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Responses of 20 Native Tree Species to Reforestation Strategies for Abandoned Farmland in Panama

Background

In the tropics, deforestation often leads to unproductive agriculture and results in degraded grasslands. This study seeks to understand why forests fail to regenerate naturally in these ecosystems. 

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Semillas que germinan: experiencias comunitarias en la costa (Seeds that germinate: community experiences in the coast)

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An Evaluation of Farmers' Experiences Planting Native Trees in Rural Panama: Implications for Reforestation with Native Species in Agricultural Landscapes

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Soil organic matter dynamics during 80 years of reforestation of tropical pastures

Background

Land disturbance affects soil physical and chemical properties. Some properties may be recovered over long periods of reforestation. Mosaic-pattern landscapes with shifting usages over time, common in the mountainous tropics, can reveal dynamic soil properties. This study reports on changes in soil carbon over 80 years of secondary forest growth on abandoned pasture over a chronosequence in Puerto Rico.

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Globalization, Forest Resurgence, and Environmental Politics in El Salvador

Background

El Salvador was seen as a classic case study of population growth, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity, yet contemporary studies have not supported these claims. Instead, it has been found that forest cover in El Salvador today is actually greater than previously estimated, including remnant forest, reforested areas, plantations, smallholder and NTFP plantations. This resource explores the potential drivers for this unsuspected reforestation.

Open access copy available

Scolel'te Plan Vivo Project

Background

Starting with a pilot program in 1994, the Scolel'te Project is one of the longest running projects in the Plan Vivo network. It is an ecosystem services program that focuses primarily on reforestation in the Chiapas region of Mexico. 

Open access copy available

Cloning of erect, thornless, non-browsed nitrogen fixing trees of Haiti's principal fuelwood species (Prosopis juliflora)

Background

Prosopis juliflora (bayawon in Creole) is a spiny leguminous tree that is used throughout arid regions of Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean for fuelwood and fodder.  Due to its genetic diversity, pod protein and carbohydrate content varies widely, suggesting advantages of clonal reproduction. This Haiti-based study tests exotic and native varieties of Prosopis for growth rates.

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The Role of Native Species Plantations in Recovery of Understory Woody Diversity in Degraded Pasturelands of Costa Rica

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This study analyzes the understory recruitment success of tropical timber plantations in order to understand biodiversity recovery on degraded lands through the use of fast-growing timber plantations. The study takes place in the Atlantic humid lowlands of Costa Rica. 

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Development of Floristic Diversity in 10-year-old Restoration Forests on a Bauxite Mined Site in Amazonia

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This article evaluates the diversity of species in a 10-year-old native species plantation in the Para state of Brazil. The study site was mined for bauxite in 1984 and planted in 1985 with 70 species of native forest tree species.

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Biomass Distribution Among Tropical Tree Species Grown Under Differing Regional Climates

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This study presents results from species selection trials in Panama as part of the PRORENA project, which examined the most effective species and methods for Panamanian government-supported reforestation projects.

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Linking Multiple-Level Tree Traits with Biomass Accumulation in Native Tree Species used for Reforestation in Panama

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This research presents the links between biomass accumulation, plant traits, and functional groups for five native species in abandoned pasture of central Panama.

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Importance of Input Classification to Graph Automata Simulations of Forest Cover Change in the Peruvian Amazon

Background

In an area of Peru difficult for remote sensing imaging of deforestation and regeneration, the authors evaluate landcover and detect changes in landuse using novel data simulation techniques.

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Tropical Forest Transitions and Globalization: Neo-Liberalism, Migration, Tourism, and International Conservation Agendas

Background

Deforestation is giving way to forest regeneration in some tropical regions. This paper uses two case studies to investigate such ‘forest transitions’ in two biodiversity-rich countries, Costa Rica and Madagascar.

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Implications of Country-Level Decisions on the Specification of Crown Cover in the Definition of Forests for Land Area Eligible for Afforestation and Reforestation Activities in the CDM

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Integration of Hyperion Satellite Data and A Household Social Survey to Characterize the Causes and Consequences of Reforestation Patterns in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon

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This paper describes reforestation in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA) using 2002 remotely sensed Hyperion images and 2001 Ikonos images.

Open access copy available

Reforestation, coffee and carbon in Sierra Piura, Peru: can carbon financing promote sustainable agriculture?

Background

Previous research has suggested that certain agricultural practices can protect, enhance, and reverse environmental degradation. One way to achieve this beneficial connection can be encouraged is through financial mechanisms, such as payment for ecosystem services. This document examines a similar approach in which carbon revenues drive sustainable coffee agriculture in the Sierra Piura region of Peru. 

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What is the State of Tropical Montane Cloud Forest Restoration?

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The Evolution of Reforestation in Brazil

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This article describes the history of incentives for reforestation in Brazil from the 1970s through 2001.

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On the Restoration of High Diversity Forests: 30 years of Experience in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

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Tree planting by small producers in the tropics: A comparative study of Brazil and Panama

Background

Forest regrowth is a widespread phenomenon across the tropical forest latitudes. Such reforestation takes place in the wake of land abandonment, occurs cyclically in a rotational agricultural system, and may result from the deliberate planting of trees by farmers. Although less extensive than successional forest regeneration, tree planting by small farmers can have potentially important environmental impacts at both the site and global scale.

Open access copy available