Tropical Wet Forest

Impact of Forest Management on Insect Abundance and Damage in a Lowland Tropical Forest in Southern Cameroon

Background

A burgeoning timber industry in Cameroon, which became the fifth largest producer of timber in the world in the 1990’s, led to unsustainably high deforestation rates and high demand for forest regeneration interventions. Research in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve in southern Cameroon has compared different silvicultural techniques for forest regeneration including complete and partial clearance methods.

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Leaf litter arthropod responses to tropical forest restoration

Background

Soil and litter arthropods play critical roles in tropical ecosystem function including driving organic matter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization. With the increasing need for forest restoration projects, it is important to know how these arthropod communities respond to a variety of restoration strategies and techniques in order to maintain healthy ecosystem function. This study was conducted in a mixed-use agricultural landscape in southern Costa Rica, in an effort to contribute to local restoration research efforts.

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Insects and Other Animals in Tropical Forests

Background

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Pest Management in Tropical Forestry

Background

This chapter of the Tropical Forestry Handbook introduces common pests, diseases, and disorders known to afflict tropical tree species. It describes methods of transmission, common symptoms, and provides visual guides on disease identification including infection manifestations in different parts of the tree. The chapter concludes with a discussion on disease management strategies including avoidance, control, and elimination highlighting the environmental factors that play into these strategies.

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Anthropogenic disturbance in tropical forests can double biodiversity loss from deforestation

Background

The authors examined the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances within a forest on the ability of the forest to conserve biodiversity and provide ecosytem services. The research used large data sets of plants, birds, and dung beetles and used them as indicators of biodiversity change in the forest.

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Factors Affecting Mortality and Resistance to Damage Following Hurricanes in a Rehabilitated Subtropical Moist Forest

Background

This study was conducted in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF), which was previously abandoned pastureland reforested through mixed planting and natural regeneration.

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Asymmetric density dependence shapes species abundances in a tropical tree community

Background

This study examined the question: why are some species common in tropical rainforests while others are rare?

Goals & Methods

The research, which used a computer modeling approach to analyze data from 20,000 1-meter squared plots, examined the degree to which being close to another individual of the same species affected the studied individual's overall abundance.

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Restoring Working Forests in Human-Dominated Landscapes of the Wet Evergreen Forest Region of South Asia

Background

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Bioremediation of a crude-oil polluted agricultural-soil at Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background

Since more than 98% of Nigeria’s current economic support is crude oil, and oil spills are in inevitable and frequent, six treatment sample-cell were tested on the soils of the Niger Delta of Nigeria for crude oil bioremediation. Oil spills cause nitrogen levels to decrease, while increasing carbon content. A decrease in nitrogen and the toxicity of crude oil reduces the growth of heterotrophic bacteria, which utilize petroleum carbon for cell synthesis.

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Business models for sustainable investments in the context of tropical forest restoration

Background

This paper outlines the context and approaches of effective business models for sustainable investments in Tropical Forests. Triple bottom line business opportunities are defined and identified through a review of literature and analysis of three case studies (InIkea, FCFR Project, and Sustain Project). The conceptual frameworks surrounding sustainable business models are examined. Challenges and opportunities into the future are also explored.

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