Tropical Wet Forest
Tree Communities in Three-Year-Old Post-Mining Sites Under Different Forest Restoration Techniques in the Brazilian AmazonBackground:Mining has been identified as a major contributor to forest loss, leading to the need for effective restoration techniques in post-mining sites. In this context, the knowledge of floristic composition is crucial for managing natural regeneration, selecting species for restoration plantings, and aiding conservation programs of threatened plant species. One well-known example of mining impacts on the Amazon rainforest vegetation is located in the Paragominas municipality, Pará, Brazil. Open access copy available |
Mining in the Amazon: Importance, impacts, and challenges to restore degraded ecosystems. Are we on the right way?Background:With mining playing a significant role in the economies of Amazonian countries, there is a growing urgency to understand, mitigate, and restore the degraded ecosystems that result from these mining operations. These tasks present a complex set of challenges, including technological limitations, legal inconsistencies, and a shortage of qualified professionals. Available with subscription or purchase |
Tropical Rainforest Restoration Plantations Are Slow to Restore the Soil Biological and Organic Carbon Characteristics of Old Growth RainforestBackground:With widespread deforestation and land conversion posing significant threats to biodiversity and carbon sequestration, there is an urgent need to comprehend the intricate relationship between land use change, soil microbial communities, and soil organic carbon dynamics in tropical rainforest ecosystems. Open access copy available |
Metodología de reforestación y restauración de paisajes amazónicos degradados por minería: análisis de costosBackground:La actividad minera aurifera artisanal conlleva la deforestación, degradación del suelo, pérdida de biodiversidad y contaminación por mercurio. A medida que esta actividad crece, surge la necesidad imperante de desarrollar metodologías que permitan la reforestación y restauración de las zonas degradadas en los países amazónicos. Artisanal gold mining activity leads to deforestation, soil degradation, loss of biodiversity and mercury contamination. As this activity grows, there is an urgent need to develop methodologies that allow reforestation and restoration of degraded areas in Amazonian countries. Open access copy available |
Slowing Amazon Deforestation through Public Policy and Interventions in Beef and Soy Supply ChainsBackground:The process of deforestation, involving the extensive removal of mature forest, witnessed a notable decline, plummeting from a 10-year average of 19,500 km2 up to 2005 to 5843 in 2013—a remarkable 70% reduction. This reduction is believed to have initiated a chain reaction of positive consequences, including a diminished risk of regional rainfall inhibition, fewer alterations in river discharge and sedimentation, and an upswing in biodiversity conservation. Available with subscription or purchase |
Exotic Eucalypts: From Demonized Trees to Allies of Tropical Forest Restoration?Background:Timber, being a product in high demand globally, presents a lucrative market opportunity, and restoration efforts could potentially generate income through the targeted extraction of this material. While the incorporation of commercially valuable exotic trees might incentivize farmers to participate in restoration projects, it raises significant ecological concerns among experts. Available with subscription or purchase |
Survival and Early Growth of 51 Tropical Tree Species in Areas Degraded by Artisanal Gold Mining in the Peruvian AmazonBackground:Artisanal and small-scale gold mining has dramatically changed the landscape of tropical ecosystems, completely removing the soil and vegetation and polluting it with mercury disposals. In order to recover these degraded spaces, reforestation projects need to enhance their knowledge of restoration species growth and survival rates under different site conditions, as well as their fertilization needs. Goals:The authors of this study aim to (1) test 51 species with potential for ecological restoration and/or forest rehabilitation; (2) assess the potential for biochar amendments for use in reforestation efforts; and (3) explore species performance regarding their contrasting wood density traits. Available with subscription or purchase |
Biochar Effects on Two Tropical Tree Species and Its Potential as a Tool for ReforestationBackground:Although biochar is starting to be recognized as a potential soil fertilizer, most of the current studies are focused on the growth response of herbaceous crops and not on the impacts of biochar on tree development. Goals:The authors measure the survival rate, growth, and biomass accumulation of the seedlings of two tropical tree species Terminalia amazonia (“terminalia”) and Guazuma crinita (“bolaina”) under abandoned gold mine conditions: nutrient-poor and sandy soil. The seedlings were tested under six different treatments (three doses of biochar, with and without fertilizer) for six months. Open access copy available |
Protocolo: Mantenimiento y Fertilización de Parcelas de ReforestaciónBackground:Como parte del trabajo de investigación que viene desarrollando el Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), se ha realizado la instalación de parcelas experimentales de reforestación en áreas degradadas por actividad minera en Madre de Dios. As part of the research work being carried out by the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation (CINCIA), experimental reforestation plots have been installed in areas degraded by mining activity in Madre de Dios. Available with subscription or purchase |
Deforestation-Induced Climate Change Reduces Carbon Storage in Remaining Tropical ForestsBackground:Deforestation of tropical forests alters the biophysical properties of the forest's surface, which contributes to regional warming and drying. These environmental changes, in turn, could impact non-degraded forests, reducing the rates of photosynthesis and increasing the release of carbon through autotrophic respiration, as well as the risk of a wildfire. Consequently, it is important to improve the accuracy of carbon and climate benefits of a land management action (e.g., avoided deforestation) to enable a more effective valuation of the carbon credits issued for a specific project. Open access copy available |
