Dr. Dawson White
HUH Research Fellow
Harvard University 

Title: In-situ and ex-situ conservation at Centinela, and searching for the lost Amazonian coca: An informal presentation of 2023 field work in Ecuador

Abstract: I will introduce two projects based in Ecuador and share the results of field work completed in September. The first project focuses on the floristics and conservation of the infamous Centinela Ridge of western Ecuador, where hypotheses of extreme endemism, habitat destruction, and species loss forged E.O. Wilson's coining of the term 'Centinelan extinction'. Colleagues and I have used herbarium databases and field work to test these hypotheses and we present a very different perspective on the flora of Centinela which is now driving conservation initiatives. As part of my larger work on the systematics and origins of domestication of the coca crops (Erythroxylum spp.), the second part of the talk will focus on my search for an Ecuadorian lineage of Amazonian coca. Ecuador is a geographic center of diversity of the coca crops, but the region is also mostly devoid of contemporary populations due to centuries of eradication. This presents a challenging gap in sampling that I am slowly filling in. Overall, this informal talk will be more of a travel log to share stories and pictures with the Herbaria, OEB, and Harvard community.

Join via Zoom livestream: https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcpf-uorzgrHdHz3nVTfZfAyQuf0kuLROXs (registration required)