Open access copy available
Restoring tropical diversity: beating the time tax on species lossBackgroundRemnant tropical forests are being deforested at approximately the same rates as cleared lands revert to secondary forest, leading to a fragmented or patchwork landscape. Small patches of remnant forest may remain, but these inevitably lose species to local extinction. Despite forestation rates that may appear relatively stable on paper, vegetation matrices are rapidly changing from a diversity of old-growth species to a much smaller number of early-successional and non-native species that dominate natural-regeneration and reforestation sites. Open access copy available |
The Role of Native Species Plantations in Recovery of Understory Woody Diversity in Degraded Pasturelands of Costa RicabackgroundThis study analyzes the understory recruitment success of tropical timber plantations in order to understand biodiversity recovery on degraded lands through the use of fast-growing timber plantations. The study takes place in the Atlantic humid lowlands of Costa Rica. Open access copy available |
Perceptions of Biodiversity, Environmental Services, and Conservation of Planted Mangroves: A Case Study on Nijhum Dwip Island, BangladeshbackgroundOpen access copy available |
Development of Floristic Diversity in 10-year-old Restoration Forests on a Bauxite Mined Site in AmazoniabackgroundThis article evaluates the diversity of species in a 10-year-old native species plantation in the Para state of Brazil. The study site was mined for bauxite in 1984 and planted in 1985 with 70 species of native forest tree species. Open access copy available |
Restoration pathways for rain forest in southwest Sri Lanka: A review of concepts and modelsBackgroundIn the last 10 years government policy towards remaining rain forest in Sri Lanka has changed from one that promoted commercial exploitation to one of conservation, recognizing the growing importance of uplands as catchments for water production, biodiversity conservation and other downstream services. This review article discusses recent research on rain forest dynamics of southwest Sri Lanka with the objective of how this knowledge can be used for forest restoration. Open access copy available |
Responses of 20 Native Tree Species to Reforestation Strategies for Abandoned Farmland in PanamaBackgroundIn the tropics, deforestation often leads to unproductive agriculture and results in degraded grasslands. This study seeks to understand why forests fail to regenerate naturally in these ecosystems. Open access copy available |
Daikin Industries Reforestation ProjectBackgroundDaikin Industries Ltd., a Japanese based air-conditioning company, has been partnering with Conservation International (CI) to support the reforestation of a degraded area along the edges of the Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park in Indonesia. The national park, which has some of the little remaining forest area on the island of Java, is a source of water for the cities of Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi. Open access copy available |
Semillas que germinan: experiencias comunitarias en la costa (Seeds that germinate: community experiences in the coast)Open access copy available |
An Evaluation of Farmers' Experiences Planting Native Trees in Rural Panama: Implications for Reforestation with Native Species in Agricultural LandscapesbackgroundThe Panamanian government has created reforestation incentive programs to encourage farmers to plant trees in order to restore ecosystem services to degraded lands. However, many farmers and landowners choose not to participate in these programs. Additionally, many such incentive programs result in large plantations of non-native species. In 2001, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute created a native species reforestation project known as PRORENA (Proyecto de Reforestación con Especias Nativas) to study strategies for successful native species reforestation in a social, economic, and scientific context. Open access copy available |
Soil organic matter dynamics during 80 years of reforestation of tropical pasturesBackgroundLand disturbance affects soil physical and chemical properties. Some properties may be recovered over long periods of reforestation. Mosaic-pattern landscapes with shifting usages over time, common in the mountainous tropics, can reveal dynamic soil properties. This study reports on changes in soil carbon over 80 years of secondary forest growth on abandoned pasture over a chronosequence in Puerto Rico. Open access copy available |
