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 |
Maya Nut ReforestationBackgroundMaya Nut is an NGO that seeks to find balance between people, forests, and food. While they do not run a reforestation program directly, they do work closely with communities to reforest degraded lands throughout Latin America. The mission of the program is to conserve the Maya nut tree, Brosimum alicastrum, by planting trees and teaching rural and indigenous women to harvest and process the seed for food and income. 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 |
Large-scale Ecological Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest Lands: The Potential Role of Timber PlantationsbackgroundThis study offers suggestions for how timber plantations can be designed to yield timber and improve biodiversity on cleared and degraded lands. Available with subscription or purchase |
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 |
Application of Mycorrhizal Roots Improves Growth of Tropical Tree Seedlings in the Nursery: A Step Towards Reforestation with Native Species in the Andes of EcuadorbackgroundEcuador’s tropical mountain rainforests are rich in biodiversity but are facing the highest deforestation rate in South America (1.7%). Tree plantations are one method being used to restore these forests, however these plantations often use fast-growing introduced species rather than native species. To improve the success of native species in order to encourage their greater use in plantations, this study proposes inoculation of nursery seedlings with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that is associated with these native species in the 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 |
Case investigation on the participation of women in reforestation in the PhilippinesbackgroundThis study explores gender-based participation in small-scale reforestation projects in the Philippines. Seedlings of a native pine, Pinus kesiya, and exotic Eucalyptus were planted through small-scale projects led by groups called Peoples’ Organizations. Full resource not available online |
The Global Conservation Status of MangrovesbackgroundThis research evaluates mangrove stands in 16 countries and island states throughout the neo- and paleotropics. Relying on site visits, the authors evaluate the local impacts on mangroves and the attitudes toward mangroves. 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 |
