Workshop and preexcursion for preparing an interdisciplinary Bhutanese-German research project - Patterns of alpine species diversity in the Eastern Himalaya of Bhutan -

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Georg Miehe
• Subject Area: Physical Geography
• Term: from 2017 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 393797932

Patterns of alpine species diversity in the Eastern Himalaya of Bhutan: A multidisciplinary joint Bhutanese-European consortium of Marburg University in cooperation with the National Biodiversity Centre of Bhutan, Rostock University, the Natural History Museum Erfurt and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh wants to investigate - Patterns of alpine species diversity in the Eastern Himalaya of Bhutan - . Between 25th Sept. and 12th Oct. 2017, an incentive workshop and introductionary joint excursion into the Black Mountains of Central Bhutan as one of the proposed test sites will improve the draft of a Memorandum of Understanding and discuss 5 hypothesis: (1) Are alpine biota of a biodiversity hotspot rich or poor in species ? (2) Are present diversity patterns reflecting processes of mountain uplift? (3) What are the impacts of Quaternary climatic changes on diversity patterns of a multi-layered mountain system? (4) Are humid alpine biota richer or poorer in species? (5) Are natural alpine biota richer in species than those of an alpine environment under human impact?

• DFG Programme: Research Grants