East Asia and Pacific
Lowering Emissions in Asia's Forests (LEAF)BackgroundThe Lowering Emmissions in Asia's Forests (LEAF) program was USAID regiona initiative that ran for five years, from 2011 to 2016. This final report summarizes the challenges the LEAF program faced and the results it achieved. Open access copy available |
ERECON, Ministry of Environment Cambodia, UNU: Kampong Cham province, Mondol Kiri province, and Battam Bang province, CambodiaBackgroundDeforestation has been a signficant issue in Cambodia since the 1970s due to agricultural expansion and unstable political eras. This has caused severe flooding or drought downstream, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity. Relatively recently, there has been an increasingly call to promote restoration and conservation of environment and sustainable use and management of natural resources. Open access copy available |
Community-based Mangrove Reforestation and Management in Da Loc, VietnamBackgroundIn 2005, the Da Loc commune in Vietnam was hit by Typhoon Damrey, causing major flooding and the destruction of agricultural lands. The dikes that upheld through the storm were surrounded by mangroves, thus a program was devised to increase adaptation and mitigation strategies to strong storms through mangrove reforestation. Open access copy available |
Forest in the Air ProjectBackgroundAs a joint venture by Conservation International and Daikin, the Forest in the Air Project works in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park in Indonesia. The forest is not only home to a variety of flora and fauna but also provides critical ecosystem services. Like other forests in Indonesia, the park is under threat from agriculture and other human activities, such as illegal logging. Open access copy available |
Multiple-Purposes Reforestation on Degraded Lands in Longyang, ChinBackgroundThe following is a project design document submitted to the UNFCCC in 2008 for a project to restore and preserve degraded forests in Longyang, Yunnan, P.R. China. The project will be headed by the Longyang Forestry Farm in cooperation with local farmers. Open access copy available |
Fallow to Forest: Applying Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge of Swidden Cultivation to Tropical Forest RestorationBackgroundThis study analyzed vegetation at two sites of shifting cultivation by Lawa and Karen indigenous people in the Mae Chaem watershed in 1-year, 3-year and 6-year fallow fields, with an area of natural forest as a control comparison. Available with subscription or purchase |
Biodiversity–Productivity Relationships in Small-Scale Mixed-Species Plantations Using Native Species in Leyte Province, PhilippinesbackgroundThe growth of tropical reforestation in recent decades has given rise to a debate between the relative productivity, biodiversity, and general merits of mixed-species vs. single-species plantations. To further investigate the relationship between tree species diversity, productivity, and abiotic factors such as climate and soil, this study investigated the growth of mixed-species plantations in Leyte province in the Philippines. These smallholder plantations were planted in 1992 to meet social, economic, and environmental needs through the Rainforestation Farming system. Open access copy available |
Early Effects of Four Fast-Growing Tree Species and Their Planting Density on Ground Vegetation in Imperata grasslandsbackgroundThis study aims to test the success of fast-growing exotics tree species and alternative planting densities on the development of ground vegetation. The study was conducted in Riam Kiwa, South Kalimantan, Indonesia in Imperata grasslands. The four fast-growing exotic tree species used in the study were Acacia mangium, Acacia crassicarpa, Gmelina arborea, and Paraserianthes falcataria. Available with subscription or purchase |
Nurse Plant Theory and its Application in Ecological Restoration in Lower Subtropics of ChinabackgroundThis study examines the mechanisms of the nurse tree effect and ecological factors that influence tree nursing and its relationship to ecological restoration. Research Goals & MethodsThe authors list different pairs of nurse and target tree species, including the broad description of such pairs and research findings of case studies in several locations in lower subtropical China. They also examine the positive and negative feedback loops between nurse trees and target species and explain why the nursing effect occurs. Open access copy available |
Monitoring Forest Degradation in Tropical Regions by Remote Sensing: Some Methodological IssuesBackgroundThis review examines different remote sensing techniques to monitor vegetation cover at a regional scale. The objective was to discuss implications related to monitoring of open forest degradation. Research Goals & MethodsTechniques include methods to track both spatial and temporal changes in structure and function associated with land use change. Open access copy available |
