Landscapes
Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest LandscapesBackgroundDeforestation and the declining extent of tropical forests has negatively impacted ecosystem functions, services, and goods and has disproportionately harmed the rural poor of tropical countries. In the wake of deforestation, agricultural development and traditional methods of reforestation (plantations) have largely failed to provide sustainable livelihoods. This review article assesses the strengths and weaknesses of different tropical restoration methods to combat forest degredation and address rural poverty. Open access copy available |
The Potential for Species Conservation in Tropical Secondary ForestsBackgroundThe importance of tropical secondary forests for conserving biodiversity increases with the degradation of old-growth forests, yet little is known about the role that these forests play in promoting biodiversity. Geospatial and temporal factors influence the role of secondary forests in species conservation, and this synthesis of case studies evaluates the significance of these factors on regional and landscape scales. Open access copy available |
Targeted reforestation could reverse declines in connectivity for understory birds in a tropical habitat corridorbackgroundThis study looks at how conservation efforts over the last 25 years have impacted functional connectivity of forest habitat in northeastern Costa Rica’s San Juan-La Selva Biological Corridor. The study focuses on insectivorous understory forest birds. Open access copy available |
Large-Scale Impoverishment of Amazonian Forests by Logging and FireBackgroundAmazonia typically uses deforestation rates to predict the effects on the carbon cycle and to measure the loss of forest in Brazil. The authors claim that these connections are limited. Research Goals & MethodsTo widen the scope, the authors aim to include other factors to be used in deforestation mapping. The two primary ones the article focuses on are wood mills and forest burning. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Restoration Diagnostic: A Method for Developing Forest Landscape Restoration Strategies by Rapidly Assessing the Status of Key Success FactorsBackgroundThis report outlines the social, economic, and environmental benefits that forest restoration landscape restoration can have in countries with degraded or deforested landscapes. Open access copy available |
Land Cover Dynamics in the Kirisia Forest Ecosystem, Samburu County, KenyabackgroundThroughout Africa, forest ecosystems play a significant role in supporting local livelihoods. In Kenya specifically, these ecosystems contribute to economic development while also improving watershed dynamics. Yet, these ecosystems have experienced significant changes over the decades. This study aims to quantify these land changes in the Kirisia forest ecosystem from 1973 to 2015. Open access copy available |
National Forest Policy of MalawiBackgroundIn Malawi, there has been extensive forest degradation, estimated at an annual loss of 2.8%. The degradation is caused by a variety of factors, including agriculture expansion, human settlement, fire use, timber and non-timber over extraction. The 2016 Forest Policy of Malawi outlines a policy-approach to stop and revert these trends. Open access copy available |
Ecosystem Decay of Amazonian Forest Fragments: A 22-year InvestigationbackgroundThe authors discuss results from the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, a long-term study on rainforest fragmentation in Amazonia. The project, which was originally intended to assess the influence of fragmented areas on Amazonia biota, took place in Menus, Brazil. This report surveyed 340 publications and theses that were produced over the 22 years of the project. Open access copy available |
Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity Assessment for RwandaBackgroundRwanda is a densely populated, landlocked country that relies significantly on non-mechanized agriculture. In 2011, the country also committed to restore 2 million hectares of forest and agricultural land to the Bonn Challenge. The government has recognized the Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) approach as the ideal means to achieving this goal. Open access copy available |
Crise de l’économie de plantation et modification du paysage agraire dans l’ancienne boucle du cacao: l’exemple de Daoukro (Economic Crisis of Plantation and Landscape Modification in the Former Cocoa Belt: The Example of Daoukro)backgroundThis article explores the history of agrarian transition in the Ivory Coast's former cacao belt. Conclusions & TakeawaysThe shift away from cacao production to commodities like rubber, rice, cashews and oil palm results in changes in labor conditions and social relations.
Open access copy available |
