Open access copy available
Environmental Impacts of Community-Based Forest Management in the PhilippinesbackgroundThis article describes the history of the Community-Based Forest Management program in the Philippines. In the past century, over 70% of the Philippines' forests have been lost, and other existing lands degraded due to massive logging, extreme poverty, and shifting cultivation. Open access copy available |
Restoration of seasonal semideciduous forests in Brazil: influence of age and restoration design on forest structureBackgroundWith the high rates of deforestation in tropical regions, the restoration of degraded lands has become an important way for maintaining the diversity of plant communities and for creating wildlife habitats. Evaluating the success of restored areas is essential for improving restoration designs and for successfully restoring such complex ecosystems. Open access copy available |
Conceptual Framework for Mangrove Restoration in the Yucatán PeninsulaBackgroundIn the Yucatán Peninsula, mangroves were lost at a rate of around 1.84% per year between 1976 and 2000. In 2000, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council gave the state government of Yucatán $800,000 towards mangrove restoration projects. Some research shows that the projects funded by this grant did not fully meet restoration goals. Open access copy available |
Restoration of dry tropical forests in Central America: A review of pattern and processBackgroundMuch information on restoration and management exists for wet tropical forests of Central America but comparatively little work has been done in the dry forests of this region. Such information is critical for reforestation efforts that are now occurring throughout Central America. This paper describes processes of degradation due to land use and provides a conceptual framework for the restoration of dry tropical forest, of which less than 2% remains intact. Open access copy available |
Rationale and Methods for Conserving Biodiversity in Plantation ForestsbackgroundWhen compared to degraded lands, developed lands, or areas of intensive industrial agriculture, forest plantations can positively contribute to biodiversity conservation. However, when monoculture stands of exotic trees, or native trees not typically found in single-species stands are used for plantations, they have been found to have impoverished flora and fauna compared with natural forest. Open access copy available |
Barriers to Forest Regeneration of Deforested and Abandoned Land in PanamaBackgroundThis article presents research findings on the effect of four limiting factors on tree regeneration: competition with the exotic grass Saccharum spontanaeum, seed dispersal limitation, fire, and soil nutrient deficiency. Research Goals & MethodsTreatments included prescribed grass cutting and burning, as well as the placement of plots at different distances from adjacent forest. Open access copy available |
Tropical forest recovery: Legacies of human impact and natural disturbancesBackgroundLand-use history interacts with natural forces to influence the severity of disturbance events and the rate and nature of recovery processes in tropical forests. This perspective article highlights several trends in tropical forest recovery processes emerging from recent literature. Open access copy available |
Seed germination of Loxopterygium guasango, a threatened tree of coastal Northwestern South AmericabackgroundLoxopterygium guasango is a tree native to Ecuador with threatened status as of 1993, despite its durable wood, history of timber use, and potential use in reforestation. This study reports on seed germination, a potential cause of its low regeneration rates. Open access copy available |
Natural History, Seed Predation, and Germination of Prosopis juliflora Relative to a Reforestation Project in Southwestern EcuadorbackgroundThis article provides information on the natural history of Prosopis juliflora in Ecuador and describes the efforts to use this native species in reforestation of tropical dry forest in the Proyecto Eduardo Aspiazu Estrata project. Research Goals & MethodsOver 200 sacks of pods (around 15-20 kg) of seeds were collected in March-May 1994 and examined at the seed bank. Open access copy available |
Propagating Framework Tree Species to Restore Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest: Implications of Seasonal Seed Dispersal and DormancybackgroundThis paper evaluates the seed germination characteristics of native tree species selected for reforestation in Thailand and cultivated in nurseries. Open access copy available |
