Lower montane forest

The thirteenth study site of the expedition was conducted between September 15th and 28th, 2017, in the lower montane forest of the Amazonian foothills at an altitude between 1,000 and 1,400 m a.s.l. The camp was established near the village of Sarayoj, on the banks of the Sarayoj river, which is one of the tributaries of the Hondo river.

This area is characterized by very steep sloped hills, running from west to east, and the Sarayoj river basin. The forest structure has medium-sized trees and very few large trees. The lower Yungas forest in the Amazonian foothills is a complex of forest types that change as altitude decreases.

In total, 243 species of plants, 231 species and subspecies of diurnal butterflies and 256 species of vertebrates were recorded, of which 96 are new species for Madidi, 8 for Bolivia and 10 for science.