General
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 |
Large-scale Ecological Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest Lands: The Potential Role of Timber PlantationsbackgroundThis study offers suggestions for how timber plantations can be designed to yield timber and improve biodiversity on cleared and degraded lands. Available with subscription or purchase |
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 |
Site and species selection — Changing perspectivesBackgroundPlantation forestry in the tropics today is characterized by increasing refinement of matching species with site and increasing emphasis on non-industrial purposes for growing trees. This perspective comments on the increased number of objectives that a tropical forester or scientist is called upon to fulfill. Available with subscription or purchase |
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 |
Application of Assisted Natural Regeneration to Restore Degraded Tropical ForestlandsbackgroundAssisted natural regeneration (ANR) has been proposed as an alternative restoration method that reduces the costs and scalability barriers of other restoration alternatives. This article describes the steps to applying ANR to disturbed ecosystems where forest succession processes have been halted by dominant grass or fern monocultures. Available with subscription or purchase |
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 |
Beyond Deforestation: Restoring Forests and Ecosystem Services on Degraded LandsBackgroundIn this review, the author presents the various stages of topical forest restoration. She describes a spectrum of reforestation approaches varying by time, cost, and biodiversity conservation value. Available with subscription or purchase |
When and Where to Actively Restore Ecosystems?BackgroundWhile conservation efforts around the world have focused on restoring degraded ecosystems to provide ecosystem services and benefit biodiversity, yet there has been an increasing recognition that certain ecosystems can rapidly recover without human intervention. This paper examines the question: what cases and to what extent should humans actively facilitate ecosystem recovery? Available with subscription or purchase |
Paying for Environmental Services: An Analysis of Participation in Costa Rica's PSA ProgrambackgroundThis study evaluates demographic and other factors that played a role in the participation of households in Costa Rica's Payment for Environmental Services program. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors rely on economic analysis of technology adoption and farm and forestry program participation to assign variables and draw conclusions. Available with subscription or purchase |
