ABOVE: A close-up of Sciodaphyllum canoi, which grows only on the eastern slope of the Andes in Cusco Province, Peru
P. LOWRY/MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
Over the past decade, botanist Pete Lowry has noticed a worrying trend in his field. An expert on the Sciodaphyllum (formerly Schefflera) genus of neotropical plants, he used to have a relatively easy time doing fieldwork abroad, he says. Now, however, he and his colleagues at the Missouri Botanical Garden face a mountain of logistical hurdles to gain permission to work in the various countries they want to visit, let alone bring samples back home with them.
For example, although one of Lowry’s study species, S. patulum, extends from southeastern Ecuador through Peru and into Bolivia, he says he often has to limit the scope of his research to a single country to avoid engaging in the time-consuming and costly process of obtaining permits in each. It’s ...
