General
Restoring forest landscapes for biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods: a spatial optimisation modelBackgroundConserving nature in the presence of human settlements is especially challenging in areas where livelihoods are largely based on locally available natural resources. The restoration of forests in such contexts calls for the identification of sites and actions that improve biodiversity protection, and ensure the provision of and accessibility to other forest-related ecosystem services. This paper introduces an integer-linear programming (ILP) approach to identify reforestation priorities that achieve such goals. Available with subscription or purchase |
"Where's our development?" Landowner aspirations and envrionmentalist agendas in Western Solomon IslandsBackgroundThis article is an evaluation of a five-year conservation and development project, "The Solomon Islands Community Resource and Development Project" initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly the WWF). The project was intended to educate local landowners on the importance of biodiversity, the rainforest, and on protecting these resources from logging. The focus of the project was primarily educational but also provided assistance and incetives to pursue more sustianable "ecotourism" projects. Available with subscription or purchase |
In Equal Measure: A User Guide to Gender Analysis in AgroforestrybackgroundThis guide provides tools for practioners working with rural communities in tropical countries. It describes how gender roles and responsibiities play a significant role in adoption and development of agroforestry systems. Open access copy available |
What Drives the Success of Reforestation Projects in Tropical Developing Countries? The Case of the PhilippinesBackgroundThis study evaluates the drivers and indicators related to reforestation success in the Philippines. The study included surveying 43 reforestation projects on Leyte. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors capture success drivers in three general categories: socio-economic, institutional / policy / management and reforestation characteristics. Available with subscription or purchase |
Four Opportunities for Studies of Ecological SuccessionBackgroundThe 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
Effects of Invasive Alien Plants on Fire RegimesBackgroundThis article considers how invasive plant species affect native ecosystems by altering fuel properties, fire behavior and fire regime characteristics. These may impact the ability of a site to restore to its previous state. Open access copy available |
Drug Policy as Conservation Policy: Narco-DeforestationBackgroundCentral America exploded into prominence as a drug trafficking corridor in the last decade. The authors document that an unprecedented flow of cocaine into Central America “coincided with a period of extensive forest loss”. The authors discuss the evidence that supports the idea that "trafficking of drugs (principally cocaine) has become a crucial—and overlooked—accelerant of forest loss” in Central America. Open access copy available |
The Role of Silvopastoral Systems in the Rehabilitation of Andean Stream HabitatsbackgroundThis article discusses the prevalence and impact of cattle grazing in the Andean region of Colombia. It asserts that ranching drastically alters the oxygen demand of and pH of streams, increases algae growth, and reduces light penetration. Ranching also damages stream flow and riverbanks, leading to higher erosion and run-off. Grasslands on previously forested areas have led to compaction of soil so that there is less infiltration leading to more run-off, floods due to increased speeds and volume, and less water in the streams during the dry season. Open access copy available |
Neotropical Secondary Forest Succession: Changes in Structural and Functional CharacteristicsBackgroundThis paper reiviews the main biotic and abiotic factors that influence patterns of secondary forest succession in the Neotropics after complete forest clearance due to human activities. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors look at patterns of species replacement and various processes that occur during succession and suggest that the sequence of processes may be predictable even if species composition is not. Open access copy available |
A Place for Alien Species in Ecosystem RestorationBackgroundThis 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
