diadromy

As a consequence of our concerns about hydro dam proposals in the Greater Talamanca region diadromous animal (those obliged to move between marine and fresh water environments in order to complete their life cycles) have become a major focus of conservation concern  in Bocas del Toro and Talamanca.  An inescapable conclusion is that barriers to diadromous behavior would cause massive damage to ecosystems and fisheries anywhere in the region.  This in turn places the role of rivers and streams as altitudinal biological corridors in the spotlight.  We have been able to derive reliable estimates of the relative importance of diadromous fish and shrimp at different sites without recourse to full-scale quantitative sampling, such as is necessary for calculation of IBI.

For the foreseeable future much of our work will focus on diadromy and conservation of riverine corridors.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring

Monitoring of benthic (bottom dwelling) macroinvertebrates, chiefly insects, is the most traditional method of stream biomonitoring, based on identifying samples of benthic organisms and applying indices similar to those described above for fish.  Staff and volunteers normally carry out macroinvertebrate samples at each site monitored, applying the BMWP-CR index which officially establishes criteria recognized by the government of Costa Rica.  For a more detailed account of our macroinvertebrate monitoring methods, see

We are also working to refine our macroinvertebrate assessment methodology to more closely correspond to the special characteristics of the Talamancan environment.  An important emphasis at this time is the study of diadromous shrimp, which constitute a major component of the macroinvertebrate assemblage in most of our streams, but are little studied.

Assessment of Habitat

Physical Habitat Assessment

The third component of our routine monitoring procedure is assessment of the quality of physical habitat at the site using a variant of the USDAStream Visual Assessment Protocol (SVAP)  adapted to the conditions of Talamanca.  SVAP is a user-friendly, extremely low-cost method which permits observers, after less than an hour of training, to derive an SVAP score, on a scale of 1 to 10 by analyzing factors such as

*Condition of the riparian vegetative buffer.

* Degree of sedimentation.

* Abundance and condition of habitat features such as pools and riffles

* Nearby sources of organic pollution

* Barriers to fish movement.

Environmental Education

Environmental Education in Schools

Over the years, the ANAI biomonitoring team has developed working relationships with certain schools and teachers, spending time with students both in the field and the classroom. Similarly, there are long-standing relationships, some of them predating the biomonitoring program, with a number of community groups in Talamanca.  In Panama, these relationships are for the most part yet to be developed.  In both countries we hope to organize and formalize some of these relationships beginning in 2006.
We now have a series of materials including power point presentations, publications and hand-out materials with which to supplement hands-on work in the field.  These materials are sufficiently diverse that they can readily be adapted to groups from elementary school classes through high school classes to adult citizen conservation organizations.

Social Outreach

Contact

San José, San Pedro

Telephones: (506) 2224-6090/ 2224-8815

Fax: (506) 2253-7524

E-mail: info@anaicr.org

Address: We are in San José,  San Pedro,  Barrio Vargas Araya, next to soccer field of High School Monterrey, the color of the House white and green.

P.O. Box:  170-2070 Sabanilla

Limón, Hone Creek, Talamanca

Telephones: (506) 2756-81-20

E-mail: anaital@racsa.co.cr

Address: From the intersection of Hone Creek, 50 mts left in the way to Puerto Viejo.

P.O. Box: 170-2070 Sabanilla

Publications

BIOMONITORING PROGRAM: ANNUAL REPORT ON ACTIVITIES – 2006

BIOMONITORING PROGRAM: ANNUAL REPORT ON ACTIVITIES – 2007

BIOMONITORING PROGRAM: ANNUAL REPORT ON ACTIVITIES – 2008 The Asociacion ANAI Stream Biomonitoring Program

BIOMONITORING PROGRAM: ANNUAL REPORT ON ACTIVITIES – 2009

Guía para la Evaluación Ecológica Rápidas con Indicadores Biológicos en ríos de Tamaño Mediano