Ecological Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems (Sumatra, Indonesia)
In many regions of the world tropical rainforests are being destroyed for timber production or farming an agriculture. This Project is a collaborative research centre (CRC) of the German Research Council in conjunction with the University of Jambi and University of Bogor in Indonesia, and the University of Göttingen in Germany. This CRC aims to provide detailed analyses about how ecological and socioeconomic functions can be improved. The Arachnology Department at CeNak is investigating the spider fauna of primary rainforests and transformed vegetation systems on Sumatra to understand patterns of diversity and distributions of spiders. We also determine and describe many new species as part of this project.