China
Land Ownership and Forest RestorationBackgroundReports have indiciated that the majority of forests worldwide are owned by governments yet are typically managed similar to an open-access regime. Moreover, the use of forests by various stakeholders have led to issues, typically regarding access and ownership. This paper examines the connection between ownership regimes and restoration. Open access copy available |
China's sloping land conversion program: Institutional innovation or business as usual?BackgroundChina’s Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) is the largest land retirement program in the developing world, having the goal of converting 14.67 million hectares of cropland to forests by 2010, primarily targeting high-slope and marginal lands. The program is being implemented in more than 2000 counties across 25 provinces in China and affects tens of millions of rural households using PES models to promote afforestation. Open access copy available |
Forest Rehabilitation and its Implication for Forest Transition TheorybackgroundThis article reviews the history of forest rehabilitation in Vietnam, Philippines, China, Peru, Indonesia, and Brazil. Available with subscription or purchase |
Local Impacts and Responses to Regional Forest Conservation and Rehabilitation Programs in China's Northwest Yunnan provincebackgroundThis article reviews large-scale government reforestation activities in Yunnan Province, China. Agricultural development in the past half century in the Salween and Mekong watersheds in northwest Yunnan has resulted in severe erosion. The government has recently banned logging and instituted large-scale reforestation programs at the same time. These reforestation projects use Pyrus pyrifolia, Pinus yunnanensis and Pinus armandii. Available with subscription or purchase |
Effect of Vegetation Restoration on Soil and Water Erosion and Nutrient Losses of a Severely Eroded Clayey Plinthudult in Southeastern ChinaBackgroundIn this study, researchers compare erosion from reforested and degraded sites in subtropical southeastern China. Goals & MethodsThe objective of the study was to estimate the long-term influences of reforestation on soil and water erosion and nutrient losses in regions of southeast China that are characterized by severely eroded bare land derived from Quaternary red clay. The study examined surface runoff, soil erosion, and soil nutrient content. Available with subscription or purchase |
InVEST: A Tool for Integrating Ecosystem Services into Policy and Decision-MakingbackgroundThis document explains the InVEST tool, an ecosystem service model (via a software program) used to geographically map the provision of ecosystem services and how they can be affected by development and policies. The model, designed by the Natural Capital Project (collaboration of WWF, TNC, the University of Minnesota, and Stanford University), is intended for planners to maximize the benefit from activities such as reforestation. Open access copy available |
Landscape Pattern Dynamics and Mechanisms during Vegetation Restoration: A Multiscale, Hierarchical Patch Dynamics ApproachBackgroundThis study examines patterns of restoration using permanent plots and remote sensing of a nature reserve from 1979 to the present using a multiscale, hierarchical patch dynamic framework. Research Goals & MethodsThis study attempts to document changes in time and space during the restoration of forests with the purpose of understanding its patterns and processes. Available with subscription or purchase |
Seed Dispersal Distances and Plant Migration Potential in Tropical East AsiaBackgroundMost predictions of vegetation responses to anthropogenic climate change over the next century are based on plant physiological tolerances and do not account for the ability of plant species to migrate over the distances required in the time available, or the impact of habitat fragmentation on this ability. This review assesses the maximum routine dispersal distances achievable in tropical East Asia and their vulnerability to human impacts. Available with subscription or purchase |
Trees Commonly Cultivated in Southeast Asia: An Illustrated Field GuidebackgroundThis manual is an identification guide for the commonly-encountered trees of Southeast Asia. It provides botanical information for conifers, broad-leafed trees, bamboos, palms, and bananas. Open access copy available |

