Institute at Brown for Environment and Society

Yesenia will explore how the elevational distributions of bird species has changed over the past 50 years in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. By comparing the bird species that have inhabited different areas of Monteverde at different time points, she will be able to examine the occurrence of elevational range shifts over the past half-century. She will work with data collected from previous mist net surveys, which intercept and harmlessly entangle birds mid-flight, and participate in a resurvey to be conducted this year (2016). Locally, her research will affect conservation, tourism, and culture in the region; globally, it will be significant in its ability to help illuminate how tropical montane organisms are responding to climate change.