Facilities

Founded in 1991 with the support of STRI, the Mpala Research Centre sits atop 20,000 hectares of savannah, dry woodland and riverine habitats along the Ewaso Nyiro and Ewaso Narok rivers in eastern Kenya. Operated by the Mpala Wildlife Foundation, the research station receives hundreds of visitors every year who study disciplines ranging from ecology and botany to animal behavior and human-wildlife interactions.

Started in 1980 with STRI’s 50-hectare forest dynamics plot on Panama’s Barro Colorado Island, the Forest Global Earth Observatory (formerly known as the Center for Tropical Forest Science), is a global network of forest research plots and scientists dedicated to the study of tropical and temperate forest function and diversity. The multi-institutional network comprises over 60 forest research sites across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. ForestGEO monitors the growth and survival of approximately 6 million trees and 13,000 species that occur in the forest research sites. ForestGEO also supports initiatives in the forest plots to monitor climate, carbon flux, vertebrates, insects, soil microorganisms, and much more.

The Smithsonian’s Marine Global Earth Observatory is the first long-term, worldwide research program to focus on understanding coastal marine life and its role in maintaining resilient ecosystems around the world. The program includes STRI’s Bocas Del Toro research sites and aims to provide policymakers with science that supports sustainable management and protection of our oceans.