Collaborations

We have collaborated with Aarhus University with varying intensity ever since the 1980’s, including an early project funded by the European Union. Many research visits and student exchange periods have been done over the years. We have also carried out joint field work, notably during a 2012 boat expedition to the Juruá river. In 2019, we are starting a new collaborative project funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark. The main aim is to study the broad-scale floristic variation across Amazonia by integrating field and remote sensing data. Read more about the new project here.

Since 2008, we have collaborated with INPA in many ways. We have carried out several joint field expeditions, including a 3-month boat expedition to the Juruá river in 2012. We are sharing data and have written several joint publications. In 2016, we organised in Manaus a joint 1-week course and associated workshop on methods in floristic surveys and the use of our online fern species identification tool (see pictures here). Research visits and student exchange has been active both ways, and two MSc graduates from INPA have done their PhD degrees in Turku.

From 2014 to 2018, we had a joint project with the geologists and remote sensing specialists of the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE – São José dos Campos, SP) to combine ecological and geological understanding of the local to regional scale patterns and processes in the Amazon basin. The project was co-funded by Academy of Finland and FAPESP (Brazil). During the project, we made field expeditions to Viruá National Park in Roraima, the Tapajós area in Pará and the Humaitá region in Amazonas. In addition, the project facilitated exchange of researchers and PhD students between INPE and Turku and continues to produce joint publications. INPE hosts a project web page here and a video about the fieldwork in Viruá can be seen here.

We have collaborated with IIAP with varying intensity ever since the 1990’s. A big joint effort was made during the national biodiversity inventory of Peruvian Amazonia (BIODAMAZ, 1999-2007), which included field expeditions, training and the creation of the SIAMAZONIA web portal. Research visits have been done to both directions over the years, and one researcher from IIAP has obtained a MSc degree from Turku. In 2016, we organised in Iquitos (together with both IIAP and UNAP) a 1-week course and associated workshop on methods in plant collection and the use of our online fern species identification tool (see pictures here).

We have collaborated with UNAP with varying intensity ever since the 1990’s, including two early projects funded by the European Union. Researchers and students from UNAP have participated in almost all the field work we have carried out in Peru and are coauthors in several publications. The undergraduate theses of some students have been co-supervised by us, and one BSc graduate from UNAP has obtained both MSc degree and PhD degree from Turku. Research visits and student exchange has also been done to both directions over the years. In 2016, we organised in Iquitos (together with both UNAP and IIAP) a joint 1-week course and associated workshop on methods in plant collection and the use of our online fern species identification tool (see pictures here).