Ecosystem Services and Ecological Processes

Landscape Rehabilitation of Degraded Tropical Forest Ecosystems: Case Study of the CIFOR/Japan Project in Indonesia and Peru

background

The CIFOR/Japan project on tropical forest restoration involves three principal components: 1) evaluation of logging impacts on forest systems, 2) development of methods for the restoration of logged and degraded forests, and 3) development of silvicultural practices for degraded forests.

Open access copy available

The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment: A Long-Term Test of the Role of Tree Diversity in Restoring Tropical Forest Structure and Functioning

background

This article details the initial stages of an experiment in Borneo which aims to study the relationship between tree diversity and lowland dipterocarp rainforest functioning during restoration after selective logging.

Open access copy available

A Review of Dipterocarps: Taxonomy, Ecology and Silviculture

Background

This edited volume provides a detailed introduction to the ecology and silviculture of dipterocarp trees.

Open access copy available

Fire in the Seasonal Semideciduous Forest: Impact and Regeneration at Forest Edges

background

This study looks at a fragment of semi-deciduous forest in Brazil to determine the effects of fire on vegetation at varying distances from the fragment’s edge, as well as the recovery of forest structure and species diversity after fire.

Open access copy available

Rehabilitation and Restoration of Degraded Forests

background

This book offers a comprehensive overview of rehabilitation and restoration at the landscape and local levels, providing information on the factors which are known to impact succession, as well as different approaches to reforestation. The authors discuss the importance of including human well-being along with ecological well-being into any plan for rehabilitation or restoration.

Open access copy available

Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest Landscapes

Background

The rapid loss and degradation of tropical forests has been one of the defining features of the 20th century, with an estimated 350 million ha deforested and another 500 million ha (primary and secondary forest) in degraded status. There have been three major responses to this process: expanding protected areas; improving agricultural productivity on cultivated and abandoned lands; and plantation-style reforestation using a very limited number of species. These methods have proven unsuccessful in slowing the rate of deforestation or providing adequately for livelihoods.

Open access copy available

Early Growth and Survival of 49 Tropical Tree Species across Sites Differing in Soil Fertility and Rainfall in Panama

background

This research investigates the importance of soil quality upon species survival across a gradient of differing levels of rainfall and dry season length on disturbed land in Panama.

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The Ecology and Ecosystem Services of Native Trees: Implications for Reforestation and Land Restoration in Mesoamerica

background

This article summarizes papers presented at a conference on the state of tropical reforestation and restoration in Central America.

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Barriers to Lowland Tropical Forest Restoration in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Background

This article examines the major barriers to forest restoration in the abandoned pastureland surrounding three forest fragments  in the Rio Rancheria watershed of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. These barriers include: seed source, seed predation, competition from grasses, microclimate, soil quality, and fire.

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Environmental Services of Native Tree Plantations and Agroforestry Systems in Central America

Background

Plantations and agroforestry systems supply wood and environmental services such as carbon sequestration and recovery of biodiversity. At the time of writing (2004), Central American countries were developing systems of payments for environmental services to encourage the development of these systems.

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