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Burning Biodiversity: Fuelwood Harvesting Causes Forest Degradation in Human-Dominated Tropical Landscapes

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Testing Applied Nucleation as a Strategy to Facilitate Tropical Forest Recovery

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Priority Setting for Scaling-Up Tropical Forest Restoration Projects: Early Lessons from the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact

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Identifying Hotspots of Deforestation and Reforestation in Colombia (2001–2010): Implications for Protected Areas

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This article uses satellite imagery, MODIS MOD13Q1 Vegetation Indices 250 , the Virtual Interpretation of EarthWeb-Interface Tool (VIEW-IT) to conduct a land-use analysis of Colombia, mapping trends and "hotspot" areas of deforestation and of reforestation from 2001 to 2010.

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The Savannization of Moist Forests in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

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This study in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta seeks to determine if savannas are natural or caused by anthropogenic factors. The authors use climate data from the past and present, the location of vegetation, and land use history to test their hypothesis.

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Methodology for Comparative Analysis of Sustainability in Agroforestry Systems

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This 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.

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Intensive Silvopastoral Systems: Improving Sustainability and Efficiency in Cattle Ranching Landscapes

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Forest Cover and Deforestation Patterns in the Northern Andes (Lake Maracaibo Basin): A Synoptic Assessment using MODIS and Landsat Imagery

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South 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. 

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Land Cover Change in Colombia: Surprising Forest Recovery Trends between 2001 and 2010

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This 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.

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Variation in the Population Structure Between a Natural and a Human-Modified Forest for a Pioneer Tropical Tree Species not Restricted to Large Gaps

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The 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.

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Sixty-Seven Years of Land-Use Change in Southern Costa Rica

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Habitat 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.

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Changes in vegetation structure and composition along a tropical forest chronosequence: implications for wildlife

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Functional Diversity Changes during Tropical Forest Succession

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This 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.

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Agroforestry Adoption in Haiti: The Importance of Household and Farm Characteristics

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Connecting sustainable agriculture and wildlife conservation: Does shade coffee provide habitat for mammals?

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Shade coffee systems are believed to support diverse wildlife. However, most research on wildlife in shade coffee has focused on bird and insect diversity, with few studies that have focused on mammals living within coffee-dominated landscapes.

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Establishment of Tree Seedlings in the Understory of Restoration Plantations: Natural Regeneration and Enrichment Plantings

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This study investigates how seedling establishment is affected in the understory of restoration sites of different ages (10,22 and 55 year-old) within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. It also assesses some of the environmental microsite conditions that influenced the stand dynamics process.

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Bird Perches Increase Forest Seeds on Puerto Rican Landslides

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Forest regeneration is typically difficult after landslides due to loss of above- and below-ground vegetative structure, the soil seed bank, soil nutrients, and soil structure. Landslides are a common occurrence in Puerto Rico due to its steep topography and heavy rainfall periods and often transform into grass- or fern-dominated terrain. Insufficient seed rain is thought to be one contributing factor.

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Foliar herbivory and leaf traits of five native tree species in a young plantation of Central Panama

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Timber plantations often provide economic incentives for land owners to restore abandoned pastures or agricultural land to forest, yet the threat of insect herbivory can diminish these new plantations and compromise the efforts. This study seeks to understand the extent of these threats on tree plantations in Panama. 

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Designing Pest-Suppressive Multistrata Perennial Crop Systems: Shade-Grown Coffee in Central America

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Lacandon Maya Ecosystem Management: Sustainable Design for Subsistence and Environmental Restoration

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This study examines swidden agroforestry used by the Lacandon Maya, an indigenous group living in Chiapas, Mexico, linking soil ecology to previous studies on plant communities. 

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