Noel Kempff Mercado National Park

World Heritage Research

Discover scientific research and academic studies that deepen our understanding of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park from its history and significance to its conservation, management, and contemporary challenges.

• Isolated in the highlands, found in the museum: A new species of Characidium (Crenuchidae) from a Bolivian National Park, with a CT scan revealing features

  Researchers have uncovered a new species of Characidium fish within the isolated highland rivers of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia. This discovery, documented through computed tomography (CT) scans, reveals distinctive features such as a broad dark midlateral stripe and unique osteological traits in the Weberian apparatus, previously undocumented in the genus. The species' isolation on the Huanchaca Meseta is linked to geomorphological processes that shaped its habitat. This finding underscores the hidden biodiversity of poorly explored Neotropical protected areas.

  Oliveira‐Silva, L., Or, K., Zanata, A., & Schaefer, S. A. (2026). Isolated in the highlands, found in the museum: A new species of Characidium (Crenuchidae) from a Bolivian National Park, with a CT scan revealing features. Journal of Fish Biology, 109(1), 371–383. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70426

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• Poteranthera inopinata (Melastomataceae), a new species from Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia

  Scientists have identified Poteranthera inopinata, a new species of flowering plant belonging to the Melastomataceae family, exclusively found in the humid or seasonally flooded savannas of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park in eastern Bolivia. This discovery was made through detailed morphological analysis, distinguishing it by unique traits such as annual habit, glandular-tipped serrated leaves (3–10 mm long), and distinctive androecium structures with prolonged pedoconnectives. The species is compared to its closest relative, P. warmingii, and an updated key for the six recognized Poteranthera species is provided. The study also recommends a conservation assessment for this newly described plant, highlighting its potential ecological significance within the UNESCO-listed park's biodiversity.

  ALMEDA, F., & PACIFICO, R. (2023). Poteranthera inopinata (Melastomataceae), a new species from Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Bolivia. Phytotaxa, 613(3), 271–279. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.613.3.6

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• A new species of Microlicia (Melastomataceae) from Bolivia and Brazil, a new synonym, and an identification key for the genus in Mato Grosso, Brazil

  Researchers have identified Microlicia windischii as a new species of plant within the Melastomataceae family, discovered in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park (Bolivia) and Serra Ricardo Franco State Park (Brazil). This species is distinguished by its linear-oblong leaf blades and subisomorphic stamens with concolorous, polysporangiate anthers. The study also provides a comparative analysis with related species (M. acuminata, M. arenariifolia, M. consimilis, M. juniperina, and M. multicaulis) and introduces an identification key for four Microlicia species in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Additionally, the research proposes to synonymize M. souzae-limae under M. helvola. The findings contribute to the taxonomic understanding of this genus while highlighting the biodiversity significance of these UNESCO-recognized protected areas.

  VERSIANE, A. F. A., DA SILVA, D. N., & ROMERO, R. (2020). A new species of Microlicia (Melastomataceae) from Bolivia and Brazil, a new synonym, and an identification key for the genus in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Phytotaxa, 455(1). https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.455.1.2

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• The impacts of recent drought on fire, forest loss, and regional smoke emissions in lowland Bolivia

  Recent drought conditions in lowland Bolivia have been identified as the dominant factor influencing interannual fire variability, with human activities potentially amplifying fire during these periods. A study focusing on Noel Kempff Mercado National Park (NK) found that while fires within NK were largely confined to the Cerrado and seasonally inundated wetland biomes, drought conditions significantly impacted fire activity, forest loss, and smoke emissions in the region. The research utilized multiple data sources, including MODIS active fire products, Global Fire Weather Database, land cover and forest loss data, and regional extinction coefficients (Bext) derived from visibility measurements. These findings suggest that Bext can serve as a longer-term proxy for regional fire emissions, highlighting the need to consider both human activities and drought in future projections of southern Amazonian fire dynamics, which have implications for carbon emissions and global climate.

  Heyer, J. P., Power, M. J., Field, R. D., & van Marle, M. J. E. (2018). The impacts of recent drought on fire, forest loss, and regional smoke emissions in lowland Bolivia. Biogeosciences, 15(14), 4317–4331. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4317-2018

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• The effects of past climate variability on fire and vegetation in the cerrãdo savanna ecosystem of the Huanchaca Mesetta, Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, NE Bolivia

  A 14,500-year sedimentary record from Huanchaca Mesetta in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park reveals the resilience of cerrãdo savanna ecosystems to past climate variability. The study found that while fire activity increased during the Holocene due to warming conditions, fuel availability decreased under prolonged dry seasons, shaping modern vegetation patterns. Natural drivers—soil, climate, and fire—rather than human influence have primarily controlled vegetation and fire regimes in this ecosystem. Analyzing phytoliths, stable isotopes, and charcoal provided high-resolution insights into past environmental changes.

  Maezumi, S. Y., Power, M. J., Mayle, F. E., McLauchlan, K., & Iriarte, J. (2015). The effects of past climate variability on fire and vegetation in the cerrãdo savanna ecosystem of the Huanchaca Mesetta, Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, NE Bolivia. https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-11-135-2015

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• New botanical discoveries of Myrtaceae from Bolivia and notes on Psidium hians

  Researchers have identified Myrcia proencana, a new species of Myrtaceae, from the Serranía de Huanchaca within Bolivia's Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. This discovery highlights the region's rich botanical diversity and contributes to the understanding of Myrtaceae species in South America. The study also reclassifies Psidium hians as an accepted name while including P. nutans in its synonymy, resolving taxonomic ambiguities. Additionally, five other Myrtaceae species—Eugenia paranahybensis, E. pitanga, E. suberosa, Psidium misionum, and P. myrsinites—are reported for the first time in Bolivia's flora, expanding the known distribution of these plants.

  Villarroel, D., & Gomes-Bezerra, K. (2015). New botanical discoveries of Myrtaceae from Bolivia and notes on Psidium hians . Phytotaxa, 195(2). https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.195.2.5

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• Three new species of Euphorbia subg. Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae) from Bolivia

  Researchers have identified three new species of Euphorbia subg. Chamaesyce within Bolivia's UNESCO-listed Noel Kempff Mercado National Park and surrounding regions, expanding the taxonomic understanding of this plant genus. The discoveries include Euphorbia beckii, found in the Área Natural de Manejo Integrado of Apolobamba (La Paz), which belongs to sect. Alectoroctonum and exhibits similarities to E. viridis; Euphorbia fuentesii from Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park (Santa Cruz), part of sect. Anisophyllum and closely related to E. catamarcensis; and Euphorbia riinae, a member of sect. Crossadenia subsect. Ephedropeplus, closely allied with the Brazilian species E. gymnoclada. The study combines morphological analysis with taxonomic comparisons to distinguish these new entities, contributing to the biodiversity documentation of Bolivia's protected areas.

  STEINMANN, V. W. (2013). Three new species of Euphorbia subg. Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae) from Bolivia. Phytotaxa, 114(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.114.1.2

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