Land Use Change and Trends

Tropical rain forest fragmentation and its ecological and species diversity changes in Southern Yunnan

Background

Animal species richness is understood to decline with fragmentation of tropical forests. While the same is assumed of plant species richness, fewer studies have been undertaken on this subject. This study on sacred groves in southern Yunnan, southwestern China, evaluates the plant species richness of these tropical rainforest fragments.

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The Cultural Context of Forest Degradation in Adjacent Purépechan Communities, Michoacán, Mexico

Background

This study aims to understand the relationship between cultural and ecological drivers contributing to change in forest land use patterns by comparing two adjacent indigenous communities in the volcanic plateau region of Michoacán, Mexico. The study suggests that both cultural and ecological processes must be studied together to best understand the cultural causes of forest change and accurately assess ecological consequences.

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Effects of Fragmentation of the Atlantic Forest on Mammal Communities in South-Eastern Brazil

Background

The author presents a detailed analysis of the community of large and medium-sized mammals present in six remnants of the low Atlantic forest in Brazil. The six remnants had varying sizes: small (200 ha), medium (2,000 ha) and large (20,000 ha). The study seeks to (1) identify the mammal species richness and the relative abundance of individuals surviving in each reserve, and (2) analyze changes in the structure of the mammal community contrasting the relative abundances of orders and dietary categories between reserves of differing sizes.

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The Use of Ants and Other Soil and Litter Arthropods as Bio-Indicators of the Impacts of Rainforest Clearing and Subsequent Land Use

Background

This study evaluates the impacts of rainforest clearing on soil and litter arthropods with a particular focus on ant species.

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The Recovery of the Lower Montane Cloud Forest in the Mucujún Watershed, Mérida, Venezuela

Background

Given the recovery of degraded forests in some landscapes throughout the tropics, the authors analyze land use change and land cover change in a mountain region of the andes of venezuela during a period of 50 years.

Research Goals & Methods

The study relies on aerial photographs taken between 1952 and 2009 of a peri-urban watershed. 

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Human Hydrographical Changes Interact with Propagule Predation Behaviour in Sri Lankan Mangrove Forests

Background

This article describes the relation between propagule predators and vegetation structure and environmental factors on a forest path. It also considers how human influence affects these interactions.

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Carbon sequestration versus bioenergy: A case study from South India exploring the relative land-use efficiency of two options for climate change mitigation

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This study explores avenues to meet increased rural electricity demand with carbon emissions mitigation. The study compares the option of energy derived from gasification of biomass from forest plantations to energy derived from fossil fuels, with forest plantations used as a carbon sink.The case study uses power demand, land requirements, and management approaches for Hosahalli village, Karnataka, pop. 218.

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Simulating Forest Cover Changes of Bannerghatta National Park Based on a CA-Markov Model: A Remote Sensing Approach

Background

Establishment of protected areas has been a primary response to deforestation and land-use change in tropical forests. However, few empirical evaluations have conducted a comparison of pre- and post-intervention landscapes.

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Forest Rehabilitation and its Implication for Forest Transition Theory

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This article reviews the history of forest rehabilitation in Vietnam, Philippines, China, Peru, Indonesia, and Brazil.

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Effect of Vegetation Restoration on Soil and Water Erosion and Nutrient Losses of a Severely Eroded Clayey Plinthudult in Southeastern China

Background

In this study, researchers compare erosion from reforested and degraded sites in subtropical southeastern China.

Goals & Methods

The objective of the study was to estimate the long-term influences of reforestation on soil and water erosion and nutrient losses in regions of southeast China that are characterized by severely eroded bare land derived from Quaternary red clay. The study examined surface runoff, soil erosion, and soil nutrient content.  

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