Land Use
Tropical rain forest fragmentation and its ecological and species diversity changes in Southern YunnanBackgroundAnimal 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. Open access copy available |
Clean Development Mechanism - Reforestation Projects, San Nicholas and Chinchina, ColombiabackgroundThe CDM permits these projects to generate carbon credits based on the amount of carbon sequestered in trees that will be planted on private land currently used for agriculture. Goals & approachThese two projects plan to use the clean development mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol to sell carbon credits via reforestation and afforestation. Open access copy available |
The Recovery of the Lower Montane Cloud Forest in the Mucujún Watershed, Mérida, VenezuelaBackgroundGiven 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 & MethodsThe study relies on aerial photographs taken between 1952 and 2009 of a peri-urban watershed. Available with subscription or purchase |
Reserva Encenillo, Fundacion Natura, ColombiaThis reserve is located in high montane forest of the Colombia Andes, designed to protect the locally important forest tree Weinmanniatomentosa (Encenillo in Spanish). The total size of the reserve is 135 ha of forest, and serves as a forest corridor in a matrix of pasture, potato, and remnant forest landscape. Approximately 2-3 ha of degraded pasture were planted with Alnus acuminata in 2007. Alnus is planted in rows with approximately 3 meter spacing. Trees average mean annual increment is 1.35 cm at breast height, which is an average growth for the region; however, many trees had multiple stems, so total biomass is even larger. Open access copy available |
Análisis de cambios de paisaje: Tournavista – Campo Verde y su área de influencia pérdida y fragmentación de bosques: 1963 – 2000 (Landscape change analysis: Tournavista – Campo Verde and its area of influence, forest fragmentation and loss 1963)EspañolEl estudio analiza los efectos causados por la colonización en Tournavista, Peru, a partir de 1963 y estima los impactos y degradación provocados usando métodos de teledetección. Available with subscription or purchase |
Human Hydrographical Changes Interact with Propagule Predation Behaviour in Sri Lankan Mangrove ForestsBackgroundThis 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. Open access copy available |
Carbon sequestration versus bioenergy: A case study from South India exploring the relative land-use efficiency of two options for climate change mitigationbackgroundThis 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
Simulating Forest Cover Changes of Bannerghatta National Park Based on a CA-Markov Model: A Remote Sensing ApproachBackgroundEstablishment 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. Open access copy available |
Monitoring Mangrove Forest Dynamics of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh and India using Multi-Temporal Satellite Data from 1973 to 2000BackgroundIn the Sundurbans of India and Bangladesh, the authors measured the extent and condition of the mangrove forest at three intervals using GeoCover datasets (Landsat MSS, TM, ETM+) with the goal of assessing the current extent of the remaining forest, measuring change in the extent of the forest in different time periods, and identifying areas of intensive deforestation or degradation and changes in patterns of canopy density. Available with subscription or purchase |
Forest Rehabilitation and its Implication for Forest Transition TheorybackgroundThis article reviews the history of forest rehabilitation in Vietnam, Philippines, China, Peru, Indonesia, and Brazil. Available with subscription or purchase |
