Open access copy available
Maya Nut ReforestationBackgroundMaya Nut is an NGO that seeks to find balance between people, forests, and food. While they do not run a reforestation program directly, they do work closely with communities to reforest degraded lands throughout Latin America. The mission of the program is to conserve the Maya nut tree, Brosimum alicastrum, by planting trees and teaching rural and indigenous women to harvest and process the seed for food and income. Open access copy available |
SPVS Reforestation in the Coastal Atlantic Forest, BrazilOpen access copy available |
CHOCO2-Maquipucuna FoundationBACKGROUNDOver the last 31 years, this project has focused its attention on conserving the remaining unprotected forests in Ecuador’s most biodiverse regions through strategic land purchases and by helping local communities find economic alternatives to thrive in harmony with nature. Local people play an integral role in conservation, hence setting up protected areas in isolation is insufficient to protect biodiversity. Therefore, the project works to develop a complex, multiscale, multifaceted conservation framework that integrates research, education, local community development, sustainable ecotourism and policy making. Open access copy available |
Application of Mycorrhizal Roots Improves Growth of Tropical Tree Seedlings in the Nursery: A Step Towards Reforestation with Native Species in the Andes of EcuadorbackgroundEcuador’s tropical mountain rainforests are rich in biodiversity but are facing the highest deforestation rate in South America (1.7%). Tree plantations are one method being used to restore these forests, however these plantations often use fast-growing introduced species rather than native species. To improve the success of native species in order to encourage their greater use in plantations, this study proposes inoculation of nursery seedlings with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that is associated with these native species in the forest. Open access copy available |
Direct Seeding for Forest Restoration on Abandoned Agricultural Land in Northern ThailandbackgroundOne problem with using direct seeding in reforestation is the predation and desiccation of the seeds. In this research, authors tested the effect of scarification, burial, mulch application, and scarification with burial to determine the germination speed of four native species (Sapindus rarak, Lithocarpus elegans, Spondias axillaris, Erythrina subumbrans) in northern Thailand. 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 |
