Tropical forests disappear rapidly because of deforestation, yet they have the potential to regrow naturally on abandoned lands. We analyze how 12 forest attributes recover during secondary succession and how their recovery is interrelated using 77 sites across the tropics. Tropical forests are highly resilient to low-intensity land use; after 20 years, forest attributes attain 78% (33 to 100%) of their old-growth values. Recovery to 90% of old-growth values is fastest for soil (<1 decade) and plant functioning (12 decades). Network analysis shows three independent clusters of attribute recovery, related to structure, species diversity, and species composition. Secondary forests should be embraced as a low-cost, natural solution for ecosystem restoration, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. © 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.
Tag: conservation
The effect of soil and water conservation structures on the soil biophysical and chemical properties in the Gidabo sub-Basin, Ethiopian Rift Valley
Soil erosion is one of the global challenges noticed as a cause for unsustainable socio-economic and environmental conditions. Over the last half-century, various soil and water conservation (SWC) practices were introduced in Ethiopia, but the conservation work could not be fully achieved in many areas. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect and constraints of physical SWC on selected soil biophysical and chemical properties of the Ethiopian rift valley. The primary and secondary data sources were used to answer the intended objectives. The statistical analysis of variance showed that the soil texture of the study area was affected by the type of conservation technologies than agroecology and slope characteristics. However, soil bulk density was not significantly affected at all. The study also showed that the soil biophysical and chemical properties were significantly affected by the variation of agroecology and SWC technologies. The overall result of the study depicted that about 40% of the conservation work failed to maintain soil fertility because the farmers have constraints to adopt and adapt the SWC work. The constraints include small land size, shortage of fuel wood, dependency on food aid, less productivity of the soil, youth migration, and long lasted effect of conservation works. These constraints were seen as causes for inferior agricultural product, food insecurity, famine, migration and frequent drought of the area. The study concluded that the SWC work of the area should focus on variation of agroecology, SWC technologies, and local constraints. Also, the policy of natural resource conservation should consider local constraints to implement the national SWC guideline. Copyright © 2021 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Optimizing Carbon Stocks and Sedimentation in Indonesian Mangroves under Different Management Regimes
Mangrove ecosystems are widely distributed across Indonesia’s shores and benefit coastal societies through their valuable ecosystem goods and services. These coastal forests sequester and store large amounts of atmospheric carbon as forms of biomass, necromass, and organic soil or sediment. This substantial carbon storage capacity is now being recognized and promoted in nature-based climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Over the past decade, we have conducted extensive assessments of mangrove carbon storage across the archipelago to understand mangrove’s natural variation and response to various management regimes. Approximately 3 million ha of mangroves in Indonesia store more than 3 billion tons of carbon, however these ecosystems also face tremendous conversion pressure. Indonesian mangroves must therefore be managed innovatively to minimize further degradation and optimize ecosystem functions. Here, we summarize carbon stocks and sequestration across four different mangrove management regimes, namely protected, degraded, converted, and restored mangroves. Mangroves in Indonesia are able to recover from degradation, and sequester substantial amounts of carbon, between 1 and 10 tons (metric) C/ha/yr. Sediment accretion rates (SAR) between 4 and 6 mm/yr were also observed, potentially protecting low-lying coastal zones from susceptibility to contemporary sea-level rise and flooding. Existing information on the total economic valuation (TEV) of mangroves, which at the landscape scale can be up to USD 29 million, suggests that management regimes should also focus on the ecosystem goods and services provided by mangroves. Here we discuss a variety of management regimes that respond to the unique characteristics of the local mangrove setting, optimizing carbon sequestration and storage functions, and promoting conservation and restoration, so as to achieve sustainable livelihoods.
The effectiveness of policies for addressing Covid-19 impacts on wildlife conservation in Vietnam
The Covid-19 pandemic has stirred up global and national concerns over human-wildlife interactions, unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade, ecosystem degradation and the need to transform both policies and practices in achieving effective conservation outcomes. As new policies on post-Covid-19 recovery are being developed, global and national policymakers and practitioners call for scientific and rigorous assessments on the effectiveness of past and current wildlife conservation policies and projects, and the impacts Covid-19 is having on them, to provide inputs for evidencebased decision-making processes. Our paper is one of many efforts aiming to respond to this call. Based on a literature review, case study approach, and national policy dialogue, this paper aims to understand the impacts of Covid-19 on wildlife conservation, opportunities for and challenges to enhancing the effectiveness of current and future conservation schemes, and to propose recommendations for post-pandemic conservation actions.
Sensing, feeling, thinking: Why the body, heart and mind are all important in ecosystem management
Key messages
- People value ecosystems for the different contributions that they make to human well-being, both material and non-material.
- Non-material contributions, such as those related to identity, sense of place and psychological well-being, have affective, cognitive and sensory dimensions.
- Although overlooked in ecosystem management and research, the affective and sensory aspects are important for connectedness with nature, human well-being, conservation and environmental justice.
- This brief summarizes the main findings of qualitative research in Apurimac (Peru) that explores the affective, cognitive and sensory dimensions of people’s ecosystem experiences and imaginaries.
- Understanding the diversity of people’s experiences and imaginaries is important for more equitable and sustainable ecosystem management.
Key descriptors for Ziziphus mauritiana (jujube)
This Descriptor list consists of an initial minimum set of characterization and evaluation descriptors for Ziziphus mauritiana (jujube). This strategic set aims at facilitating access to and utilization of this African indigenous fruit tree. It does not exclude the addition of other descriptors at a later date. The strategic set of data standards is designed to facilitate access to and utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture information. Together with passport information, descriptors are critical to the effective sharing of characterization and evaluation data and to the efficient use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
Key descriptors for Irvingia spp. (bush mango)
This Descriptor list consists of an initial minimum set of characterization and evaluation Irvingia spp. (bush mango). Irvingia species, commonly known as bush mango, as well as in their local names namely, dikka, dikanut, dikabread tree, odika, ogbono, or iba-tree, are multipurpose fruit trees growing in Africa and Asia. They belong to the family Irvingiaceae. This strategic set aims at facilitating access to and utilization of this fruit tree. The strategic set of data standards is designed to facilitate access to and utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture information. Together with passport information, descriptors are critical to the effective sharing of characterization and evaluation data and to the efficient use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
Key descriptors for Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne
This Descriptor list consists of an initial minimum set of characterization and evaluation of Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne. also known locally as son tra or H’mong apple (Vietnam), dou-yi (China), pin-sein (Myanmar), Assam apple/wild apple (India), belongs to the family Rosaceae. D. indica is an important multi-purpose fruit tree species in agroforestry systems in the highlands. Its fruit is appreciated for its nutrient and vitamin C content as well as antioxidant properties. It also contains substances with high biological activity, which are used as herbal medicine. Fruits are often processed into products such as juice, wine, vinegar, syrup, jam, and preserved by drying.
Asia-Pacific Forest Sector Outlook: Innovative forestry for a sustainable future. Youth contributions from Asia and the Pacific
This publication assembles selected papers prepared by youth from the Asia-Pacific region on innovative forest technologies and their contribution to sustainable forestry and sustainable forest management. It is part of a roadmap on innovative forest technologies in the Asia-Pacific region developed by FAO and CIFOR, lead center of the CGIAR research programme on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA).
According to FAO’s Third Asia-Pacific Forest Sector Outlook Study (2019), the uptake and scaling-up of innovative forest technologies in the Asia-Pacific region has been slow and uneven. Young people have a key role to play in amending this condition. As technology enthusiasts and forest managers of the future, they are the individuals and cohorts to take leadership and generate momentum through collaboration and social media, transform rigid institutions from within, and participate in the uptake and upscaling of innovative technologies in the forest sector of the region.
This collection of papers illustrates, in various contexts, the potential of innovative technologies to advance sustainable forestry and sustainable forest management. It illustrates how technologies, both new and repurposed, can improve and facilitate monitoring and reporting; strengthen citizen engagement in forest monitoring and management; and support the optimization of processes and products for sustainable forestry and sustainable forest management.
Envisioning a forest-based circular bioeconomy in sub-Saharan Africa
Key messages
- Climate change and the pandemic have worsened existing inequalities in populations that bear the costs of impacts to which they contributed little. Sustainable, fair and equitable forest-based bioeconomy strategies can build resilience, protect against future epidemics, and contribute to climate mitigation.
- Bioeconomy-focused development initiatives are underway in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly related to value chain improvement, bioenergy and wild species cultivation, although not many address social sustainability issues. If they do, reported outcomes were mostly positive (45 percent) or mixed (38 percent). Positive outcomes were associated with improved livelihoods, profitability, inter- and intra-generational benefit capture, access to markets, education and training, conservation of natural resources, or land tenure rights.
- Negative outcomes were associated with loss of the natural resources needed for subsistence due to overexploitation, dispossession, inequalities in benefit sharing, gender issues, or elite capture.
- Problems that the – so far, largely informal – sector on its pathway to modernization needs to overcome include: closing legal and institutional gaps; forest tenure resolution; stakeholder participation in management and benefit sharing; and addressing elite capture and weak law enforcement.