Tropical Wet Forest
The Contribution of Traditional Agroforestry to Climate Change Adaptation in the Ecuadorian Amazon: The Chakra SystemBackgroundThis article explores the amazonian-indigenous "chakra" agroforestry system, and its utility as a forest management practice that sequesters carbon, increases food security, grows valuable timber, and acts as a habitat connectivity. The size of these cultivated areas range from 0.4 - 4ha, and include species such as anioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz), banana (Musa paradisiaca L.), peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth), fine-flavored cacao (Theobroma cacaoL.) and robusta coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner), and a variety of medicinals. Open access copy available |
Growing biodiverse carbon-rich forestsBackgroundCarbon storage and biodiversity has long been viewed as completely separate restoration objectives, resulting in parceling tracts of restoration land for one objective or the other. This study shows that the relationship between plant functional diversity and carbon sequestration rate depends on climate and habitat factors. Knowing this relationship, a restoration site can be managed for both objectives. Open access copy available |
Bosques de los Andes orientales de Bolivia y sus especies útiles (Forests of the western Andes of Bolivia and its useful species)EspañolantecedentesLos bosques montanos sostienen no solo un gran biodiversidad, sino además los medios de vida de poblaciones indígenas y mestizas. Es necesario conocer las especies de potencial económico que presentan los bosques montanos a fin de asegurar su conservación y manejo a largo plazo. Open access copy available |
The Potential for Species Conservation in Tropical Secondary ForestsBackgroundThe importance of tropical secondary forests for conserving biodiversity increases with the degradation of old-growth forests, yet little is known about the role that these forests play in promoting biodiversity. Geospatial and temporal factors influence the role of secondary forests in species conservation, and this synthesis of case studies evaluates the significance of these factors on regional and landscape scales. Open access copy available |
Genetic Consequences of Tropical Second-Growth Forest RegenerationBackgroundThis article is an examination of the genetic impacts of old-growth deforestation among 24 year-old second-growth Iriartea deltoidea, a canopy palm, in a lowland Costa Rican forest. Iriartea is widely distributed throughout neotropical rainforests and displays a diverse range of size classes in mature forests. This species recolonizes second-growth forests with newly generated seeds, which are dispersed by birds and mammals. Open access copy available |
Screening Trial of 14 Tropical Hardwoods with an Emphasis on Species Native to Costa Rica: Fourth Year ResultsBackgroundA lack of silvicultural information on native timber species in the tropics has contributed to the propogation of fast-growing exotic tree species in reforestation efforts. The plantations evaluated at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica were considered marginal lands with low input of forest maintenance, reflecting the conditions of many lands that farmers would use for reforestation. Available with subscription or purchase |
Carbon Sequestration Potential of Indian ForestsbackgroundWhile deforestation in the tropics is a common subject of concern, India has retained a net positive afforestation rate from 1951-2000, with greatest gains after 1980. These efforts have afforested 35 MHa. Open access copy available |
Les sociétés rurales et les pratiques d’utilisation multiple des terres (Rural societies and land-use practices)This chapter focuses on rural poverty in central Africa and the contribution of multiple land use practices to local development. The authors discuss the paradox of belonging to an area that is on the one hand extremely rich in natural resources, and on the other hand extremely poor in national and local development. They stress the importance of maintaining globally important natural resources that will be able to respond to the needs of future generations of central Africans.
Open access copy available |
Cartographier le carbone stocké dans la végétation: perspectives pour la spatialisation d’un service écosystémique (Mapping carbon stocks in vegetation)The authors discuss a project to map ecosystem functioning in the Brazilian Amazon. They point out the limitations of ecosystem-service mapping and the importance of methodological decisionmaking while mapping functional processes.
Open access copy available |
Rwanda Environmental Threats and Opportunities Assessment (ETOA)BACKGROUNDThis report provides a background on the state of the environment in Rwanda. The authorrs write this report to fulfil a legal requirement of the US, Foreign Assistance Act (FAA), which requires that a Tropical Forests and Biodiversity Analysis be conducted in conjunction with the development of new foreign assistance strategies and programs. The report is also intended to identify opportunities to better integrate USAID's portfolio across development sectors by suggesting linkages with economic growth, agriculture, democracy and governance, health, and education activities. Open access copy available |
