Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
37,013
result(s) for
"FOREST USE"
Sort by:
Forest bathing : how trees can help you find health and happiness
\"The definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Effects of forest-use intensity on vascular epiphyte diversity along an elevational gradient
Aim Understanding patterns of tropical plant diversity and their vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance at different spatial scales remains a great challenge in ecology and conservation. Here, we study how the effects of forest‐use intensity on vascular epiphyte diversity vary along a tropical elevational gradient. Location 3,500‐m elevational gradient along the eastern slopes of Cofre de Perote, Mexico. Methods We studied the effects of forest‐use intensity on alpha, beta and gamma diversity of vascular epiphyte assemblages in old‐growth, degraded and secondary forests at eight study sites at 500‐m intervals along the elevational gradient. At each elevation and in each of the three forest‐use intensity levels, we established five 400‐m2 plots yielding a total of 120 plots. Results Interactive effects of elevation and forest‐use intensity strongly impacted local‐scale patterns of vascular epiphyte diversity. Species diversity peaked at 500 as well as 1,500 m above sea level, which deviates from the previously reported hump‐shaped pattern. In most cases, alpha diversity did not differ significantly among forest‐use intensity levels. However, gamma diversity was always lower in secondary forests compared to old‐growth forests across the entire elevational gradient. Within each elevational belt, beta diversity was dominated by species turnover along the forest‐use intensity gradient in the lowlands and declined with increasing elevation, where community composition became increasingly nested. Along the elevational gradient, the spatial turnover of vascular epiphyte community composition was similar among forest‐use intensity levels. Main conclusions Our results reveal a strong interaction between forest‐use intensity and elevation, making it difficult to extrapolate findings from one elevational belt to another. Our findings highlight the value of old‐growth forest for epiphyte diversity, but also show that degraded and secondary forests—depending on the elevational belt—may maintain a high species diversity and thus play an important role in conservation planning.
Journal Article
A Novel Approach for Forest Fragmentation Susceptibility Mapping and Assessment: A Case Study from the Indian Himalayan Region
An estimation of where forest fragmentation is likely to occur is critically important for improving the integrity of the forest landscape. We prepare a forest fragmentation susceptibility map for the first time by developing an integrated model and identify its causative factors in the forest landscape. Our proposed model is based upon the synergistic use of the earth observation data, forest fragmentation approach, patch forests, causative factors, and the weight-of-evidence (WOE) method in a Geographical Information System (GIS) platform. We evaluate the applicability of the proposed model in the Indian Himalayan region, a region of rich biodiversity and environmental significance in the Indian subcontinent. To obtain a forest fragmentation susceptibility map, we used patch forests as past evidence of completely degraded forests. Subsequently, we used these patch forests in the WOE method to assign the standardized weight value to each class of causative factors tested by the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) method. Finally, we prepare a forest fragmentation susceptibility map and classify it into five levels: very low, low, medium, high, and very high and test its validity using 30% randomly selected patch forests. Our study reveals that around 40% of the study area is highly susceptible to forest fragmentation. This study identifies that forest fragmentation is more likely to occur if proximity to built-up areas, roads, agricultural lands, and streams is low, whereas it is less likely to occur in higher altitude zones (more than 2000 m a.s.l.). Additionally, forest fragmentation will likely occur in areas mainly facing south, east, southwest, and southeast directions and on very gentle and gentle slopes (less than 25 degrees). This study identifies Himalayan moist temperate and pine forests as being likely to be most affected by forest fragmentation in the future. The results suggest that the study area would experience more forest fragmentation in the future, meaning loss of forest landscape integrity and rich biodiversity in the Indian Himalayan region. Our integrated model achieved a prediction accuracy of 88.7%, indicating good accuracy of the model. This study will be helpful to minimize forest fragmentation and improve the integrity of the forest landscape by implementing forest restoration and reforestation schemes.
Journal Article
Identifying realistic recovery targets and conservation actions for tigers in a human‐dominated landscape using spatially explicit densities of wild prey and their determinants
AIM: Setting realistic population targets and identifying actions for site and landscape‐level recovery plans are critical for achieving the global target of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022. Here, we estimate the spatially explicit densities of wild ungulate prey across a gradient of disturbances in two disjunct tiger habitat blocks (THBs) covering 5212 km², to evaluate landscape‐wide conditions for tigers and identify opportunities and specific actions for recovery. LOCATION: Western Terai Arc Landscape, India. METHODS: Data generated from 96 line transects in 15 systematically selected geographical cells (166.5 km²) were used to estimate spatially explicit densities of six wild ungulate prey species at a fine scale (1 km²). Employing distance‐based density surface models, we derived species‐specific estimates within three major forest land management categories (inviolate protected areas (PA), PAs with settlements and multiple‐use forests). By scaling estimated prey densities using an established relationship, we predicted the carrying capacity for tigers within each THB. RESULTS: Species‐specific responses of the six wild ungulates to natural‐habitat and anthropogenic covariates indicated the need for targeted prey recovery strategies. Inviolate PAs supported the highest prey densities compared with PAs with settlements and multiple‐use forests, and specifically benefited the principal tiger prey species (chital Axis axis and sambar Rusa unicolor). The estimated mean prey density of 35.16 (±5.67) individuals per km² can potentially support 82 (62–106) and 299 (225–377) tigers across THB I and THB II, which currently support 2 (2–7) and 225 (199–256) tigers, respectively. This suggests a potential c. 68% increase in population size given existing prey abundances. Finally, while THB I represents a potential tiger recovery site given adequate prey, PAs where resettlement of pastoralists is underway represent potential prey recovery sites in THB II. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: This systematic approach of setting realistic population targets and prioritizing spatially explicit recovery strategies should aid in developing effective landscape conservation plans towards achieving global tiger conservation targets.
Journal Article
Effects of reduced-impact logging and forest physiognomy on bat populations of lowland Amazonian forest
1. As human population size increases, demand for natural resources will increase. Logging pressure related to increasing demands continues to threaten remote areas of Amazonian forest. A harvest protocol is required to provide renewable timber resources that meet consumer needs while minimizing negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) may be a viable option to achieve these goals. 2. Effects of RIL (18 m³ ha⁻¹) and forest physiognomy were assessed for populations of bats from Amazonian terra firme forest in Brazil at 20-42 months postharvest. 3. Based on 64 512 meter-hours of netting, 1468 bats were captured representing 47 species, 30 genera, four families and five feeding ensembles. Five species (one nectarivore and four frugivores) responded to management in a consistent manner: four were more abundant in logged forest and one was more abundant in undisturbed forest. Ten species (one nectarivore, two gleaning animalivores and seven frugivores) responded to forest physiognomy in a consistent manner: nine were more abundant in closed-canopy sites and one was more abundant in gaps. Three species (all frugivores) exhibited idiosyncratic responses to management that were contingent on physiognomy. 4. Using qualitative measures (changes in status from common to rare, or from present to absent), RIL elicited negative responses from 16 species, mostly rare taxa. After accounting for differences in total number of collected individuals, control forest harboured seven to 15 more rare species than did forest subjected to RIL. 5. Synthesis and applications. In the short term, RIL generally did not negatively affect populations of abundant bats. In contrast, reductions in abundance or local extirpation in response to RIL generally characterized uncommon or rare species. Arrangement of RIL sites in a matrix of undisturbed forest may allow source-sink dynamics to mitigate effects of RIL on rare or sensitive species and enhance sustainability at a regional scale.
Journal Article
Increasing Demand for Natural Rubber Necessitates a Robust Sustainability Initiative to Mitigate Impacts on Tropical Biodiversity
Strong international demand for natural rubber is driving expansion of industrial‐scale and smallholder monoculture plantations, with >2 million ha established during the last decade. Mainland Southeast Asia and Southwest China represent the epicenter of rapid rubber expansion; here we review impacts on forest ecosystems and biodiversity. We estimate that 4.3–8.5 million ha of additional rubber plantations are required to meet projected demand by 2024, threatening significant areas of Asian forest, including many protected areas. Uncertainties concern the potential for yield intensification of existing cultivation to mitigate demand for new rubber area, versus potential displacement of rubber by more profitable oil palm. Our review of available studies indicates that conversion of forests or swidden agriculture to monoculture rubber negatively impacts bird, bat and invertebrate biodiversity. However, rubber agroforests in some areas of Southeast Asia support a subset of forest biodiversity in landscapes that retain little natural forest. Work is urgently needed to: improve understanding of whether land‐sparing or land‐sharing rubber cultivation will best serve biodiversity conservation, investigate the potential to accommodate biodiversity within existing rubber‐dominated landscapes while maintaining yields, and ensure rigorous biodiversity and social standards via the development of a sustainability initiative.
Journal Article
At loggerheads? : agricultural expansion, poverty reduction, and environment in the tropical forests
Despite the vast number of books and reports on tropical deforestation, there's confusion about the causes of forest loss and forest poverty, and the effectiveness of policy responses. At Loggerheads seeks to describe ways to reconciles pressures for agricultural expansion in the tropics with the urgent needs for both forest conservation and poverty alleviation. It diagnoses the causes and impacts of forest loss and the reasons for the association of forests and poverty. It looks at how policies - modulated by local conditions - act simultaneously on deforestation and poverty, creating tradeoffs or complementarities, depending on the situation. The report brings to the surface problems that impede adoption of favourable policies, describing institutional and technological innovations that might help overcome these impediments.
eBook
rainforests of Cameroon
In 1994, the Government of Cameroon introduced an array of forest policy reforms, both regulatory and market-based, to support a more organized, transparent, and sustainable system for accessing and using forest resources. This report describes how these reforms played out in the rainforests of Cameroon. The intention is to provide a brief account of a complex process and identify what worked, what did not, and what can be improved. The barriers to placing Cameroon's forests at the service of its people, its economy, and the environment originated with the extractive policies of successive colonial administrations. The barriers were further consolidated after independence through a system of political patronage and influence in which forest resources became a coveted currency for political support. These deeply entangled commercial and political interests have only recently, and reluctantly, started to diverge. In 1994, the government introduced an array of forest policy reforms, both regulatory and market based. The reforms changed the rules determining who could gain access to forest resources, how access could be obtained, how those resources could be used, and who will benefit from their use. This report assesses the outcomes of reforms in forest-rich areas of Cameroon, where the influence of industrial and political elites has dominated since colonial times.
eBook