English
The Agua Salud Project, Central PanamaBackgroundThe Agua Salud Project is located in the watershed that includes and surrounds the Panama Canal, an engineering feat that largely relies on natural hydrological systems. Much of this watershed has been deforested, thus an official policy has been put into place to reforest and regain ecosystem services. This project seeks to utilize the globalize role of the canal to bring attention to the ecosystem services of the region. Open access copy available |
Effects of fire on the recruitment of rain forest vegetation beneath Pinus caribaea plantations, Sri LankaBackgroundGroundstory fires burn forest understories and can impact advance regeneration, contributing to conversion of forests to fire-sustained grasslands or fernlands. While plantations of fire-tolerant trees have been successfully established on these sites, managing fire in the newly developing understory remains an issue of concern. Available with subscription or purchase |
What Does it Take? The Role of Incentives in Forest Plantation Development in Asia and the PacificbackgroundThis document is a compilation of case studies from different countries on the incentives and their impact on plantation development in South and Southeast Asia. The countries addressed are Australia, China, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Sabah (Malaysia), Thailand, and the United States. Open access copy available |
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 |
Rehabilitation of Degraded Forest Ecosystems in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam: An OverviewbackgroundThis document describes reforestation policies and actions in the four countries of the lower Mekong river: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam. Open access copy available |
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 |
Direct Seeding for Forest Restoration on Abandoned Agricultural Land in Northern ThailandbackgroundOne problem with using direct seeding in reforestation is the predation and desiccation of the seeds. In this research, authors tested the effect of scarification, burial, mulch application, and scarification with burial to determine the germination speed of four native species (Sapindus rarak, Lithocarpus elegans, Spondias axillaris, Erythrina subumbrans) in northern Thailand. Open access copy available |
The Potentials of 20 Indigenous Tree Species for Soil Rehabilitation in the Atlantic Forest Region of Bahia, BrazilbackgroundThis research presents the effects of 20 native tree species planted in 1974-1975 on different soil conditions in Bahia, Brazil. Research Goals & MethodsIn pure stands of the native species (some nitrogen-fixing) as well as a nearby 25 year old secondary forest, primary forest, and mixed-species plantation, soils were evaluated for the following conditions: depth, % carbon, % nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, dry weight of forest floor litter, pH, and nodules. 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 |
Conceptual Framework for Mangrove Restoration in the Yucatán PeninsulaBackgroundIn the Yucatán Peninsula, mangroves were lost at a rate of around 1.84% per year between 1976 and 2000. In 2000, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council gave the state government of Yucatán $800,000 towards mangrove restoration projects. Some research shows that the projects funded by this grant did not fully meet restoration goals. Open access copy available |
