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Rosenfield MF, Jakovac CC, Vieira DLM, Poorter L, Brancalion PHS, Vieira ICG, de Almeida DRA, Massoca P, Schietti J, Albernaz ALM, Ferreira MJ, Mesquita RCG. Ecological integrity of tropical secondary forests: concepts and indicators. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:662-676. [PMID: 36453621 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Naturally regenerating forests or secondary forests (SFs) are a promising strategy for restoring large expanses of tropical forests at low cost and with high environmental benefits. This expectation is supported by the high resilience of tropical forests after natural disturbances, yet this resilience can be severely reduced by human impacts. Assessing the characteristics of SFs and their ecological integrity (EI) is essential to evaluating their role for conservation, restoration, and provisioning of ecosystem services. In this study, we aim to propose a concept and indicators that allow the assessment and classification of the EI of SFs. To this end, we review the literature to assess how EI has been addressed in different ecosystems and which indicators of EI are most commonly used for tropical forests. Building upon this knowledge we propose a modification of the concept of EI to embrace SFs and suggest indicators of EI that can be applied to different successional stages or stand ages. Additionally, we relate these indicators to ecosystem service provision in order to support the practical application of the theory. EI is generally defined as the ability of ecosystems to support and maintain composition, structure and function similar to the reference conditions of an undisturbed ecosystem. This definition does not consider the temporal dynamics of recovering ecosystems, such as SFs. Therefore, we suggest incorporation of an optimal successional trajectory as a reference in addition to the old-growth forest reference. The optimal successional trajectory represents the maximum EI that can be attained at each successional stage in a given region and enables the evaluation of EI at any given age class. We further suggest a list of indicators, the main ones being: compositional indicators (species diversity/richness and indicator species); structural indicators (basal area, heterogeneity of basal area and canopy cover); function indicators (tree growth and mortality); and landscape proxies (landscape heterogeneity, landscape connectivity). Finally, we discuss how this approach can assist in defining the value of SF patches to provide ecosystem services, restore forests and contribute to ecosystem conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena F Rosenfield
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Av. André Araújo, 2936, Manaus, AM, 69083-000, Brazil
| | - Catarina C Jakovac
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346, Itacorubi, Florianópolis, SC, 88034-000, Brazil
| | - Daniel L M Vieira
- Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), Av. W5 Norte (final), Brasília, DF, 70770917, Brazil
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Pedro H S Brancalion
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Ima C G Vieira
- Coordenação de Botânica, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Av. Magalhães Barata, 376, Belém, PA, 66040-170, Brazil
| | - Danilo R A de Almeida
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Paulo Massoca
- Center for the Analysis of Social-Ecological Landscapes (CASEL), Indiana University, Student Building 331, 701 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Juliana Schietti
- Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Av. General Rodrigo Octavio Jordão Ramos, 1200, Coroado I, Manaus, AM, 69067-005, Brazil
| | - Ana Luisa M Albernaz
- Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Av. Magalhães Barata, 376, Belém, PA, 66040-170, Brazil
| | - Marciel J Ferreira
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Av. General Rodrigo Octávio Jordão Ramos, 3000, Manaus, AM, 69080-900, Brazil
| | - Rita C G Mesquita
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Av. André Araújo, 2936, Manaus, AM, 69083-000, Brazil
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Gorgens EB, Nunes MH, Jackson T, Coomes D, Keller M, Reis CR, Valbuena R, Rosette J, de Almeida DRA, Gimenez B, Cantinho R, Motta AZ, Assis M, de Souza Pereira FR, Spanner G, Higuchi N, Ometto JP. Resource availability and disturbance shape maximum tree height across the Amazon. Glob Chang Biol 2021; 27:177-189. [PMID: 33118242 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Tall trees are key drivers of ecosystem processes in tropical forest, but the controls on the distribution of the very tallest trees remain poorly understood. The recent discovery of grove of giant trees over 80 meters tall in the Amazon forest requires a reevaluation of current thinking. We used high-resolution airborne laser surveys to measure canopy height across 282,750 ha of old-growth and second-growth forests randomly sampling the entire Brazilian Amazon. We investigated how resources and disturbances shape the maximum height distribution across the Brazilian Amazon through the relations between the occurrence of giant trees and environmental factors. Common drivers of height development are fundamentally different from those influencing the occurrence of giant trees. We found that changes in wind and light availability drive giant tree distribution as much as precipitation and temperature, together shaping the forest structure of the Brazilian Amazon. The location of giant trees should be carefully considered by policymakers when identifying important hot spots for the conservation of biodiversity in the Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric B Gorgens
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bruno Gimenez
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | | | - Alline Z Motta
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil
| | - Mauro Assis
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Gustavo Spanner
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Niro Higuchi
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Jean Pierre Ometto
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
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de Almeida DRA, Stark SC, Valbuena R, Broadbent EN, Silva TSF, de Resende AF, Ferreira MP, Cardil A, Silva CA, Amazonas N, Zambrano AMA, Brancalion PHS. A new era in forest restoration monitoring. Restor Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Danilo R. A. de Almeida
- Department of Forest Sciences, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of AgricultureUniversity of São Paulo (USP/ESALQ) Piracicaba SP Brazil
| | - Scott C. Stark
- Department of ForestryMichigan State University East Lansing MI U.S.A
| | | | - Eben N. Broadbent
- School of Forest Resources and ConservationUniversity of Florida Gainesville FL U.S.A
| | - Thiago S. F. Silva
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural SciencesUniversity of Stirling Stirling U.K
| | - Angelica F. de Resende
- National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Coordination of Environmental Studies (CDAM) Manaus AM Brazil
| | - Matheus P. Ferreira
- Cartography Engineering SectionMilitary Institute of Engineering – IME Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Adrián Cardil
- Department of Vegetal Production and Forestry ScienceUniversitat de Lleida Lleida Spain
| | - Carlos A. Silva
- Biosciences LaboratoryNASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD 20707 U.S.A
| | - Nino Amazonas
- Department of Forest Sciences, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of AgricultureUniversity of São Paulo (USP/ESALQ) Piracicaba SP Brazil
| | - Angelica M. A. Zambrano
- Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport ManagementUniversity of Florida Gainesville FL U.S.A
| | - Pedro H. S. Brancalion
- Department of Forest Sciences, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of AgricultureUniversity of São Paulo (USP/ESALQ) Piracicaba SP Brazil
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Brancalion PHS, de Almeida DRA, Vidal E, Molin PG, Sontag VE, Souza SEXF, Schulze MD. Fake legal logging in the Brazilian Amazon. Sci Adv 2018; 4:eaat1192. [PMID: 30116781 PMCID: PMC6093652 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat1192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Declining deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon are touted as a conservation success, but illegal logging is a problem of similar scale. Recent regulatory efforts have improved detection of some forms of illegal logging but are vulnerable to more subtle methods that mask the origin of illegal timber. We analyzed discrepancies between estimated timber volumes of the national forest inventory of Brazil and volumes of logging permits as an indicator of potential fraud in the timber industry in the eastern Amazon. We found a strong overestimation bias of high-value timber species volumes in logging permits. Field assessments confirmed fraud for the most valuable species and complementary strategies to generate a "surplus" of licensed timber that can be used to legalize the timber coming from illegal logging. We advocate for changes to the logging control system to prevent overexploitation of Amazonian timber species and the widespread forest degradation associated with illegal logging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro H. S. Brancalion
- Department of Forest Sciences, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, PO Box 9, Brazil
| | - Danilo R. A. de Almeida
- Department of Forest Sciences, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, PO Box 9, Brazil
| | - Edson Vidal
- Department of Forest Sciences, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, PO Box 9, Brazil
| | - Paulo G. Molin
- Federal University of São Carlos, Center of Nature Sciences, Rua Serafim Libaneo, 04, Campina do Monte Alegre, São Paulo 18245-970, PO Box 64, Brazil
| | - Vanessa E. Sontag
- Department of Forest Sciences, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, PO Box 9, Brazil
| | - Saulo E. X. F. Souza
- Department of Forest Sciences, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, PO Box 9, Brazil
| | - Mark D. Schulze
- HJ Andrews Experimental Forest and Oregon State University, PO Box 300, Blue River, OR 97413, USA
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César RG, Moreno VS, Coletta GD, Chazdon RL, Ferraz SFB, de Almeida DRA, Brancalion PHS. Early ecological outcomes of natural regeneration and tree plantations for restoring agricultural landscapes. Ecol Appl 2018; 28:373-384. [PMID: 29171902 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 10/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Mixed tree plantings and natural regeneration are the main restoration approaches for recovering tropical forests worldwide. Despite substantial differences in implementation costs between these methods, little is known regarding how they differ in terms of ecological outcomes, which is key information for guiding decision making and cost-effective restoration planning. Here, we compared the early ecological outcomes of natural regeneration and tree plantations for restoring the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in agricultural landscapes. We assessed and compared vegetation structure and composition in young (7-20 yr old) mixed tree plantings (PL), second-growth tropical forests established on former pastures (SGp), on former Eucalyptus spp. plantations (SGe), and in old-growth reference forests (Ref). We sampled trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) 1-5 cm (saplings) and trees at DBH > 5 cm (trees) in a total of 32 20 × 45 m plots established in these landscapes. Overall, the ecological outcomes of natural regeneration and restoration plantations were markedly different. SGe forests showed higher abundance of large (DBH > 20 cm) nonnative species, of which 98% were resprouting Eucalyptus trees, than SGp and PL, and higher total aboveground biomass; however, aboveground biomass of native species was higher in PL than in SGe. PL forests had lower abundance of native saplings and lianas than both naturally established second-growth forests, and lower proportion of animal dispersed saplings than SGe, probably due to higher isolation from native forest remnants. Rarefied species richness of trees was lower in SGp, intermediate in SGe and Ref and higher in PL, whereas rarefied species richness of saplings was higher in SG than in Ref. Species composition differed considerably among regeneration types. Although these forests are inevitably bound to specific landscape contexts and may present varying outcomes as they develop through longer time frames, the ecological particularities of forests established through different restoration approaches indicate that naturally established forests may not show similar outcomes to mixed tree plantings. The results of this study underscore the importance that restoration decisions need to be based on more robust expectations of outcomes that allow for a better analysis of the cost-effectiveness of different restoration approaches before scaling-up forest restoration in the tropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo G César
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Pádua Dias Avenida 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13400-970, Brazil
| | - Vanessa S Moreno
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Pádua Dias Avenida 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13400-970, Brazil
| | - Gabriel D Coletta
- Institute of Biology, University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz - Barão Geraldo, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Robin L Chazdon
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Pádua Dias Avenida 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13400-970, Brazil
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269-3043, USA
| | - Silvio F B Ferraz
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Pádua Dias Avenida 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13400-970, Brazil
| | - Danilo R A de Almeida
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Pádua Dias Avenida 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13400-970, Brazil
| | - Pedro H S Brancalion
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Pádua Dias Avenida 11, Piracicaba, SP, 13400-970, Brazil
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