Montane Forest

The Recovery of the Lower Montane Cloud Forest in the Mucujún Watershed, Mérida, Venezuela

Background

Given the recovery of degraded forests in some landscapes throughout the tropics, the authors analyze land use change and land cover change in a mountain region of the andes of venezuela during a period of 50 years.

Research Goals & Methods

The study relies on aerial photographs taken between 1952 and 2009 of a peri-urban watershed. 

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Catalago preliminar de la flora vascular de los bosques subandinos de la Cuchilla el Fara, Santander–Colombia (Preliminary catalogue of vascular plants of the sub-andean forests of Cuchilla el Fara, Santander-Colombia)

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antecedentes

La Región Andina de Colombia cuenta con una gran biodiversidad y concentra el 77.4% de la población total del país. Esfuerzos para la conservación y manejo sostenible de los bosques andinos vienen siendo implementados en el país como parte de una estrategia nacional.

objetivos y metodología

El estudio busca generar una lista preliminar de las plantas vasculares de los bosques sub-andinos de La Cuchilla El Fara, Santander, Colombia, incluyendo información ecológica de las especies registradas.

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Efecto de la zona de vida y la altitud en la mortalidad y adaptabilidad al primer año de especies forestales en la Cordillera Volcánica Central de Costa Rica

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Antecedentes

El entendimiento comprensivo de la restauración de bosques requiere de la comprensión del fenómeno de la mortalidad incluyendo su magnitud y ubicación espacial. En Costa Rica, no existe suficiente información capturando los efectos de climas pluviales sobre la mortalidad de especies forestales, especialmente en zonas altas.

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Potencial de regeneracion del banco de semillas germinable de un bosque subandino: implicaciones para la restauración ecologica (Regeneration potential of the germinable seedbank of a sub-Andean forest: Implications for ecological restoration)

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Evaluation of Native Tree Species for the Rehabilitation of Deforested Areas in a Mexican Cloud Forest

background

This study examines the survival of four native tree species used in mixed-experimental plantations in the tropical montane forest of Veracruz, Mexico (1300-1900m). Tropical montane covers only 1% of land surface in Mexico but contains ~ 10% of all flowering plants. In Veracruz, forest fragments occupy on 10% of the oringinal forest cover.

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Reforestation with the Native Tree Alnus acuminata: Effects on Phytodiversity and Species Richness in an Upper Montane Rain Forest Area of Colombia

Background

This study takes place in the western cordillera in Colombia (Quindio). Upper montane forest is dominated by large Weinmannia (Alnus acuminata) plantations established from 1977-1978 on abandoned agricultural and grazing land (for erosion control), and secondary forest fragments that naturally colonized abandoned agricultural areas.

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Estrategias para la restauración ecológica del bosque altoandino. El caso de la reserva municipal de Cogua. (Strategies for the ecological restoration of the high Andean forest - the case of the municipal reserve of Cogua)

Entre los años 2002-2006 se realizó una restauración de potreros degradados en la reserva forestal municipal de Cogua (departamento de Cundinamarca - páramo alto - 2900-3630 m). Se hizo la restauración con 1) remoción de Chusquea scandens; 2) creación de perchas artificiales para aves (para facilitar lluvia de semillas); 3) siembras de especies selectivas Se notó invasión de Ulex europaeus y la herbivoría por Cavia porcellus (curí) como barreras para la restauración. Aún no se ha realizado una evaluación cuantitativa.

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Modelling the Effect of Forest Cover on Shallow Landslides at the River Basin Scale

background

This study analyzes soil models that can be used to help predict soil erosion which are useful to prioritize reforestation areas of watersheds.

Research Goals & Methods

The researchers tested the models in a river basin in Ecuador. They collected data for soil moisture/matric potential, depth, and rainfall. Vegetation (overland flow resistance coefficient) and root cohesion data were derived from the literature, as was the evapotranspiration rate.

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Effect of Prior Land Use on the Recolonization of Native Woody Species under Plantation Forests in the Highlands of Ethiopia

background

This study analyzes the recolonization of native woody species in 16-18 year old plantation forests (Eucalyptus saligna and Cupressus lusitanica) in the highlands of Ethiopia.

Goals & Methods

Effects of recolonization were evaluated through assessing naturally regenerating flora (NRF) and soil seed banks (SSB) in plantation forests established on abandoned farmland and cleared natural forest sites. About 66 plant species were recorded in the NRF and 55 plant species germinated from the soil samples collected for SSB analysis.

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Restoring dense vegetation can slow mountain erosion to near natural benchmark levels

Background

Tropical mountain areas may undergo rapid land degradation as demographic growth and intensified agriculture cause more people to migrate to fragile ecosystems. To assess the extent of the resulting damage, an erosion rate benchmark against which changes in erosion can be evaluated is required. Benchmarks reflecting natural erosion rates are usually not provided by conventional sediment fluxes, which are often biased due to modern land use change, and also miss large, episodic events within the measuring period.

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