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ABSTRACT Climate change is one of the main challenges that human societies are currently facing. Given that forests represent major natural carbon sinks in terrestrial ecosystems, administrations worldwide are launching broad‐scale programs to promote forests, including stands of non‐native trees. Yet, non‐native trees may have profound impacts on the functions and services of forest ecosystems, including the carbon cycle, as they may differ widely from native trees in structural and functional characteristics. Also, the allocation of carbon between above‐ and belowground compartments may vary between native and non‐native forests and affect the vulnerability of the carbon stocks to disturbances. We conducted a global meta‐analysis to compare carbon stocks and fluxes among co‐occurring forests dominated by native and non‐native trees, while accounting for the effects of climate, tree life stage, and stand type. We compiled 1678 case studies from 250 papers, with quantitative data for carbon cycle‐related variables from co‐occurring forests dominated by native and non‐native trees. We included 170 non‐native species from 42 families, spanning 55 countries from all continents except Antarctica. Non‐native forests showed higher overall carbon stock due to higher aboveground tree biomass. However, the belowground carbon stock, particularly soil organic carbon, was greater in forests dominated by native trees. Among fluxes, carbon uptake rate was higher in non‐native forests, while carbon loss rate and carbon lability did not differ between native and non‐native forests. Differences in carbon stocks and fluxes between native and non‐native trees were greater at early life stages (i.e. seedling and juvenile). Overall, non‐native forests had greater carbon stocks and fluxes than native forests when both were natural/naturalised or planted; however, native natural forests had greater values for the carbon cycle‐related variables than plantations of non‐native trees. Our findings indicate that promoting non‐native forests may increase carbon stocks in the aboveground compartment at the expense of belowground carbon stocks. This may have far‐reaching implications on the durability and vulnerability of carbon to disturbances. Forestry policies aimed at improving long‐term carbon sequestration and storage should conserve and promote native forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree plantations are considered as a solution to reduce the impacts of climate change and can enhance biodiversity. Consequently, many tree planting schemes around the world have been started to achieve these dual objectives. However, many of these tree plantations are being implemented without proper design or post‐plantation management, often overlooking potential long‐term effects on biodiversity. Therefore, it is essential to identify which aspects of tree plantations can negatively impact biodiversity. Such knowledge is vital to design new plantations and manage existing ones, such that they do not pose threats or additional costs to the conservation of natural ecosystems. To this end, we conducted an observational study in the Mediterranean heathland habitat of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. This treeless habitat, locally known as herriza, has been planted with pine trees until the onset of the 21st century. This historical tree plantation presents a unique natural experiment to assess the long‐term effect of tree cover, measured as canopy openness, on several community properties of plant, pollinators and their network of interactions. Our results reveal a strong positive relationship between canopy openness and floristic diversity and abundance. This means that, as we increase tree cover, plant diversity is reduced. We found this has consequences for pollinator diversity and plant–pollinator networks, the latter exhibiting declines in stability. Furthermore, we reveal the importance of woody blooming plants in comparison to non‐woody ones which, despite their greater importance for pollinators, they are the most impacted. These findings underscore the importance of tree cover for severely affecting multiple properties of plant–pollinator networks at different levels of organization. Overall, this knowledge indicates that high tree cover in plantations conducted 50 years ago is incompatible with maintaining and conserving plant–pollinator networks in natural treeless habitats, at least in the herriza. Actions that want to avoid negative long‐term effects of tree plantations on plant–pollinator communities should consider existing biodiversity before planting and refrain from achieving high tree cover values. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Recent droughts have strongly impacted forest ecosystems and are projected to increase in frequency, intensity, and duration in the future together with continued warming. While evidence suggests that tree diversity can regulate drought impacts in natural forests, few studies examine whether mixed tree plantations are more resistant to the impacts of severe droughts.Using natural variations in leaf carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopic ratios, that is δ13C and δ15N, as proxies for drought response, we analyzed the effects of tree species richness on the functional responses of tree plantations to the pan‐European 2018 summer drought in seven European tree diversity experiments.We found that leaf δ13C decreased with increasing tree species richness, indicating less drought stress. This effect was not related to drought intensity, nor desiccation tolerance of the tree species. Leaf δ15N increased with drought intensity, indicating a shift toward more open N cycling as water availability diminishes. Additionally, drought intensity was observed to alter the influence of tree species richness on leaf δ15N from weakly negative under low drought intensity to weakly positive under high drought intensity.Overall, our findings suggest that dual leaf isotope analysis helps understand the interaction between drought, nutrients, and species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree plantations can facilitate the establishment of native trees, thus providing opportunities for the ecological restoration or rehabilitation of degraded forest lands. Stand variables can influence the establishment of native tree species, but few studies have been carried out to determine how sapling growth response to stand variables varies among functionally different species. We evaluated the effect of stand age, stand basal area, tree density, and time since last logging on stem diameter growth rates, as well as the dependence of such effect on whole plant, stem, and leaf functional traits. We measured the stem diameter increment on 280 individuals of 22 species in permanent plots for a period of 2 years in araucaria (Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze) plantations in the Atlantic Forest, NE Argentina. Increasing all-species basal area and plantation age negatively affected the growth rates, and such effect tended to be higher in species with low wood density. Two functional axes independently explained growth rate differences between species in growth rate. Growth rates increase with decreasing wood density, increasing leaf phosphorus and potassium content, and decreasing specific leaf area. Among species that are similar in the traits associated with the first functional axis, plant growth increases with increasing leaf nitrogen content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usually, vulnerability is equated to weakness and resistance to strength. Drawing on a feminist critique of this conceptualisation, this article aims to discuss how vulnerability to forest fires and local action are mutually and contradictorily related. I analyse the ways in which people in two rural communities surrounded by tree monocultures in Sweden and Spain think, feel and act after being exposed to acute forest fires in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Attentively listening to the experiences of vulnerability during and after the fire in the two cases helps to explain vulnerability to forest fires as an emotional, care‐related process that opens up contradictory and transformative interconnections between peoples, nature and the state. Also, looking at the two cases together, this article shows how vulnerability to fire is mediated through unequal expectations across Europe's North–South divide. By re‐signifying the implications of vulnerability, disasters such as those analysed here can be seen as facilitators of radical transformations towards new rural futures in Europe's forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature and species conservation often conflict with intensive natural resource or land use. Many protected areas are too small for long-term conservation of viable vertebrate populations, especially in Madagascar, and forests are subject to exploitation for a variety of natural resources. Trying to exclude people from the use of these resources has not been successful during economic, natural, or political crises or when human population growth outruns any development effort. People need economic and other benefits, and conservation measures have to account for these needs. We compiled native and introduced tree, shrub, and herbaceous species used by both people and native vertebrates for three regions, covering the domains of the dry, transitional, and humid forest of Madagascar. We carried out semistructured interviews and group discussions in 12 different villages in each study region in November 2017. People listed 139 utilitarian plant taxa. Our literature search revealed that 72 of these plant species and 13 genera used by people, were also used by 208 different terrestrial vertebrates including 58 lemur species. Application of the Forest Landscape Restoration approach with a combination of exotic and native plant species used by both people and animals could increase the economic value of restored forest habitats for people, thus providing incentives for forest conservation. Plantations of mixed utilitarian trees and shrubs could be integrated into agricultural landscapes. Among land-living vertebrates, lemurs seem to benefit most from this approach. These measures might contribute to a successful array of biodiversity conservation in anthropogenic landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary or secondary forests around the world are increasingly being converted into plantations. Soil microorganisms are critical for all biogeochemical processes in ecosystems, but the effects of forest conversion on microbial communities and their functioning remain unclear. Here, we conducted a meta‐analysis to quantify the impacts that converting forests to plantations has on soil microbial communities and functioning as well as on the associated plant and soil properties. We collected 524 paired observations from 138 studies globally. We found that conversion leads to broad range of adverse impacts on soils and microorganisms, including on soil organic carbon (−24%), total nitrogen (−29%), bacterial and fungal biomass (−36% and −42%, respectively), microbial biomass carbon (MBC, −31%) and nitrogen (−33%), and fungi to bacteria ratio (F:B, −16%). In addition, we found impacts on the ratio of MBC to soil organic C (qMBC, −20%), microbial respiration (−18%), N mineralization (−18%), and enzyme activities including β‐1,4‐glucosidase (−54%), β‐1,4‐N‐acetylglucosaminidase (−39%), and acid phosphatase (ACP; −34%). In contrast, conversion to plantations increases bacterial richness (+21%) and microbial metabolic quotient (qCO2, +21%). The effects of forest conversion were consistent across stand ages, stand types, and climate zone. Soil C and N contents as well as the C:N ratio were the main factors responsible for the changes of microbial C, F:B, and bacterial richness. The responses of qCO2, N mineralization, and ACP activity were mainly driven by the reductions in F:B, MBC, and soil C:N. Applying macro‐ecology theory on ecosystem disturbance in soil microbial ecology, we show that microbial groups shifted from K to r strategists after conversion to plantations. Our meta‐analysis underlines the adverse effects of natural forests conversion to plantations on soil microbial communities and functioning, and suggests that the preservation of soil functions should be a consideration in forest management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Brazilian environmental legislation can assist in the conservation of grassland ecosystems. • The presence of cattle in Permanent Preservation Areas of a rural matrix increases the diversity of species. • The presence of cattle in Permanent Preservation Areas increases the litter cycling, reducing dry cover and, consequently, the incidence of fires. • In this study, the Preservation Areas fulfill their objective of preserving grassland species. • The permanence of cattle in protected areas provides the preservation of the diversity and physiognomy of grasslands. The Pampa biome comprises a high species richness, but has been transformed by various human activities, threatening its inherent diversity. One of the mechanisms that contributes to conservation is the Permanent Preservation Areas (PPA); however, studies related to the vegetation of these areas are scarce, especially regarding the herbaceous stratum, creating a gap in the evaluation of the conservation of the Pampa biome's grassland formations. The objective of this study was to characterize the structure of fragments of grasslands in PPA, with and without cattle grazing, inserted in a plantation of Eucalyptus saligna Sm. in the Pampa biome. The survey was conducted on 40 systematically distributed sample units in six grassland areas, three of which were occasionally exposed to grazing and three fenced off with no grazing. Cover and frequency values ​​(absolute and relative) and importance value index (IVI) were estimated for species, exposed soil and dry plant material. The difference between the areas was evaluated by the Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) and ANOSIM, complemented by SIMPER. Richness, dry plant material and exposed soil were evaluated using the Kruskall-Wallis test. A total of 210 species were registered, with the Poaceae family being the most numerous, followed by Asteraceae (41), Cyperaceae (19), Fabaceae (12) and Rubiaceae (9). The areas differed in relation to richness, with grazing showing more diversity. Enclosure Area 3 did not differ from open areas 2 and 3, possibly due to the greater proximity and low cattle interference. The exposed soil did not vary according to the enclosure; however, the dry plant material was higher in the enclosed areas. The distribution of species, as well as their cover and frequency were regulated according to grazing. The presence of animals in PPA has modified the dynamics and botanical composition of the areas, in which richness was promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest transitions occur when net reforestation replaces net deforestation in places. Because forest transitions can increase biodiversity and augment carbon sequestration, they appeal to policymakers contending with the degrading effects of forest loss and climate change. What then can policymakers do to trigger forest transitions? The historical record over the last two centuries provides insights into the precipitating conditions. The early transitions often occurred passively, through the spontaneous regeneration of trees on abandoned agricultural lands. Later forest transitions occurred more frequently after large-scale crisis narratives emerged and spurred governments to take action, often by planting trees on degraded, sloped lands. To a greater degree than their predecessors, latecomer forest transitions exhibit centralized loci of power, leaders with clearly articulated goals, and rapid changes in forest cover. These historical shifts in forest transitions reflect our growing appreciation of their utility for countering droughts, floods, land degradation, and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study shows that Vochysia guatemalensis tree plantations were associated with enhanced soil biotic and abiotic characteristics in previously cleared forests in the northern zone of Costa Rica, suggesting the possible use of this practice as a restoration strategy for local land owners. Soil samples from a primary forest, secondary forest, and a 13‐year‐old plantation of V. guatemalensis had greater relative abundances of DNA sequences of microbial genera critical for carbon‐use (C‐use) efficiency (i.e. the saprobe, complex C and wood rot/lignin decomposer fungi, and bacterial lignin and other complex C degraders), and greater levels of total organic carbon, C‐biomass, and microbial quotients as indicators of enhanced C‐use efficiency, than found in soils of adjacent 5‐year‐old V. guatemalensis plantations and abandoned non‐productive pasture/grasslands (GRs). The major research conclusions were that (1) conversion of forested land into abandoned pasture/GRs decreased the C‐use efficiency in the soils and the microbial groups associated with C‐use efficiency; (2) soils in plantations of V. guatemalensis were associated with increased abundances of the DNA of these same microbial groups and enhanced C‐use efficiency; (3) DNA‐based taxonomic analysis of microbes and analysis of the microbial quotient values can be used to monitor soil ecosystems for assessment of the efficacy of restoration activities. Thus, planting V. guatemalensis on damaged lands in the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge should be encouraged to provide a sustainable forestry crop that can be harvested rotationally, while improving soil ecosystem health and reducing the pressure to harvest other forest sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze the geographies of extraction through the lens of emotional political ecology. We show how extractivism in southern Chile functions as an emotional project to ensure capital accumulation. Our evidence shows how the State and the private sector produce and reproduce pain to local communities and also, offer "painkillers" to ensure forestry extractivism in the territory. This suggests that extractivism is, nowadays, a sentipensante project, in which the use of emotions by the State and private capital updates and deepens the historical colonial tendencies in the Mapuche territories of southern Chile. [End Page 85] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use changes in Europe have resulted in forest loss and fragmentation that have been proved to be key factors driving the decline of various forest bird populations. Quantifying the environmental factors which allow the persistence of forest birds in highly modified landscapes is therefore essential to enhance conservation efforts. In the present study, we defined the environmental factors determining the distribution of seven forest birds (Picus viridis, Dendrocopos major, Dryobates minor, Garrulus glandarius, Poecile palustris, Sitta europea, Aegithalos caudatus) in a central portion of the Po Plain, northern Italy. In the study area, less than 12% of the whole territory is covered by broad-leaved forests (concentrated along the main rivers) and tree plantations. To obtain a full picture of the habitat requirements of these seven forest bird species, we first conducted a survey of their populations using the point count method during the 2015 breeding season, following which, using resource selection functions, we investigated the effect of environmental variables on each species, mainly focusing on the role of natural forests and tree plantations. The effect of variables was assessed both at a home-range scale and at four different scales in the surrounding context. Tree plantations, in addition to natural forests, proved to be important for most of the seven species studied, including forest specialists such as Dryobates minor and Poecile palustris. The distribution of forest species was better explained by habitat amount than by habitat configuration, both at the home-range scale and in the surrounding context. As expected, Sitta europaea was the most sensitive species to land use changes, and broad-leaved natural forests were essential for its persistence in the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity sustained by natural ecosystems, particularly forests, provides ecosystem services essential to human well-being. However, many forests have been severely transformed, notably via monospecific plantations and the spread of invasive species. Given the extension of these novel anthropogenic forests (plantations and invasive copses), it is critical to know how they can support forest biodiversity, particularly in highly humanized biodiversity hotspots as the southwest Mediterranean Europe. Because the effects likely vary across taxonomic groups, such assessments require an integrative multi-group approach. Here, we evaluated the abundance, richness, and composition of shrubs, herbs, macrofungi, ground and flying arthropods, birds, small mammals, carnivores, and bats across the four most common forest types in Central Portugal, namely: natural oak woodlands (dominated by Quercus faginea Lam.) and anthropogenic forests, invasive Acacia dealbata Link copses, Pinus pinaster Aiton plantations (native), and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantations (exotic). Oak woodlands sustained higher abundance, diversity, and a unique species composition compared to the other forests, especially those dominated by exotic species. The greatest changes in biodiversity occurred in herbs and birds. Contrary to our expectations, species richness and composition of macrofungi and carnivores in acacia copses were similar to those of oak woodlands, revealing that groups respond differently to forest changes. The large-scale replacement of natural forests by novel anthropogenic forests has significant negative impacts in most, but not all groups, which should be actively considered for integrative conservation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonial encounters with tropical ecosystems were primarily driven by profit-oriented management practices; witness the extensive network of timber and forestry practices that were set up across colonial India. In contrast, the colonial engagement with the montane forest-grassland mosaics of the higher reaches of the Western Ghats in southern India was marked by intensive investment in vegetation management by colonial foresters that yielded no profits. In this archival study, we trace the history of extensive vegetation transformation in this landscape from the early nineteenth to the early twentieth century. We show how the misperception that the grasslands within this mosaic must have resulted from tree felling, fire-setting and buffalo grazing by indigenous communities led colonial foresters into a century-long effort at ‘foresting’ the grasslands, primarily through large-scale planting of exotic tree species. These efforts persisted despite economic losses and ecological evidence that native tree seedlings planted in the grasslands repeatedly failed to establish. These policies continued unabated into the late twentieth century in newly independent India. Today, the once picturesque landscapes of these ancient forest-grassland mosaics are diminished by large-scale plantations of exotic species. Some of these species have become invasive and pose significant threats to the remnant natural grasslands. While this historical narrative is set in the forest-grassland mosaics of southern India, it finds striking parallels in the current day, with grasslands and savannas globally threatened by the misperception that they are ‘degraded ecosystems’ that can be ‘forested’ or converted to other ‘productive’ land uses. We suggest that this case history portends the potential fates of many of earth's threatened tropical grasslands and savannas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study investigates, in a montane forest in Kenya, the changes in amount and stability of soil organic carbon (SOC) as a consequence of: a) forest degradation, by comparing primary and degraded forests; b) the replacement of degraded forests with cypress and tea plantations, by considering sites installed at different time in the past.Methods: The SOC concentrations and stocks were determined in different layers to 1 m depth, and the SOC turnover time (TT) derived by measuring the 14C concentration in the layers within the 0–30 cm depth.Results: A significant SOC decline was evident in the 0–5 and 5–15 cm layers of degraded forest while, on the long term, both plantations induced a significant SOC increase in the 0–30 cm depth. The longer TT’s and lower SOC concentrations in the upper layers of degraded rather than primary forests imply an impact of forest degradation on the decomposition of the fast cycling SOC. Similarly, the shorter TT with increasing plantations age implies differences in SOC stabilization mechanisms between plantations and forests.Conclusions: Cypress and tea plantations established on degraded forests stimulate a long term SOC accrual but at the same time decrease the stability of the SOC pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use changes associated with the advance of forest plantations on lands previously used for agriculture generate diverse perceptions of the socio-environmental impact they entail. Despite, these perceptions are influenced by the landscape context produced by the land use changes. In last decades there has been a transformation in land use associated with the development of forestry activity in the northwest of the province of Misiones, Argentina. Considering local communities in order to improve assessment, governance and decisionmaking in sustainable management, we posed two questions: What are environmental, social and economic perceptions of tree plantations of local communities with different land-use context'? What is the role of scale of production in these perceptions? To this purpose we first described the productive matrix of the landscape mapping the forest plantation cover of the area and classifying the productive units in different Forest Management Model (large, medium and small scale).Then, we identified and selected participants from comparable rural communities in each FMM, who through a Q survey grouped phrases according their perceptions. Subsequently, emerging viewpoints were recognised. Our analysis shows that forestry activity is not poorly conceived in contrast to conceptualization of the management of larger-scale productive systems in combination with government policies promoting them. The management carried out through large areas that result in a homogenization of the landscape are perceived negatively. In general terms, the local imagination perceives that the promotion and establishment of forestry companies could be positive if it is supported on planning to protect pre-existing familiar productive systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse effect of pesticides on non-target organisms and the environment is an issue of great social concern. Currently, there are a variety of availably insecticides, which are claimed to be safer for beneficial organisms than broad-spectrum insecticides. We conducted a field experiment to compare the effect of applications of methoxyfenozide (an insect growth regulator) and cypermethrin (a conventional insecticide) on the arthropod community in a commercial willow plantation. We used a one-way Anova design with insecticide as the treatment factor, each individual tree as the experimental unit, and the number of dead arthropods collected per sampling unit as the response variable. Results showed that the number of dead arthropods collected 72 h after treatment with methoxyfenozide (1274 individuals) was 66% lower than that collected underneath cypermethrin-treated trees (3408 individuals). The only groups not recorded from boxes places underneath methoxyfenozide-treated trees, but yes underneath cypermethrin-treated trees, were Dyctioptera, Pseudoscorpionida and Isopoda. Methoxyfenozide was lethal to a lower number of families of dipterans, coleopterans and hymenopterans than the cypermethrin during the first 72 h after treatment. The number of taxonomic groups and abundance of dead predators, herbivores and parasitoids was also lower in methoxyfenozide than in cypermethrin-treated trees. Our results obtained from a field experiment suggest that methoxyfenozide provides a less toxic alternative for control of pests in willow plantations due to a reduced effect on non-target organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD + ) is receiving increasing political and scientific attention as a climate change mitigation approach. Agroforestry systems are credited for stocking significant amounts of carbon and hence have a potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Forestry-based carbon storage projects are currently being introduced in many tropical countries, but assessment of carbon storage is difficult due to a lack of species-level information.The research addressed in this paper assessed above, belowground and litter biomass of Theobroma cacao (cocoa) and Tectona grandi s(teak) plantations relative to secondary forests in two sites in mid-western Côte d'Ivoire. Allometric equations for tropical trees relating to diameter at breast height (DBH) were used to estimate carbon storage potential. The main findings reveal that teak plantations have an appreciably much greater mean carbon storage capacity than secondary forests and cocoa plantations. The aboveground biomass of teak stands contained the highest carbon stock (214.7 Mg C ha -1 ) while litter and root displayed 2.8 and 35.6 Mg C ha -1 , respectively. Cocoa plantations have the lowest carbon storage potential in the aboveground biomass,estimated at 18.6 Mg C ha -1 , but a considerable amount of carbon stored in the litter (4.7 Mg C ha -1 ). With teak plantations’ annual mean storage rate of 19.5 Mg C ha -1 year -1 , corresponding to 70.6 Mg CO 2 ha -1 year -1 , the results demonstrate teak's potential of carbon sequestration and mitigation of the greenhouse gas emission effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Forest cover rates have significantly improved in tropical China. • Land use/cover changes altered the ecosystem services. • Rubber expansions in lowlands degenerate ecosystem services. • Natural factors dominated ecosystem service indicators. • Anthropogenic factors negatively influenced ecosystem services. Tropical forests provide important ecosystem services and biodiversity for the world. With human activities and economic growth, tropical forests are becoming the primary sources of new plantations, making tropical regions hotspots of ecosystem service degenerations and biodiversity losses. Understanding the driving forces of ecological consequences is the key to local sustainable development and human well-being improvements. Therefore, we spatially quantified the changes in ecosystem services in tropical China in the past twenty years by remote sensing and InVEST model. The driving forces were further investigated by using Geodetector. We found that: 1) in the past twenty years, the area of evergreen broad-leaved forests, coniferous forests, and rubber forests have increased by 13.01%, 43.39%, and 101.23%, respectively. The shrublands and agricultural lands are the major contributors to these increased areas; 2) with the area increasing of forests, carbon storage and soil retention have increased by 9.40% and 0.30%, while nitrogen export and water yield have decreased by 43.30%, and 12.27%. This pattern of increase in carbon storage and soil retention was found in the highlands, while not in the lowlands, where large areas of evergreen broad-leaved forests have been converted to rubber forests; 3) NDVI was highly correlated to the carbon storage (q value = 0.201) and nitrogen export (q value = 0.109), while slope and precipitation mainly affected the soil retention (q value = 0.253) and water yield (q value = 0.073), respectively. This study provides a reference for ecological protection and management in tropical China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wetlands the effects of fire on vegetation dynamics are somewhat uncertain. A change detection analysis in the herbaceous wetlands of KwaMbonambi, South Africa, which were subject to frequent fires, revealed that in 1937 the study area comprised grassland (69%), herbaceous wetland (25%), indigenous swamp forest (4%) and tree plantations (1%). However, by 1970, tree plantations occupied 78% of the landscape and grasslands and herbaceous wetlands had declined to 9% and 6%, respectively, whereas indigenous swamp forest had increased to 6%. By 2009 tree plantations had been removed from the wetland areas. Despite this opportunity for herbaceous wetlands to recover their historical extent, they decreased to only 2%, mostly changing to indigenous swamp forest or to an herbaceous/fern (Stenochlaena tenuifolia)/woodland mosaic. Fire records showed suppression of fire to be an important contributing factor, particularly in wetlands that had been disturbed by tree plantations, although subsequently removed. A pilot burning experiment revealed thatS. tenuifoliadid not inhibit fire. It is therefore practicable to increase fire frequency to prevent the mosaic developing into forest. A conceptual model of the influence of fire regime on wetland vegetation type is presented and priorities for further research on wetlands and fire are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Increased soil temperature shortens fine root lifespan. • Warming-decreased soil moisture prolongs fine root lifespan. • Thinner roots, deeper rooting, changed seasonal root emergence under warming. • Warming-induced adjustments in root architecture and phenology affect root lifespan. • C limitation of root respiration under warming indicate reduced root C supply. The mechanisms by which warming affects fine root lifespan remain unclear. In a large-scale soil warming experiment in a Chinese fir plantation, fine root dynamics were monitored for four years using minirhizotrons, and the effects of increasing temperature and co-varying factors on fine root lifespan, such as soil moisture, fine root phenology and architecture, were analysed. Fine root non-structural carbohydrate concentrations and respiration rates were measured to test if fine root lifespan is affected by carbon (C) supply. Warming shortened the overall fine root lifespan by 27.6% (warming vs. control: 197.0 ± 3.5 d vs. 272.0 ± 4.5 d). Cox regression models suggest that increased soil temperature directly and negatively affects root lifespan, whereas decreased soil moisture prolongs root lifespan. Fine roots grew thinner and deeper in warm soil and showed higher emergence in winter but lower emergence in summer; all factors affected the fine root lifespan in an integrated manner. Glucose addition stimulated fine root respiration only in warm soil, indicating a depletion of readily available carbohydrates under warming. Overall, our findings suggest that warming could accelerate the input of C by roots into soil due to shortened fine root lifespans, highlighting the important consideration of simultaneously increasing temperature and its co-varying factors to predict root lifespan under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As critical drivers of ecosystem functionality, soil fauna are sensitive to soil management such as organic amendments. However, the effects of organic amendments on soil fauna communities are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated the differentiated responses of soil arthropod communities to the application of biogas slurry (BS) and biochar (BC) in a newly established poplar plantation on reclaimed coastal land. Compared with the control, the application of BS increased the abundance of soil arthropods by 113–253%, whereas the application of BC decreased it by 35–74%. Furthermore, the total taxonomic richness and Shannon index of the soil arthropods increased under the BS treatments and decreased under a high-dose BC treatment. Arthropod abundance and diversity under the BS treatments correlated with the increased biomass (46–76%) of leaf litterfall, fine roots, and undergrowth vegetation, elevated soil water and nitrogen concentrations (28–254%), as well as neutralized soil pH. In contrast, arthropod abundance and diversity under the BC treatments were correlated with decreased fine root biomass and increased soil alkalinity. These results suggested that BS and BC applications exert different effects on arthropod communities, probably linked with the differential direction and extent of the modification on plant food resource and soil variables in the newly reclaimed coastal lands. • Biogas slurry (BS) increased arthropod abundance and diversity in saline soils. • BS positively affected soil arthropods through bottom-up control of plant production. • BS was preferable amendment to promote soil fertility and arthropod development. • Biochar negatively affected arthropods due to increased pH and decreased root biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel ecosystems occur when new combinations of species appear within a particular biome. They typically result from direct human activity, environmental change, or the impacts of introduced species. In this paper, we argue that considering commercial tree plantations as novel ecosystems has the potential to help policy makers, resource managers, and conservation biologists better deal with the challenges and opportunities associated with managing plantations for multiple purposes at both the stand and landscape scales. We outline five inter-related issues associated with managing tree plantations, which are arguably the largest form of terrestrial novel ecosystem worldwide. This is to ensure that these areas contribute significantly to critical ecosystem services, including biodiversity conservation, in addition to their wood production role. We suggest that viewing tree plantations as novel socioecological systems may free managers from a narrow stand-based perspective and having to compare them with natural forest stands. This can help promote the development of management principles that better integrate plantations into the larger landscape so that their benefits are maximized and their potential negative ecological effects are minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient means to map tree plantations is needed to detect tropical land use change and evaluate reforestation projects. To analyze recent tree plantation expansion in northeastern Costa Rica, we examined the potential of combining moderate-resolution hyperspectral imagery (2005 HyMap mosaic) with multitemporal, multispectral data (Landsat) to accurately classify (1) general forest types and (2) tree plantations by species composition. Following a linear discriminant analysis to reduce data dimensionality, we compared four Random Forest classification models: hyperspectral data (HD) alone; HD plus interannual spectral metrics; HD plus a multitemporal forest regrowth classification; and all three models combined. The fourth, combined model achieved overall accuracy of 88.5%. Adding multitemporal data significantly improved classification accuracy (p < 0.0001) of all forest types, although the effect on tree plantation accuracy was modest. The hyperspectral data alone classified six species of tree plantations with 75% to 93% producer's accuracy; adding multitemporal spectral data increased accuracy only for two species with dense canopies. Non-native tree species had higher classification accuracy overall and made up the majority of tree plantations in this landscape. Our results indicate that combining occasionally acquired hyperspectral data with widely available multitemporal satellite imagery enhances mapping and monitoring of reforestation in tropical landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effects on structure of bird assemblages after replacement of native natural habitats by small-scale tree plantations used for recreational purposes. The richness and diversity were similar among habitats; however, the total bird abundance was greater in the tree plantations compared to the natural habitats. Also, we found that small-bodied birds that forage in the foliage had higher abundance in the natural habitats, while larger-bodied species that live in open spaces and forage on the ground occurred in higher abundance in the tree plantations. The comparative evaluation of the seasonal effect on avian assemblages of the contrasting habitats showed that natural habitats had a greater annual fluctuation of abundance values, while the tree plantations were more constant. Our study demonstrates that small-scale tree plantations for recreational purposes exert strong effects on bird assemblages, because they increase the abundance of the generalist and common bird species in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concepts of degraded forest ( pa mai xout xom) and degraded land ( din seuam xom) have been variously applied in official Lao government policy narratives and law over the last couple of decades. In this article I focus on the concepts of degraded forest and land, and the relationship with industrial tree plantations, using two examples from southern Laos. I argue that the concepts have been significant in both facilitating and obstructing the development of large-scale industrial tree plantations in different times and spaces, thus significantly influencing access and exclusion, as well as the spatialization of tree plantations. I provide a tentative genealogy regarding the emergence of these concepts in land and forestry policy in Laos, and briefly explain the links between degradation and 'the land rush' presently affecting Laos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: In the Jomoro district in Ghana, tree plantations were the first cause of deforestation in the past, drastically reducing the area occupied by primary forests. The aim of this study was to quantify soil organic carbon (SOC) losses due to a change in land use from primary forest to tree plantations (cocoa, coconut, rubber, oil palm) on the different substrates of the district. Secondary forests and mixed plantations were also included in the study. Methods: Soils were sampled at different depths up to 100 cm along a series of chronosequences in each of the three substrates (Granite, Lower Birrimian and Tertiary Sands) present in the area. Results: The highest SOC losses in the 0-30 cm layer were caused by the conversion of primary forests to tree plantations: cocoa −61 % of the original SOC stock, coconut −55 %, rubber −35 % and oil palm 28 %, while mixed plantations and secondary forests showed a loss of 23 % and 21 % of the original SOC stock, respectively. C losses were less apparent from the entire profile (to a depth of 100 cm). Conclusions: All conversions to tree plantations caused substantial SOC losses, comparable to the conversion of forests to agricultural systems. Secondary forests and mixed plantations were the only sustainable land uses that restricted SOC losses considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question How is the magnitude and seasonality of carbon uptake affected by the replacement of native grasslands by eucalyptus plantations? Location Río de la Plata Grasslands in Argentina and Uruguay. Methods A total of 115 paired sites of fast-growing Eucalyptus grandis plantations and adjacent grasslands were used to characterize the magnitude and seasonality of (1) radiation interception by canopies and (2) above-ground net primary productivity based on a time series of MODIS-derived normalized difference vegetation index ( NDVI). The response of NDVI to precipitation was explored across temporal scales. Results NDVI in afforested vs. grassland plots presented higher annual averages (1.3-fold), lower seasonal ranges (average relative range of 0.11 vs. 0.29) and delayed growing seasons (2-month shift). Temporally, NDVI was positively associated with precipitation input, showing a correlation with longer periods of precipitation accumulation in tree plantations compared to grasslands (> 7 vs. 2-3 months). Estimated average annual above-ground net primary productivity ( ANPP) almost quadrupled as a consequence of replacing grasslands by tree plantations (∼4 vs. ∼17 Mg dry matter. ha−1·yr−1), and this difference was evidenced throughout the whole study period. Conclusions Afforested grasslands intercept more radiation and have higher and more stable ANPP throughout the year, probably as a result of major changes in leaf phenology and root distribution patterns, which in turn allowed better access to water. Changes in carbon uptake can influence climate/biosphere feedbacks and should be considered in land-use planning, especially when grassland afforestation is recommended as a tool to mitigate global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active forest restoration typically involves planting trees over large areas; this practice is costly, however, and establishing homogeneous plantations may favour the recruitment of a particular suite of species and strongly influence the successional trajectory. An alternative approach is to plant nuclei (islands) of trees to simulate the nucleation model of succession and accelerate natural recovery., We evaluated natural tree recruitment over 4 years in a restoration study replicated at eight former pasture sites in the tropical premontane forest zone of southern Costa Rica. At each site, two active restoration strategies were established in 50 × 50 m plots: planting trees throughout, and planting different-sized tree islands (4 × 4, 8 × 8, 12 × 12 m) within the plot. Restoration plots were compared to similar-sized controls undergoing passive restoration. Sites were spread across c. 100 km2 and distributed along a gradient of surrounding forest, allowing us to compare the relative importance of adjacent forest to that of within-site treatment on tree recruitment., Recruitment of animal-dispersed tree species was more than twofold higher in active (μ = 0·45 recruits m−2) as compared to passive restoration; recruitment was equivalent in plantation and island treatments, even though only 20% of the area in island plots was planted originally. The majority of recruits (>90%) represented early successional species ( n = 54 species total)., Density of animal-dispersed recruits was greater in large (0·80 ± 0·66 m−2) than small (0·28 ± 0·36 m−2) islands and intermediate in medium-sized islands. Seedling recruitment (<1 m tall) was greater in the interior of islands as compared to plantations, whereas sapling recruitment was similar, suggesting that island interiors may develop greater density of woody recruits as succession proceeds., Surrounding forest cover did not influence density or species richness of recruits among sites, although this factor may become more important over time., Synthesis and applications. Applied nucleation is a promising restoration strategy that can accelerate forest recovery to a similar degree as plantation-style restoration but is more economical. Appropriate island size is on the order of c. 100 m2. Practitioners should consider the methodology as an alternative to large-scale plantings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivation and cropping are major causes of destruction and degradation of natural ecosystems throughout the world. We face the challenge of maintaining provisioning services while conserving or enhancing other ecosystem services and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. There is a range of possibilities within two types of intervention, namely 'land sharing' and 'land separation'; the former advocates the enhancement of the farmed environment, but the latter a separation between land designated for farming versus conservation. Land sharing may involve biodiversity-based agricultural practices, learning from traditional farming, changing from conventional to organic agriculture and from 'simple' crops and pastures to agro-forestry systems, and restoring or creating specific elements to benefit wildlife and particular services without decreasing agricultural production. Land separation in the farmland context involves restoring or creating non-farmland habitat at the expense of field-level agricultural production-for example, woodland on arable land. Restoration by land sharing has the potential to enhance agricultural production, other ecosystem services and biodiversity at both the field and landscape scale; however, restoration by land separation would provide these benefits only at the landscape scale. Although recent debate has contrasted these approaches, we suggest they should be used in combination to maximize benefits. Furthermore, we suggest 'woodland islets', an intermediate approach between land abandonment and farmland afforestation, for ecological restoration in extensive agricultural landscapes. This approach allows reconciliation of farmland production, conservation of values linked to cultural landscapes, enhancement of biodiversity, and provision of a range of ecosystem services. Beyond academic research, restoration projects within agricultural landscapes are essential if we want to halt environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At least half of the world's population resides in the coastal zone and the livelihoods of billions of people are affected either directly or indirectly by the production and sustainability of nearshore fisheries. Landscape change, specifically development of tree plantations, is accelerating worldwide as developing countries integrate into global markets to sell goods, offer climate-mitigation services (carbon), and/or provide renewable energy. These changes can release excess nutrients into adjacent coastal waters causing eutrophication that alters the structure and function of coastal ecosystems. This study examined the relationship between coastal drainage basin land use/land cover change ( LCLUC), specifically development of tree plantations, patterns of chlorophyll- a in nearshore coastal waters, and the biological condition of commercially important shellfish, Concholepas concholepas ( loco) in southern Chile. Locos ( N = 1374) were sampled across 13 watersheds (35 853 km2) and 42 fisheries management areas (spanning 250 km of coastline). Locos harvested from management areas influenced by tree plantations had approximately 30% more endobiont (shell-boring) phoronids, almost twice as many endobiont polychaetes and twice as many epibiont (shell-attaching) barnacles than locos from areas in close proximity to watersheds dominated by native forests (15-20% of the watershed). Phoronid infested locos from coastal waters adjacent to watersheds with tree plantations were of relatively poor biological condition (smaller and narrower in width) and of reduced market value. Our study suggests that tree plantations result in indirect ecological impacts to coastal fisheries (more nutrients and higher phytoplankton biomass, resulting in smaller, low quality locos), and costs are born by coastal fishers (lower prices for locos). Increases in tree plantations could thus potentially significantly impact coastal fisheries worldwide and such problems should be managed as an interconnected network of land use change, oceanic ecosystems, and economic systems that are considered an integrated socio-ecological system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rainforest of Mexico has been degraded and severely fragmented, and urgently require restoration. However, the practice of restoration has been limited by the lack of species-specific data on survival and growth responses to local environmental variation. This study explores the differential performance of 14 wet tropical early-, mid- or late-successional tree species that were grown in two abandoned pastures with contrasting land-use histories. After 18 months, seedling survival and growth of at least 7 of the 14 tree species studied were significantly higher in the site with a much longer history of land use (site 2). Saplings of the three early-successional species showed exceptional growth rates. However, differences in performance were noted in relation to the differential soil properties between the experimental sites. Mid-successional species generally showed slow growth rates but high seedling survival, whereas late-successional species exhibited poor seedling survival at both the study sites. Stepwise linear regressions revealed that the species integrated response index combining survivorship and growth measurements, was influenced mostly by differences in soil pH between the two abandoned pastures. Our results suggest that local environmental variation among abandoned pastures of contrasting land-use histories influences sapling survival and growth. Furthermore, the similarity of responses among species with the same successional status allowed us to make some preliminary site and species-specific silvicultural recommendations. Future field experiments should extend the number of species and the range of environmental conditions to identify site 'generalists' or more narrowly adapted species, that we would call 'sensitive.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determinants of fisher success in southern Chile's loco (Concholepas concholepas) fishery are examined by comparing fisher success in exclusive access territories that vary in relationship to tree-plantation development, which can affect shellfish quality. The relative importance of fishers' experience and capture technology (traditional measures of fisher success) are evaluated against environmental and geospatial characteristics. While knowledge and technology explained variation in catches, this did not translate into higher prices or profit. Fishers succeeded (gained higher prices for locos and had higher monthly incomes from their management areas) when they harvested shellfish from closed (exclusive) nearshore management areas where the environmental condition produced high quality locos regardless of their fishing experience, technology, and the geospatial features of management areas. Experienced fishers who worked in management areas near tree plantations that fail to produce resources of sufficient quality shifted to offshore fisheries where their experience counted. Offshore fishers working in the congrio (Genypterus chilensis) fishery likely exposed themselves to more risk and benefited from their experience and available technology; environmental condition and geospatial factors played little role in their success (price). Closed management areas provided resources to harvest, but may reduce a fisher's ability to adapt to environmental change because success depends on environmental factors outside of a fisher's control. Fishers were not financially rewarded for their experience or their technology in the loco fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Kyoto Protocol recognises trees as a sink of carbon and a valid means to offset greenhouse gas emissions and meet internationally agreed emissions targets. This study details biological carbon sequestration rates for common plantation species Araucaria cunninghamii (hoop pine), Eucalyptus cloeziana, Eucalyptus argophloia, Pinus elliottii and Pinus caribaea var hondurensis and individual land areas required in north-eastern Australia to offset greenhouse gas emissions of 1000tCO2e. The 3PG simulation model was used to predict above and below-ground estimates of biomass carbon for a range of soil productivity conditions for six representative locations in agricultural regions of north-eastern Australia. The total area required to offset 1000tCO2e ranges from 1ha of E. cloeziana under high productivity conditions in coastal North Queensland to 45ha of hoop pine in low productivity conditions of inland Central Queensland. These areas must remain planted for a minimum of 30years to meet the offset of 1000tCO2e. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The potential for soil carbon (C) sequestration under short-rotation woody crops, like hybrid poplar (Populus spp.), is a significant uncertainty in our understanding of how managed tree plantations might be used to partially offset increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Through development of a multi-compartment model, we reviewed information from studies on hybrid poplar and analyzed the potential impact of changes in plant traits and nitrogen (N) fertilization on soil C storage. For a hypothetical setting in the southeastern U.S.A., and starting from soils that are relatively depleted in organic matter (2.5 kg C m−2), the model predicted an increase in mineral soil C stocks (1.7 kg C m−2) over four 7-year rotations of hybrid poplar. However, at the end of the fourth rotation, both cumulative soil C gains and annual rates of soil C accrual (23–93 g C m−2 yr−1) varied widely depending on fertilization rate, biomass yield, and rates of dead root decomposition (three factors that were examined in a factorial model-based experiment). Our analysis indicated that processes linked to genetically modifiable poplar traits (aboveground biomass production, belowground C allocation, root decomposition) are potential controls on soil C sequestration. Key measures of model performance were sensitive to how aboveground biomass production responded to N fertilization. Site specific properties that were independent of plant traits were also important to predicted soil C accumulation and point to possible genotype x site interactions that may explain contradictory data from both empirical and theoretical studies of C sequestration under hybrid poplar plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, industrial tree plantations are at the origin of a growing number of conflicts between local populations and commercial planters. Such conflicts – which often turn out to be ‘environmental’– have largely remained understudied. By focusing on the establishment of an industrial eucalypt monoculture in a coastal Ecuadorian canton, this paper investigates the effects of the penetration of capital into the rural sphere, emphasizing the resulting resistance campaign of a local NGO originating from a peasant organization. We analyse the evolution of land conflicts in the region – historically as well as operationally during the latest eucalypt campaign. We find that displacement of local peasants is a recurrent theme, while environmental issues have recently been incorporated into the resistance to landowners. We thus argue that the agrarian question also includes – now perhaps more than ever – an environmental dimension, thereby providing space for a fruitful dialogue between political ecologists and students of agrarian conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We conducted a systematic global review of differences between timber plantations and pasture lands in terms of animal and plant species richness and abundance, and assessed the results using meta-analysis techniques. Our principal aim was to test the hypothesis that plantations contain higher species richness or abundance than pasture. Of the 1967 studies of potential relevance, 66 provided biological monitoring information and 36 met the requirements for meta-analyses. Sufficient data were available for meta-analyses to be conducted comparing the species richness and abundance of plantations and pasture lands for five taxonomic groups: plants, invertebrates, reptiles/amphibians, mammals, and birds. Within each taxon there was considerable variation in the difference between species richness and abundance between plantations and pasture lands. Birds and reptile/amphibians exhibited significantly higher species richness, and mammals exhibited significantly higher abundance, in plantations than in pasture lands which lacked remnant vegetation. Reptile/amphibian species richness was significantly higher in plantations in general. No significant differences in species richness were found for mammals, plants, or invertebrates, and no significant differences in abundance were found for birds, reptiles/amphibians, invertebrates, or plants. It is only within the presence of taxonomic caveats (i.e. reptiles/amphibians), or specific landscape features (i.e. absence of remnant vegetation within pasture), that it can be concluded that plantations support higher species richness or abundance than pasture land. We emphasize that caution is warranted when making general statements about the inherent biodiversity value of diverse and broadly-defined land-uses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Industrial tree plantations are rapidly expanding worldwide and notably causing a growing number of conflicts between companies and local populations. Such conflicts — the focus of the article — have been neglected by ecological economists although there is a proliferation of related reports by environmental non-governmental organizations. This paper uses empirical evidence to show how elements of political ecology and ecological economics can be combined for understanding the languages of valuation deployed in tree plantation conflicts in Southern countries. Combining qualitative fieldwork on a Cameroonian rubber plantation and an Ecuadorian eucalypt plantation with a methodological framework taken from the study of social metabolism, we find that both conflicts (although with different emphasis) arise because of land and biomass appropriation, ground clearing, pollution from agrochemicals, and water shortage and are expressed as conflicts on valuation. The metabolism of such tree plantations, through the exchanges of materials with the local environment, explains the bio-physical basis of such conflicts. In the Cameroon case, resistance is mainly sporadic and individual, while in Ecuador, a grassroots organization has been able to respond to rural demands in a structured way. Both patterns of resistance are found in other present-day resource extraction conflicts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

1. Secondary forests growing on cleared lands and tree plantations are becoming increasingly widespread land-uses in the tropics. Previous studies are divided on the conservation importance of these habitats for tropical forest butterflies. 2. We use a robust sampling design, accounting for both seasonality and vertical stratification, to examine fruit-feeding butterflies (Nymphalidae) in patches of secondary forest and Eucalyptus plantation 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than those previously sampled. 3. We recorded 10 587 butterflies and 128 species in 3200 trap-days. Species richness was highest in primary forest and lowest in plantations, while butterfly abundance showed the opposite response. All habitats were distinct in terms of community structure. 4. There was a significant interaction between habitat and season based on richness and abundance metrics, although not based on community structure. Secondary forest exhibited higher observed richness than primary forest in the peak of the dry-season, but not at other times of the year. This observation could explain the lack of consensus in previous studies, as those reporting higher richness in secondary forest only sampled during the dry-season. 5. In general, habitat quality appeared to be more important than the surrounding landscape in determining butterfly community structure. However, the community structure of the strong-flying Charaxinae was related to the amount of primary forest in surrounding landscape. There was very poor congruence between the response patterns of richness and abundance among different butterfly subfamilies. 6. Linear regressions between resource availability and butterfly abundance showed a strong influence of leaf phenology in both primary and secondary forest, but no influence of fruit phenology. 7. Synthesis and applications: A lack of seasonal replication and small sampling sizes may have led previous studies to over-emphasize the conservation importance of secondary forest and plantations for butterflies. We show that these habitats are significantly poorer than primary forest in terms of number of species, and hold distinct butterfly communities. Although quantifying the number of species restricted to primary forest remains difficult, these results cast doubt on the presumption that secondary habitats will provide refuge for many of the species being lost through deforestation. We therefore strongly urge measures that prioritize the conservation of remaining primary forests where they still exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Approximately 30% of global soil organic carbon (SOC) is stored in subtropical and tropical ecosystems but it is being rapidly lost due to continuous deforestation. Tree plantations are advocated as a C sink, however, little is known about rates of C turnover and sequestration into soil organic matter under subtropical and tropical tree plantations. We studied changes in SOC in a chronosequence of hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii) plantations established on former rainforest sites in seasonally dry subtropical Australia. SOC, δ 13C, and light fraction organic C (LF C<1.6gcm−3) were determined in plantations, secondary rainforest and pasture. We calculated loss of rainforest SOC after clearing for pasture using an isotope mixing model, and used the decay rate of rainforest-derived C to predict input of hoop pine-derived C into the soil. Total SOC stocks to 100cm depth were significantly (P<0.01) higher under rainforest (241tha−1) and pasture (254tha−1) compared to hoop pine (176–211tha−1). We calculated that SOC derived from hoop pine inputs ranged from 32% (25 year plantation) to 61% (63 year plantation) of total SOC in the 0–30cm soil layer, but below 30cm all C originated from rainforest. These results were compared to simulations made by the Century soil organic matter model. The Century model simulations showed that lower C stocks under hoop pine plantations were due to reduced C inputs to the slow turnover C pool, such that this pool only recovers to within 45% of the original rainforest C pool after 63 years. This may indicate differences in soil C stabilization mechanisms under hoop pine plantations compared with rainforest and pasture. These results demonstrate that subtropical hoop pine plantations do not rapidly sequester SOC into long-term storage pools, and that alternative plantation systems may need to be investigated to achieve greater soil C sequestration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Secondary forests and exotic tree plantations are rapidly expanding across tropical landscapes, yet we currently have a very poor understanding of the value of these human-dominated forest landscapes for biodiversity conservation. Mist netting, point counts and transect walks were used to compare the bird communities of these habitats and neighboring primary forest in north-east Brazilian Amazonia. The extensive spatial scale of plantations and second-growth in our study area enabled us to implement a robust replicated design, with survey plots approximately two to three orders of magnitude larger than most previous studies of land-use change in the tropics, thus minimising the influence of the surrounding landscape. Species richness was highest in primary forest and lowest in Eucalyptus plantations, and community turnover between habitats was very high whether based upon matrices of relative abundance or species presence–absence data, and for both point count and mist net data. Monthly line-transect censuses conducted over an annual cycle showed an increase in the detection of canopy frugivores and seed predators during the peak of flower and fruit availability in primary forest, but failed to suggest that second-growth or Eucalyptus stands provide suitable foraging habitat at any time of the year. The conservation value of both secondary forest and plantations was low compared to conclusions from previous studies. Our results indicate that while large-scale reforestation of degraded land can increase regional levels of diversity, it is unlikely to conserve most primary forest species, such as understorey insectivores and canopy frugivores. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study is a comparison of the holorganic horizons (L and F) and hemiorganic horizons (A11 and A12) of 7-years-old stands of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium, in the region of the Tabuleiro Forest, in Linhares, Espírito Santo, Brazil. In the soil under A. mangium, the stocks of organic matter in the L and F horizons were higher, and the C/N ratio was lower, due to the high nitrogen content of the leaf material. The same was observed for the A horizon chemical properties: the C and nutrients concentrations of the soil fine fraction were higher under A. mangium. The comparison of the C and nutrient concentrations between the A11 and A12 horizons and between the aggregate fraction and fine fraction showed similar trends in both sites. In both plantations, the C and nutrient concentrations were higher in A11 than in A12 horizons, and the soil aggregate fraction had higher concentration of nutrients than the soil fine fraction. Nevertheless, the percentage of aggregates in the soil matrix was much higher in A. mangium than in E. grandis. These results show that in this superficially sandy soil (Argissolo Amarelo Distrófico - Ultisol), the organic matter is the most important way of keeping nutrients, and that the aggregate fraction can be the most effective way of avoiding nutrient loss to the deeper soil horizons. In this context, A. mangium provides better conditions for restoring the soil fertility and soil biodiversity, thus providing better sustainability of the cropping systems than E. grandis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although the bulk of plant biomass contains relatively light, atmospherically derived elements (C, H, O, N, and S), 5-10% of biomass is composed of heavier elements from soil minerals, such as Ca, Mg, K, and P. Plant uptake and cycling transport these heavier elements to the soil surface, resulting in shallower vertical distributions for strongly cycled elements than for other elements. In this paper, we evaluate the biogeochemical consequences of this process at different spatial and temporal scales based on chronosequence studies and soil database analyses. In the bare coastal dunes of Argentina, the vertical distributions of exchangeable K+ (strongly cycled) and Na+ (more weakly cycled) were similar initially but diverged 15 years after pine afforestation, with K distributions becoming significantly concentrated in the surface and Na distributions becoming deeper. To evaluate the effects of plant stoichiometry on micronutrient distributions, chronose-quences of paired native grasslands (low Mn cycling) and eucalypt plantations (high Mn cycling) in the pampas of Argentina were also used. Within 50 years, eucalypts dramatically redistributed Mn pools toward the soil surface, reducing total pools by half at medium depths (20-60 cm) and increasing concentrations by up to an order of magnitude at the surface. Globally, we used generalized contrasts among exchangeable K, Na, and Mg in 7661 soil profiles to estimate the global magnitude of K uplift due to plant activity. Based on this calculation, the exchangeable K pool in the top 20 cm of soils without plant uplift would be 4-6 × 1015 g smaller globally, one-third to one-half smaller than its current size. Vegetation change alters the vertical distribution and bioavailability of mineral elements. Understanding how the stoichibmetry of plant cycling affects soil nutrient distributions will help refine predictions of the biogeochemical consequences of current vegetation change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest reserves of Hawai‘i were established in the early 1900s in response to concerns about supplies of freshwater in the islands and the degraded condition of the native forests protecting the watersheds. Tree-planting was a coordinated effort involving both Harold Lyon and the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association and Territorial Forestry under the direction of R. S. Hosmer. The early foresters planted many types of trees on an experimental basis, but concluded that native species were of limited utility and turned largely to introduced species for large-scale reforestation efforts. The number of trees planted rose to many millions by the 1930s, when Depression-era labor was available for planting. Lyon envisioned the plantations as a buffer zone that would be established between the remaining native forests and the lower-elevation agricultural lands to protect the native forests and perform the functions (maintaining input of water to aquifers) that native forest no longer could. This large-scale attempt to engineer nature was probably the largest environmental project ever carried out in the islands. Forestry introductions have been a significant contributor to Hawaii's alien-species crisis, with many of these tree species now problem invasives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over five million hectares of tropical forest were cleared across mainland Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa for rubber plantations between 2003 and 2017 [ 1 , 2 ]. Millions of hectares of further clearance are predicted as rubber demand rises, which will have major consequences for biodiversity [ 3 ]. A key question is how to reconcile rubber expansion with biodiversity conservation. We assessed the feasibility of simultaneously meeting global future demand for rubber with conservation of extinction-threatened amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. We compared the spatial congruence of rubber bioclimatic suitability with extinction vulnerability [ 4 ] in Africa, Asia, and New Guinea, where large-scale rubber cultivation is viable, and simulated rubber expansion under different scenarios. We found no "win-win" areas with highest rubber suitability and lowest extinction vulnerability. Projected rubber demand could be met by allowing expansion primarily in New Guinea and African Guinea. However, New Guinea has high ecosystem intactness and both regions are rich in endemics. Scenarios suggest converting only areas suitable for cultivation would cause the largest biodiversity losses, including endangered species, whereas prioritizing conservation would result in only the conversion of highly unsuitable land. Compromise scenarios that balance production with conservation could cut biodiversity losses by two-thirds, protecting most endangered species while maintaining high rubber suitability. Development of high-yielding hardy clones expands the amount of win-win areas, as well as suitable areas with high extinction risk. These trade-offs reveal that clonal research and development, strategic corporate and government land-use policies, and rigorous impact assessments are needed to prevent severe biodiversity losses from rubber development. • Reconciling rubber expansion with biodiversity in Africa and Asia is a challenge • Expansion in most regions drives major species losses • Areas of compromise in New Guinea and African Guinea meet 2027 rubber demand • High-yielding hardy clones might expand areas of compromise Is it feasible to reconcile plantation expansion with biodiversity conservation? By mapping extinction threats, Wang et al. show that, despite finding no "win-win" areas to maximize profit and minimize threats, there were enough areas of compromise to meet 2027 rubber demand and significantly cut biodiversity loss compared with business as usual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia's internationally- and domestically-significant pulp and paper industries source their feedstock from tree plantations. A suite of regulatory (Indonesian Sustainable Production Forest Management Certification and Timber Legality Verification) and market instruments (forest certification) have been introduced to promote sustainability and legality of production from tree plantations, and some producers have also adopted other voluntary sustainability measures. This study investigates sustainability and legality compliance by actors in an Indonesian pulp and paper value chain as a case study of environmental innovation. Results are based on primary fieldwork along segments of the value chain, and analysis of audit reports and other publicly-available information. The value chain sources fibrewood from tree plantation concessions and pallet wood from a variety of suppliers. Audit reports suggest high levels of compliance with sustainability and legality requirements, but our research suggests that these reports might not reflect some area of poor performance and non-compliance. We identify weaknesses in the design of regulatory systems, and in auditing and monitoring processes, as the principal reasons for these deficiencies. Drawing on relevant theory and on practice elsewhere, we suggest that compliance and sustainability can be improved by addressing key areas of regulatory silence, by shifting auditing to be more performance-than paper-based, by strengthening independent monitoring from civil society, by increasing the frequency of witness auditing from the National Accreditation Board, and by fostering synergies between regulatory instruments and voluntary forest certification. These changes would improve the effectiveness of regulatory and voluntary instruments to promote cleaner production in Indonesian pulp and paper value chains. Image 1 • Indonesian pulp and paper value chains are globally significant. • These value chains must comply with national sustainability certification and legality verification systems. • Audit reports suggesting high levels of compliance do not appear to reflect areas of poor performance and non-compliance. • Weaknesses in regulatory design, auditing and monitoring are the main reasons for poor performance and non-compliance. • Changes in regulatory design and implementation would promote cleaner production in Indonesian pulp and paper value chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Intensive agricultural landscapes are often considered suboptimal for carnivores. • We tested how human-made habitats affected badgers in Mediterranean farmland. • Tree plantations and hedgerows favoured badgers, while roads had negative effect. • Carnivore conservation in farmland requires due attention to these habitats. There is increasing interest in understanding how to retain wildlife in agricultural landscapes, thereby contributing to global biodiversity conservation efforts. Here we investigate the drivers of European badger (Meles meles) occurrence in Mediterranean farmland. The badger is a generalist mammalian carnivore usually associated to native woodland and shrubland, so we hypothesised that its occurrence in Mediterranean farmland should be favoured by substitute habitats such as forestry plantations, and negatively affected by areas more heavily used by humans such as paved roads. The study was conducted in SW Portugal, where we surveyed for badgers presence signs (latrines, footprints, setts) along transects located at 60 3.14-km2 circles scattered through the landscape, each of which surveyed in spring (March-May), summer (July-August) and autumn (September-October). Occupancy-detection models were used to quantify the effect of environmental variables on badger occupancy probability, while controlling for imperfect detection. Badger detection probability was positively affected by the density of dirt roads, possibly reflecting a preference of badgers to mark along those structures. According to predictions, badger occupancy significantly increased with the amount of forestry plantations and arboreal hedgerows, while decreasing with increasing paved road density. Taken together, our results indicate that badger conservation in Mediterranean farmland under agricultural intensification should require the protection of areas with low paved road density, and the retention of wood cover, even where these are highly-modified habitats such as forest plantations and arboreal hedgerows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]