Ecosystem Services and Ecological Processes
Nagarote Reforestation and Community Development Project - SosteNicaBackgroundSosteNica and CEPRODEL work together to provide microcredit and technical assistance to help communities in Nicaragua improve the environmental on their land while also improving the economic opportunities for those communities. Open access copy available |
Impact of Plantation on Ecosystem Development in Disturbed Coal Mine Overburden SpoilsbackgroundThis study evaluates the growth, survival, understory composition, and soil conditions in a plantation established on a mine site in India. Available with subscription or purchase |
Tree Plantations in the Philippines and Thailand: Economic, Social, and Environmental EvaluationBackgroundTropical land area under plantations have dramatically increased in recent decades, largely as a result of natural forest depletion. Forest plantations cannot qualitatively substitute the timber or the habitat of natural forests, yet are growing in global importance both commercially and ecologically. However, the negative and positive social and environmental impacts must also be included in analysis of tropical forest plantations. Open access copy available |
Seed Dispersal by Birds and Bats in Lowland Philippine Forest Successional AreaBackgroundWhile seed dispersal by birds and bats can be an important driver of succession, few studies have studied this dynamic in the tropical forests of SE Asia. This study compares the role of bird and bat dispersal in the lowland dipterocarp forest of the Subic Watershed Forest Reserve (SWFR) in Luzon Island, Philippines. Available with subscription or purchase |
Promoting Biodiversity Co-Benefits in REDDbackgroundThis article describes the potential for maximizing biodiversity conservation as a co-benefit of REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation). Open access copy available |
The Agua Salud Project, Central PanamaBackgroundThe Agua Salud Project is located in the watershed that includes and surrounds the Panama Canal, an engineering feat that largely relies on natural hydrological systems. Much of this watershed has been deforested, thus an official policy has been put into place to reforest and regain ecosystem services. This project seeks to utilize the globalize role of the canal to bring attention to the ecosystem services of the region. Open access copy available |
Large-scale Ecological Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest Lands: The Potential Role of Timber PlantationsbackgroundThis study offers suggestions for how timber plantations can be designed to yield timber and improve biodiversity on cleared and degraded lands. Available with subscription or purchase |
Application of Mycorrhizal Roots Improves Growth of Tropical Tree Seedlings in the Nursery: A Step Towards Reforestation with Native Species in the Andes of EcuadorbackgroundEcuador’s tropical mountain rainforests are rich in biodiversity but are facing the highest deforestation rate in South America (1.7%). Tree plantations are one method being used to restore these forests, however these plantations often use fast-growing introduced species rather than native species. To improve the success of native species in order to encourage their greater use in plantations, this study proposes inoculation of nursery seedlings with the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that is associated with these native species in the forest. Open access copy available |
The Potentials of 20 Indigenous Tree Species for Soil Rehabilitation in the Atlantic Forest Region of Bahia, BrazilbackgroundThis research presents the effects of 20 native tree species planted in 1974-1975 on different soil conditions in Bahia, Brazil. Research Goals & MethodsIn pure stands of the native species (some nitrogen-fixing) as well as a nearby 25 year old secondary forest, primary forest, and mixed-species plantation, soils were evaluated for the following conditions: depth, % carbon, % nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, dry weight of forest floor litter, pH, and nodules. Available with subscription or purchase |
Conceptual Framework for Mangrove Restoration in the Yucatán PeninsulaBackgroundIn the Yucatán Peninsula, mangroves were lost at a rate of around 1.84% per year between 1976 and 2000. In 2000, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council gave the state government of Yucatán $800,000 towards mangrove restoration projects. Some research shows that the projects funded by this grant did not fully meet restoration goals. Open access copy available |
