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Methodology for Comparative Analysis of Sustainability in Agroforestry SystemsbackgroundThis paper analyses different forms of agroforestry systems, including political and institutional linkages in the Caí and Taquari river valleys of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in an effort to determine their sustainability. Open access copy available |
A Place for Alien Species in Ecosystem RestorationBackgroundThis article makes the case that non-native, or "alien," species may be useful in some restoration efforts, and should not be overlooked or completely condemned because they are non-native. Such species can provide ecological and socioeconomic services and in some cases speed up successional processes. Available with subscription or purchase |
Forest Cover and Deforestation Patterns in the Northern Andes (Lake Maracaibo Basin): A Synoptic Assessment using MODIS and Landsat ImageryBackgroundSouth America has the highest deforestation rates in the tropics. Yet, the science is often questioned when determining these rates. For example, Venezuela, which has the second highest rate in the region, produces government reports on deforestation that are continually questioned by third parties. This paper stresses the need for more accurate and consistent data on forest cover and greenhouse gase emissions from deforestation. Available with subscription or purchase |
What Drives the Success of Reforestation Projects in Tropical Developing Countries? The Case of the PhilippinesBackgroundThis study evaluates the drivers and indicators related to reforestation success in the Philippines. The study included surveying 43 reforestation projects on Leyte. Available with subscription or purchase |
Land Cover Change in Colombia: Surprising Forest Recovery Trends between 2001 and 2010backgroundThis study mapped annual land-use and land-cover from 2001 to 2010 in Colombia using MODIS (250 m) products coupled with reference data from high spatial resolution imagery (QuickBird) in Google Earth. Open access copy available |
Four Opportunities for Studies of Ecological SuccessionBackgroundThe authors introduce two approaches to the study of forest succession: 1) Standardized experimental manipulation - removal or addition of abiotic and biotic factors - across ecological gradients can help elucidate the drivers of succession and 2) the use of meta-analyses of successional data improve the ability to observe temporal changes across broader geographical scales. Available with subscription or purchase |
Using Melaleuca Fences as Soft Coastal Engineering for Mangrove Restoration in Kien Giang, VietnamBackgroundThis study examines the installation of two fence designs made from Melaleuca poles along coastal fringe mangroves to attenuate wave action and promote accretion of sediments in Southwest coastal Vietnam. Available with subscription or purchase |
Effects of Invasive Alien Plants on Fire RegimesBackgroundThis article considers how invasive plant species affect native ecosystems by altering fuel properties, fire behavior and fire regime characteristics. These may impact the ability of a site to restore to its previous state. Open access copy available |
Variation in the Population Structure Between a Natural and a Human-Modified Forest for a Pioneer Tropical Tree Species not Restricted to Large GapsBackgroundThe study was conducted in a permanent plot in a primary forest at Caetetus Ecological Station (CES), and in an early successional forest adjacent to the state reserve at Torrão de Ouro Farm, state of São Paulo, Southeast Brazil. This forest originally covered nearly the entire plateau in the state of São Paulo, and it is currently the most threatened forest in the State due to past fragmentation. Open access copy available |
Effects of Logging, Liana Tangles and Pasture on Seed Fate of Dry Forest Tree Species in Central BrazilBackgroundThis article examines seed germination, predation, removal, and death for six different species in undistured forest, logged forest and an active pature. Because gaps created from logging are often overrun by liana tangles, it also compares seeds planted under patches of lianas (low forest) and seeds under patches of mature forest (high forest). Available with subscription or purchase |
Teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f): Its Natural Distribution and Related FactorsbackgroundThis paper provides an introduction to the distribution and growth of teak in its natural habitat in India, Burma, Thailand and Laos. Open access copy available |
Succession and Management of Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas: Review and New PerspectivesBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Drug Policy as Conservation Policy: Narco-DeforestationBackgroundCentral America exploded into prominence as a drug trafficking corridor in the last decade. The authors document that an unprecedented flow of cocaine into Central America “coincided with a period of extensive forest loss”. The authors discuss the evidence that supports the idea that "trafficking of drugs (principally cocaine) has become a crucial—and overlooked—accelerant of forest loss” in Central America. Open access copy available |
Sixty-Seven Years of Land-Use Change in Southern Costa RicaBackgroundHabitat loss and fragmentation of forests are among the biggest threats to biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in tropical landscapes. This paper uses the vicinity of the Las Cruces Biological Station in southern Costa Rica as a regional case study to comment on seven decades of land-use change in one of the most intensively studied sites in the Neotropics. Open access copy available |
Changes in vegetation structure and composition along a tropical forest chronosequence: implications for wildlifeBackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Functional Diversity Changes during Tropical Forest SuccessionbackgroundThis paper evaluates changes in species richness and functional diversity during tropical secondary forest succession following shifting cultivation in Chiapas, Mexico. It examines whether speces richness is a good predictor of functional diversity. Open access copy available |
Forest Fragmentation and its Correlation to Human Land Use Change in the State of Selangor, Peninsular MalaysiaBackgroundThis paper uses a simple fragmentation index comprising three landscape metrics- non-forest area, forest edge bordered by human land use, and patch size coefficient of variation- to study changes in forest fragmentation in the state of Selangor, in peninsular Malaysia between 1966, 1981 and 1995. Open access copy available |
Agroforestry Adoption in Haiti: The Importance of Household and Farm CharacteristicsbackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Does Tree Planting Change Minds? Assessing the Use of Community Participation in Reforestation to Address Illegal Logging in West KalimantanbackgroundGunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, Indonesia has experienced illegal logging and fires that led to degradation and conversion of forests to grasslands in a state of arrested succession. A local NGO named Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI) began a restoration effort to restore degraded forest areas and provide jobs to local community members that might otherwise participate in illegal logging. Open access copy available |
Mangrove restoration without plantingBackgroundMangrove planting is the most common method of restoring mangrove forests. However, this approach is not often successful, especially when the causes of mangrove degradation were not removed prior to planting new seedlings or propagules. A successful mangrove restoration project may not necessarily include a planting phase. When the stressors are removed and suitable environmental conditions are present, natural regeneration processes could recover mangroves from degradation. Open access copy available |