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What Drives the Success of Reforestation Projects in Tropical Developing Countries? The Case of the Philippines

Background

This study evaluates the drivers and indicators related to reforestation success in the Philippines. The study included surveying 43 reforestation projects on Leyte.

Research Goals & Methods

The authors capture success drivers in three general categories: socio-economic, institutional / policy / management and reforestation characteristics.

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Four Opportunities for Studies of Ecological Succession

Background

The authors introduce two approaches to the  study of forest succession: 1) Standardized experimental manipulation - removal or addition of abiotic and biotic factors - across ecological gradients can help elucidate the drivers of succession and 2) the use of meta-analyses of successional data improve the ability to observe temporal changes across broader geographical scales.

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Using Melaleuca Fences as Soft Coastal Engineering for Mangrove Restoration in Kien Giang, Vietnam

Background

This study examines the installation of two fence designs made from Melaleuca poles along coastal fringe mangroves to attenuate wave action and promote accretion of sediments in Southwest coastal Vietnam.

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Effects of Logging, Liana Tangles and Pasture on Seed Fate of Dry Forest Tree Species in Central Brazil

Background

This article examines seed germination, predation, removal, and death for six different species in undistured forest, logged forest and an active pature. Because gaps created from logging are often overrun by liana tangles, it also compares seeds planted under patches of lianas (low forest) and seeds under patches of mature forest (high forest).

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Succession and Management of Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas: Review and New Perspectives

Background

This article emphasizes the importance of understanding of successional processes in tropical dry forests. It provides an overview of the current knowledge  of the ecology of tropical dry forest ecosystems and discusses management implications . The authors describe rapidly increasing degradation and destruction of these ecosystems and identify gaps in knowledge to be addressed by future research.

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Changes in vegetation structure and composition along a tropical forest chronosequence: implications for wildlife

Background

Changes in tropical forest structure and species composition that occur during regeneration following land abandonment may have important consequences for wildlife populations. Many animals rely on forest resources as sites for foraging, nesting, and protection that may vary in abundance in forests of different ages. This study examines aspects of forest composition and structure thought to be important to wildlife along a tropical moist forest chronosequence in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument of central Panama.

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The Savannization of Moist Forests in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Background

This study in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta seeks to determine if savannas are natural or caused by anthropogenic factors. The authors use climate data from the past and present, the location of vegetation, and land use history to test their hypothesis.

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Seed Dispersal by Birds and Bats in Lowland Philippine Forest Successional Area

Background

While seed dispersal by birds and bats can be an important driver of succession, few studies have studied this dynamic in the tropical forests of SE Asia. This study compares the role of bird and bat dispersal in the lowland dipterocarp forest of the Subic Watershed Forest Reserve (SWFR) in Luzon Island, Philippines.

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A Place for Alien Species in Ecosystem Restoration

Background

This article makes the case that non-native, or "alien,"  species may be useful in some restoration efforts, and should not be overlooked or completely condemned because they are non-native. Such species can provide ecological and socioeconomic services and in some cases speed up successional processes. 

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Fallow to Forest: Applying Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge of Swidden Cultivation to Tropical Forest Restoration

Background

This study analyzed vegetation at two sites of shifting cultivation by Lawa and Karen indigenous people in the Mae Chaem watershed in 1-year, 3-year and 6-year fallow fields, with an area of natural forest as a control comparison.

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