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Forests are an essential part of the ecosystem and play an irreplaceable role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem and protecting biodiversity. The monitoring of forest distribution plays an important role in the conservation and management of forests. This paper analyzes and compares the performance of imagery from GF-1 WFV, Landsat 8, and Sentinel-2 satellites with respect to forest/non-forest classification tasks using the random forest algorithm (RF). The results show that in the classification task of this paper, although the differences in classification accuracy among the three satellite datasets are not remarkable, the Sentinel-2 data have the highest accuracy, GF-1 WFV the second highest, and Landsat 8 the lowest. In addition, it was found that remotely sensed data of different processing levels show little influence on the classification accuracy with respect to the forest/non-forest classification task. However, the classification accuracy of the top of the atmosphere reflectance product was the most stable, and the vegetation index has a marginal effect on the distinction between forest and non-forest areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are subject to a huge variety of often competing socio-economic demands and environmental change. This paper assesses the related conflicts that occur along what we label to be a "Global Forest Environmental Frontier". Assessing 11 contributions to a special issue on the same topic, it summarizes the main contents of these papers and concludes with an assessment of major trends. The contributions to the special issue take both a regional and topic-related approach, assessing forest environmental conflicts on all five forested continents and investigating issues such as forest biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental justice and equity, development, and forest management and conservation discourses. Taken together, they provide an overview on the multiple facets of the Global Forest Environmental Frontier, but also identify some shared patterns and trajectories, which are outlined at the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Forested landscapes as multidisciplinary spaces contributing to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (modified from Mansourian [12]) However, forest landscapes are under pressure with the loss of forest areas by conversion to other land uses and degradation of existing forests, and reduced biodiversity. The paper of Jandl et al. ([11]) considers the strategy of non-management and of the reliance solely on natural forest dynamics as an optimal approach for adapting forests to climate change. Forests and forest landscapes, characterised by dominant forest areas with other embedded land uses, fulfil multiple essential ecosystem services (ES). With this, forests and forest landscapes may lose their characteristic structural and ecological features, and societies worldwide face diminishing levels of ecosystem services provided by forest landscapes. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Journal of Applied Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Camera traps became the main observational method of a myriad of species over large areas. Data sets from camera traps can be used to describe the patterns and monitor the occupancy, abundance, and richness of wildlife, essential information for conservation in times of rapid climate and land‐cover changes. Habitat loss and poaching are responsible for historical population losses of mammals in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, especially for medium to large‐sized species. Here we present a data set from camera trap surveys of medium to large‐sized native mammals (>1 kg) across the Atlantic Forest. We compiled data from 5380 ground‐level camera trap deployments in 3046 locations, from 2004 to 2020, resulting in 43,068 records of 58 species. These data add to existing data sets of mammals in the Atlantic Forest by including dates of camera operation needed for analyses dealing with imperfect detection. We also included, when available, information on important predictors of detection, namely the camera brand and model, use of bait, and obstruction of camera viewshed that can be measured from example pictures at each camera location. Besides its application in studies on the patterns and mechanisms behind occupancy, relative abundance, richness, and detection, the data set presented here can be used to study species' daily activity patterns, activity levels, and spatiotemporal interactions between species. Moreover, data can be used combined with other data sources in the multiple and expanding uses of integrated population modeling. An R script is available to view summaries of the data set. We expect that this data set will be used to advance the knowledge of mammal assemblages and to inform evidence‐based solutions for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest. The data are not copyright restricted; please cite this paper when using the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social forestry (SF) has long been implemented in production and protected forests in Indonesia. SF is considered to be a win–win solution for occupied and cultivated forest areas. The aim of this paper was to review the implementation of social forestry in Indonesia and its strengths and challenges. The secondary purpose was to synthesize the lessons learned and recommendations for the government about designing SF that can integrate the objective of forest biodiversity conservation and the social welfare of the surrounding communities. The study used a systematic literature review (SLR) of international and national peer-reviewed articles. The results of the study indicate that SF is intended to achieve benefits in three main areas: social, economic, and ecological. However, the review found that the ecological aspects of biodiversity conservation often receive less attention compared to the social and economic goals. A strong point of SF implementation is increasing community access to forest land use, while a challenge that must be resolved is that including communities in forest management can result in fragmentation and changes to animal habitats; thus, there is the potential for population decline and extinction. This study advises policymakers to pay more attention to ecological functions to ensure forest sustainability in SF development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has direct and indirect impacts on forest ecosystems worldwide. In this context, changing site conditions and altered disturbance regimes as well as forest management responses are challenging the conservation of biodiversity in forests. Climate-induced dynamics and uncertainties related to future forest ecosystem development are calling into question current conservation strategies and concepts. Given the longevity of trees, slow development rates of forest ecosystems and slow migration rates of many forest species, the planning of adaptation measures in response to climate change are especially difficult though highly important for forest biodiversity conservation. This paper introduces a special issue with eight contributions which deal with a variety of aspects of forest biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change. More specifically, the papers address direct impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity, adaptation measures for forest and conservation management, as well as resulting challenges for conservation strategies and concepts. In conclusion, adaptation measures that enhance diversity and provide different options for future action, thereby maintaining ecosystems' resilience, as well as conservation management operating on a landscape level, are promoted as being beneficial for coping with uncertainties related to climate change. Adaptive management, which constantly reviews conservation goals and measures, and which takes into account both science-based and local ecological knowledge on climate change can be a valuable tool to inform decisions for forest biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A primary prerequisite for the preservation of global diversity is often assumed to be a high level of naturalness. This paper reports a synthesis of naturalness definitions, distinctions between the concepts of naturalness and of hemeroby and an analysis of different naturalness assessment approaches. Naturalness may be commonly defined as ‘the similarity of a current ecosystem state to its natural state’. Hemeroby, a concept related to human impacts, is often associated with naturalness but, in principle, the two concepts are not inversely related. The hemeroby concept defines narrow assessment classes for greater hemeroby, whereas the naturalness concept defines narrow assessment classes for great naturalness. The rapidly increasing number of forest naturalness papers relies on the following main indicators in decreasing order of use: tree species, forest structure, fauna, ground vegetation and deadwood. A review of the literature on forest naturalness suggests four main reasons for the lack of a widely accepted approach for assessing naturalness: (1) the lack of a commonly accepted reference concept, (2) an incomplete list of essential naturalness traits, (3) unknown linkages between some naturalness traits and biodiversity and (4) the lack of an assessment approach that can be adapted for use at both regional and large scales. Following review of the literature on forest naturalness, a seven-level framework is presented to guide development of naturalness assessment approaches as a component of forest biodiversity monitoring and conservation management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil's Atlantic Forest is a biodiversity hotspot. Efforts to restore the forest must address the tradeoffs facing family farmers. In this paper, we combine literature review and empirical analysis to evaluate the ways in which an agroecological practice – Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) – can contribute to sustainable intensification in southern Brazil. Our results show that farmers adopting MIG obtained, in general, better economic and environmental performance, but did not completely renounce the use of external inputs. Forest cover appears to have increased since the promotion of MIG and agroecology in the region and pasture area decreased, therefore, benefiting forest conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prof. Liu Shirong, the associate editor-in-chief of the Journal of Resources and Ecology (JRE), was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in 2023. He has made significant contributions to China's ecological civilization through his work in natural forest conservation, restoration, and multipurpose forest management. Prof. Liu has a PhD in forest ecology and has conducted research in this field for over thirty years. He has published numerous academic papers and led national-level projects. His work has been recognized with awards, including the Second Prizes of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. [Extracted from the article]

Forest cover plays an important role in terms of biodiversity and the environment. The Beni Salah national forest in its part which is located in the Guelma province in the extreme northeast of Algeria is an illustrative example where forest fires represent the chronic phenomenon which weighs heavily on this forest. The present study comes after a forest fire that occurred in 2021, when 3 000 ha of this forest were ravaged by forest fires according to the conservation of forests of Guelma. The main objective of this research is to map the severity of burns and estimate the severely burned area using Sentinel-2 satellite images based on remote sensing indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Differenced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dNDVI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI), Differenced Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (dGNDVI), Burn Area Index (BAI) and Relativized Burn Ratio (RBR). The result obtained revealed that 28.23% of the study area represents a seriously burned area. The established burn severity map is a real decision-making tool, but it still has certain limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Mature forests have structural habitat features that can take hundreds of years to develop, and large reserves alone are unlikely to ensure conservation of the species that rely on these features. This paper outlines a proposed new approach to managing mature forest features, the ‘mature habitat management approach’, in areas outside of reserves. The objective was to maintain a network of current and future mature forest habitat distributed across the landscape. The approach is designed to complement the existing reserve network and management actions and is tenure‐blind. Spatial information on the availability of mature forest habitat at the local (1‐km radius) and landscape (5‐km radius) scales is used for decisions on retention within a 1‐km radius of a harvest area, to reach the minimum target of 20% and 30% retention of mature forest at the local and landscape spatial scales, respectively. We believe this approach could contribute to meeting the conservation needs of many species that require mature forest features for refuge and breeding in Tasmania and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat degradation and fragmentation are two of the main drivers for biodiversity loss. To mitigate the negative impact of fragmentation in forests, conservation targets are increasingly addressing connectivity to facilitate the independent movement of species between habitat fragments to ensure genetic diversity and adaptation to climate change. In this article, we present a novel approach to identifying and prioritizing stepping stones for preserving connectivity based on national and regional biodiversity data for Austrian forest ecosystems. Our study identified forest areas where conservation measures should be taken to ensure future habitat connectivity by combining four indicator values with different requirements of a stepping stone habitat into a prioritization value. The four compounded indicators are: (i) the Protect Value, which includes distances to patches of protected areas with restricted management for the undisturbed development of retention areas, (ii) the Connect Value, which combines datasets of designated habitat corridors and connectivity areas in Austria based on landscape models and expert validation, (iii) the Species Value identifying species‐rich areas, and (iv) the Habitat Value identifying biotopes of high ecological value, key biodiversity areas, and sites of favorable protection status. Nonparametric tests revealed significant differences in prioritization value among the ecoregions of Austria and therefore encourage the consideration of stepping stone prioritization at local and regional context. Building upon the insights from this case study on Austrian forest ecosystems, we developed a robust framework derived from our methodology. This framework is designed to facilitate future implementations in diverse study regions, accounting for factors beyond connectivity crucial for identifying high value stepping stone habitats. We encourage adaptation of this framework to local data availability, species requirements, and local conditions. The compiled framework provides decision support for managers and conservationists for prioritizing areas to conserve and improve connectivity of forest habitats. However, it does not substitute on‐the‐ground field assessments of habitat quality and measures of functional connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the degradation of forest ecosystems, their habitats and the loss of species, many formal conservation policies and voluntary forest conservation tools have been proposed and implemented. The woodland key habitat (WKH) is one such initiative that aims to protect biodiversity. This generally involves two key actions: (i) the creation of policy (conservation action) and (ii) the consequences of the policy or initiative in the field. However, the final step of measuring their success in the field is often missing. The aim of this study is to assess the contribution of the WKH initiative to conserve biodiversity in Lithuania. We compared the changes in spatial distribution, species assemblages and richness within the WKH network between 2005 and 2017. Results showed that the spatial distribution of WKHs decreased in number and by area after 12 years. However, species occurrence, abundance and richness of the WHK network generally increased. In conclusion, we found the WKH initiative has contributed to the conservation of forest habitats and biodiversity in Lithuania. However, the future of the WKH network is uncertain due to the current voluntary system, lack of support and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biotropica is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Arboreal mammals are a group of special concern. We reviewed the available literature to summarize the overall potential effects of forest habitat disturbances on dormice ecology and population parameters. We took into consideration the influence of forest structure, area size and fragmentation, vegetation biodiversity, forestry treatments, and the development of road networks. The vast majority of studies have only examined two species, hazel and edible dormouse, while the ecological requirements and conservation priorities of forest, garden, and Japanese dormice have rarely been studied. There has been a substantial increase in the number of dormice studies; however, many aspects of their ecology are still unknown. The current state of knowledge points to the essential role of the complex vertical structure of forest vegetation in providing arboreal movement corridors and safe nesting places for dormice species. Moreover, dormice species are cavity dwellers that depend on the presence of old trees and nest boxes, which could have ambiguous effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantification of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) and multi-taxon biodiversity is pivotal to the implementation of forest conservation policies, which are crucial under the current climate change scenarios. We assessed the capacity of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data to quantify biodiversity indices related to both forest beetle and bird communities and TreMs, calculating the species richness and types of saproxylic and epixylic TreMs using the Shannon index. As biodiversity predictors, 240 ALS-derived metrics were calculated: 214 were point-cloud based, 14 were pixel-level from the canopy height model, and 12 were RGB spectral statistics. We used the random forests algorithm to predict species richness and the Shannon diversity index, using the field plot measures as dependent variables and the ALS-derived metrics as predictors for each taxon and TreMs type. The final models were used to produce wall-to-wall maps of biodiversity indices. The Shannon index produced the best performance for each group considered, with a mean difference of −6.7%. Likewise, the highest R2 was for the Shannon index (0.17, against 0.14 for richness). Our results confirm the importance of ALS data in assessing forest biodiversity indicators that are relevant for monitoring forest habitats. The proposed method supports the quantification and monitoring of the measures needed to implement better forest stands and multi-taxon biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to examine the contribution of cocoa-based agroforestry systems (CAFS) in the conservation of native tree species of nearby forests. The study was conducted in two sites in Mbankomo sub-division of Cameroon, where a field inventory was carried out in both land use systems in 26 sample plots of 30 × 30 m each, in 20 cocoa agroforest plots and six adjacent secondary forests plots. Tree diversity, composition and structure in the cocoa agroforests and secondary forests were characterized, α-diversity was evaluated and similarity/dissimilarity of species composition assessed using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). The results reveal that all the CAFS appear to conserve 46 % of forest tree species found in nearby forests. This may be justified by the multipurpose use of forest tree species during the implementation and the evolution of the CAFS on a spatial-temporal scale. CAFS harbored lower forest tree species diversity at the plot level compared to nearby forest stands meanwhile the non-parametric estimator suggested that both land uses conserve approximately the same species richness. Mean values for species richness, the Shannon and reciprocal Simpsons indices diversity, stem density and basal area were significantly higher in forests than in CAFS ( p < 0.001). The NMDS showed a clear dissimilarity which was confirmed by the R = 0.998 and p value = 0.009 of the analysis of similarities test between cocoa agroforests and forest stands. In conclusion, the results show that CAFS can serve as reservoirs for the conservation of forest tree species; this can be expanded if the issue of ownership of timber forest trees is addressed in the forest law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protecting forests provides potential synergies for both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Payments for ecosystem services (PES) schemes are commonly used to promote biodiversity conservation in private forests, and including carbon as another target may be a cost-efficient way to promote both goals. We analyse a hypothetical reform on a forest biodiversity PES scheme by supplementing it with a carbon payment paid to landowners for also providing carbon benefits. With a site selection model, we examine how the proposed scheme could promote biodiversity and carbon values, and what level of the carbon payment would provide the highest synergy gains. We found that introducing the payment promotes both targets, but there is a temporal trade-off between selecting sites with high carbon storage or sites with good sequestration potential. The highest synergy gains are obtained in most cases by a second-best payment level of 10–20 € tCO2−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant diversity is an important parameter in maintaining forest ecosystem services, functions and stability. Timely and accurate monitoring and evaluation of large-area wall-to-wall maps on plant diversity and its spatial heterogeneity are crucial for the conservation and management of forest resources. However, traditional botanical field surveys designed to estimate plant diversity are usually limited in their spatiotemporal resolutions. Using Sentinel-1 (S-1) and Sentinel-2 (S-2) data at high spatiotemporal scales, combined with and referenced to botanical field surveys, may be the best choice to provide accurate plant diversity distribution information over a large area. In this paper, we predicted and mapped plant diversity in a subtropical forest using 24 months of freely and openly available S-1 and S-2 images (10 m × 10 m) data over a large study area (15,290 km2). A total of 448 quadrats (10 m × 10 m) of forestry field surveys were captured in a subtropical evergreen-deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest to validate a machine learning algorithm. The objective was to link the fine Sentinel spectral and radar data to several ground-truthing plant diversity indices in the forests. The results showed that: (1) The Simpson and Shannon-Wiener diversity indices were the best predicted indices using random forest regression, with ȓ2 of around 0.65; (2) The use of S-1 radar data can enhance the accuracy of the predicted heterogeneity indices in the forests by approximately 0.2; (3) As for the mapping of Simpson and Shannon-Wiener, the overall accuracy was 67.4% and 64.2% respectively, while the texture diversity's overall accuracy was merely 56.8%; (4) From the evaluation and prediction map information, the Simpson, Shannon-Wiener and texture diversity values (and its confidence interval values) indicate spatial heterogeneity in pixel level. The large-area forest plant diversity indices maps add spatially explicit information to the ground-truthing data. Based on the results, we conclude that using the time-series of S-1 and S-2 radar and spectral characteristics, when coupled with limited ground-truthing data, can provide reasonable assessments of plant spatial heterogeneity and diversity across wide areas. It could also help promote forest ecosystem and resource conservation activities in the forestry sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest composition is a faithful indicator of the stressors and disturbances that influence forest ecosystems, and it should be accounted for in Sustainable Forest Management policies. Indeed, the classification of forest ecosystems in forest types is considered as a key tool to improve the assessment and monitoring of forest biological diversity, and for the definition of management guidelines. Accordingly, the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe has recognized the need of developing a pan-European forest classification in forest types, and has identified indicators of Sustainable Forest Management that should be applied by forest types. The classification of vegetation has always been among the main aims of the plant sociology. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of plant species composition, performed through the plant sociological approach, condenses compositional and structural information within a hierarchical system, and expresses all historical, sociological and habitat factors that influence the actual and potential vegetation. In a modern perspective the integration of plant sociology and ecological analysis represents a key to a hierarchical land classification and to the understanding of vegetation dynamics; furthermore the long history of plant sociology determined the availability of large datasets of vegetation data throughout Europe. Starting from these considerations, in this paper we briefly describe how plant sociology could represent a tool for the assessment of the indicators of SFM that should be applied by forest types, giving insights on how this discipline could contribute to the assessment of each of these indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Priority-setting approaches and tools are commons ways to support the rapid extinction of species and their habitats and the effective allocation of resources for their conservation. The Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) approach is a method for the identification of fine-scale priority areas for conservation. This process led bottom-up has been used in the Upper Guinea Forest Ecosystem of West Africa where human-induced changes have increased the extinction risk of several endemic and threatened species. The irreplaceability and vulnerability criteria commonly used in conservation planning have been used to identify key biodiversity areas in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Point locality data were compiled from scientific reports, papers published in scientific journals and museum records. The delineation was conducted following a series of decision rules. In most cases existing IBA polygons and protected areas boundaries were used. For the new sites, temporary boundaries have been drawn and will be confirmed with land-use data. Preliminary KBA data were reviewed by specialists during formal workshops. One hundred and fifty four KBA have been identified in the five countries with 202 globally threatened species. Currently 63% of the KBA are protected. Two AZE sites still exist in the region. This assessment is a first step and is driven from the best available data at the time. There is a need to refine it with recent biodiversity surveys to assist decision-makers in achieving their conservation management goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest planning in Sweden today translates not only into planning of timber production, but also for the provision of other functions and services. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods provide a way to take also non-monetary values into account in planning. The purpose of this study was to gain experience on how to use a forest decision support system combined with an MCDA tool in practical forestry. We used a new forest planning tool, PlanWise, which includes an integrated MCDA module, PlanEval. Using the software, the decision maker can compare different forest plans and evaluate them against his/her objectives in a structured and analytical manner. The analysis thus provides a ranking of the alternatives based on the individual preferences of the decision maker. PlanEval and the MCDA planning process are described in a case study, where the manager of a forest estate in southwestern Sweden used the program to compare different forest plans made for the estate. In the paper, we analyze possibilities and challenges of this approach and identify problems such as the adherence to formal requirements of MCDA techniques and the difficulty of comparing maps. Possibilities to expedite an MCDA planning process further are also discussed. The findings confirm that integration of an MCDA tool with a forest decision support system is valuable, but requires expert assistance to be successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale private forests cover large areas in Europe and often contain structures and habitats of high nature conservation value that are increasingly put under pressure due to a rising interest in fuelwood and wood products. We investigate the distribution of variables like living tree and deadwood volumes, management intensity, diversity and density of tree-related microhabitats recorded in 81 small-scale private forest parcels in the Lower Saxon Hills (northwest Germany). We provide an assessment of the influence of predictors like the individual forest owners' goals and activities, as stated by them in a quantitative survey, as well as landscape parameters like parcel size, slope, landscape fragmentation and forest continuity. Our results indicate that there are two types of structures of conservation value in small-scale private forests: slowly evolving structures (type A) like large-diameter living trees and tree-related microhabitats which mostly depend on landscape parameters that act on longer time scales, and fast evolving structures (type B) like deadwood that are influenced by both owner attitudes and landscape parameters. The resulting implications for integrative forest and conservation management are discussed. When considering the conservation of the slowly evolving type A structures, long-term commitments to conservation legislation, financial incentives and generation-spanning education of forest owners are necessary. Efforts to promote the faster evolving type B structures might prove particularly advantageous in small-scale private forests given the structural diversity of the stands, but also the often strong identification of owners with their land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affem Boussou community forest (AFC) abounds in important biological resources. This study, which contributes to its better management, examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of the vegetation and its ecological and structural characteristics to propose a zoning plan for said forest. The analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use in the AFC from Google Earth images of 2015, 2018, and 2021 revealed a regressive trend of formations: crops and fallows (−33.98%), dense dry forests (−7.92%), gallery forests (−3.46%), plantations (−100%), grassy savannahs, and meadows (−18.84%), except for tree/shrub savannahs (484.23%). The floristic inventory identified 163 species divided into 129 genera and 55 families. Fabaceae (14.02%), and Combretaceae (10.55%) are the most represented families. Anogeissus leiocarpa (5.19%) and Vitellaria paradoxa (4.72%) are the most frequent species. We note the dominance of individuals of small diameters. The regeneration potential of the AFC is 64 feet/ha due to 21 feet/ha of suckers, 29 feet/ha of seedlings, and 14 feet/ha of shoots. As a zoning plan, the AFC was subdivided into four zones: the agroforestry zone (18.80%), the sustainable production forest zone (42.22%), the buffer zone (11%), and the biological conservation zone (28%). These results constitute a scientific basis for testing ecological indicators of the sustainable management of community forests in Togo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to management for forest products, an increasing priority in the management of forests is the provision and maintenance of ecosystem services. They found that nematodes reacted quickly to wind damage in forests with a loss of community structure and diversity in beech forests, but not in spruce forests. [Extracted from the article]

This paper is preliminary part of a long-term and comprehensive monitoring of forest resources in Eden and Dibibi, Quirino Province. The general aim was to present various biodiversity values and functions of trees. Pilot quadrat sampling was used to yield preliminary data on canopy composition and undergrowth tree species. For purposes of the long-term assessment, canopy trees are those individuals having 20cm dbh and higher; undergrowth having <20cm dbh. Various indices were utilized to measure and compare forest strata, diversity, morphology and physiognomy. Species Importance Values and Carbon sequestration formulas were used to glean the functionality of canopy trees. Both forest sites resemble Tropical Lowland Evergreen- and Semi-Evergreen Rainforest formations. General diversity is moderate (H'Eden=2.65; H'Dibibi=2.26) and species composition is heterogeneous (βcc=0.745). At least 18.75% of canopy and undergrowth species are found endemic to the Philippines. Jaccard and Sorenson Indices on forests (collectively and individually) denote that canopy and undergrowth layers are dissimilar. Estimates of AGB and Carbon storage fall below the per-hectare figures given in authoritative literatures. The forests, have ecological and economic potentials. However, only species that abundant in number can be expected to be resilient to disturbances. Other observations can be used as bases for community-based rehabilitation and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how landscape pattern changes impact forest biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management is crucial. This study evaluated the biodiversity maintenance capacity (BMC) of forest landscapes in Beijing, China from 2005 to 2020 based on habitat quality and carbon sink. For this, the moving window method was employed to compute landscape indices that depict variations in landscape patterns, including intermixing, connectivity, diversity, and compactness. Lastly, the relationship between landscape pattern changes and the BMC of forest landscapes was investigated using a combination of spatial correlation analysis and geographic weighted regression measurement models. The results showed the following. (1) The average BMC increased from 0.798 to 0.822. Spatially, 84.14% of the areas experienced an improvement, mainly in the mountainous region. In contrast, a decrease was observed in 4.03% of the areas, primarily concentrated in the transition zone between mountains and suburban plain. (2) The landscape pattern changed dramatically from 2005 to 2020. Landscape intermixing and compactness decreased slightly by 11.45% and 7.82%, while landscape connectivity and diversity increased significantly by 64.28% and 55.44%, respectively. (3) The BMC's global Moran's I values in 2005 and 2020 were 0.711 and 0.782, respectively, signifying a spatial bipolar agglomeration pattern. (4) Among the four selected landscape indices, the compactness was found to be the most critical factor. It attained a positive contribution to forests with high BMC, but had a negative impact on forests with low BMC. The results could provide a reference for planners coordinating forest management and biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural disturbance-based management (NDBM) aims to maintain specific structural and compositional attributes of natural forests in managed stands. Operationally, NDBM relies on diversifying and adapting silvicultural practices, including partial harvesting (PC), to expand the range of options beyond that of simply clearcuts (CC). Established in 1998, the Sylviculture et Aménagement Forestier Écosystémique (SAFE) project evaluates this potential in hardwood, mixedwood, and coniferous stands in northwestern Québec, Canada. Our results confirmed a part of the NDBM objectives, i.e., PC allowed the maintenance of stands with mixed structure and composition, constituting an interesting complement to CC, which reset stand regeneration. However, PC did not accelerate the stand transition to later stages with less intensive harvesting or to earlier stages with more intensive harvesting. We essentially had an initial impact, delaying or stopping the stand evolution that dissipates over time and more quickly with less intensive harvesting. Furthermore, our results did not support the ability of PC to enhance the development of old-growth attributes like deadwood. Despite the 20-year horizon of this study, further field surveys will be required in the future to better understand the impact of different silvicultural treatments on forest productivity and biodiversity preservation throughout a forest rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retention of structural elements such as deadwood and habitat trees at the level of forest stands has been promoted to integrate biodiversity conservation into multiple‐use forest management. The conservation value of habitat trees is largely determined by the presence, richness, and abundance of tree‐related microhabitats (TreMs). Since TreMs are often lacking in intensively managed forests, an important question of forest conservation is how the abundance and richness of TreMs may be effectively restored. Here, we investigated whether the strict protection of forest through cessation of timber harvesting influenced TreM occurrence at tree and stand levels. For that purpose, we compared four managed and four set‐aside stands (0.25 ha each) in the Białowieża Forest, with identical origin following clear‐cuts approximately 100 years ago. We found that the abundance and richness of TreMs on living trees were not significantly different between stands that were either conventionally managed or where active forest management ceased 52 years ago. Yet, our analysis of TreMs on tree species with contrasting life‐history traits revealed that short‐lived, fast‐growing species (pioneers) developed TreMs quicker than longer‐lived, slower‐growing species. Hence, tree species such as Populus or Betula, which supply abundant and diverse TreMs, can play an important role in accelerating habitat restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gamut of abiotic and biotic factors is related to the amount of above-ground biomass (AGB) produced in ecosystems. Some factors have direct and others indirect relationships with AGB. Detailed analyses in tropical forests are few but much needed for better understanding the potential impacts of global change drivers and for mitigating impacts. Here, we examined the relationship between AGB and different predictor variables and quantitatively evaluated their relative importance in lowland to lower montane deciduous and lower montane – montane evergreen forest types. We hypothesised that the relationship between AGB and climate, topography, structural diversity, species diversity (alpha and beta) and phylogenetic diversity would differ between the two forest types. We inventoried trees from 114 plots (each 0.1 ha) and used partial least square structural equation modelling to test the direct and indirect relationship between AGB and the predictor variables. We found that structural diversity variables, stem density and tree girth, were significantly and positively related to AGB in both forest types, displaying a stronger relationship in montane evergreen forests (w = 0.65 for density and 0.89 for tree girth). In the deciduous forest, alpha and phylogenetic diversity were also important factors, whereas beta and phylogenetic diversity were important in the evergreen forest. The effects of topography and climate varied between forest types, with elevation and precipitation being related to AGB directly and indirectly through their relationship with structural diversity. Our results suggest that structural diversity is a key driver of tropical forest biomass, both directly and indirectly. This fundamental understanding can aid in the predictive efforts of biodiversity conservation and forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swedish policies aim at conserving biological production, biodiversity, cultural heritage and recreational assets. This requires compositionally and structurally functional networks of representative habitats, the processes that maintain them, and resilient ecosystems. The term green infrastructure (GI) captures this. We review (1) policy concerning forest biodiversity conservation from the 1990s; (2) the implementation outputs, including the formulation of short-term and evidence-based long-term goals for protected areas, education, and the development of hierarchical spatial planning; (3) the consequences in terms of formally protected and voluntarily set-aside forest stands, as well as conservation management and habitat restoration. We assess the successes and failures regarding policy, outputs and consequences, discuss challenges to be addressed, and suggest solutions. Policies capture evidence-based knowledge about biodiversity, and evidence-based conservation planning as an output. However, the desired consequences are not met on the ground. Thus, the amount of formally protected and voluntary set-aside forests are presently too low, and have limited quality and poor functional connectivity. GI functionality is even declining because of forestry intensification, and insufficient conservation. Challenges include limited collaborative learning among forest and conservation planners, poor funding to conserve forest habitats with sufficient size, quality and connectivity, and national politics that ignores evidence-based knowledge. As solutions, we highlight the need for diversification of forest management systems with a landscape perspective that matches forest owner objectives and regional social-ecological contexts. This requires integrative approaches to knowledge production, learning and spatial planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat loss and natural vegetation fragmentation are significant causes of global biodiversity decline, impacting plant and animal species negatively. This issue is worrisome in the private areas of Cerrado in Brazil, which is the second-largest biome, considered a hotspot for biodiversity conservation, and a provider of ecosystem services. Herein, we present a novel integrated approach to define priority areas for biodiversity conservation and environmental compensation in Cerrado, using multicriteria analysis. Our approach combines variables like deforestation projection, integral index of connectivity, threatened species occurrence, and environmental information of rural properties, ranking the importance of remaining native vegetation for biodiversity conservation and forest certificate issuance. Landscape metrics were used to observe and predict land use and land cover changes from 1988 to 2038. We found a loss of native vegetation in the Cerrado superior to 20% between 1988 and 2018, associated with increased of its fragmentation and its connectivity loss, especially after 2008. Natural cover was replaced mostly by pasture and more recently by agriculture. Moreover, we determined that is expected a loss of native vegetation of around 55% by 2038 in the study area. The proposed approach can predict the consequences of future changes in the landscape of the private areas in the Cerrado biome. It should be replicated in other ecosystems, supporting the decision-making process for biodiversity protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private forests have the potential to mitigate biodiversity loss and improve community livelihoods. However, information on the socio-ecological factors that drive their establishment and long-term management are limited. This study aimed to narrow this gap by assessing the potential of privately-owned forests in conserving biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of communities in northern Burkina Faso. Floristic data were collected within 26 plots (900 m2 each) equally distributed between private Gourga forest, established in 1980) and its adjacent communal areas. Sixty-three (63) private landowners were interviewed in order to underpin their motivations and associated traditional knowledge and a stakeholder's workshop was conducted to develop conservation models for private forests and participatory implementation roadmap. Findings revealed that species richness was 132 in the Gourga forest and 85 in the communal areas, highlighting the importance of private forest in species conservation. Local communities recognized the provisioning (36.46%), regulating (28.46%) and supporting (22.48%) of ecosystem services provided by the Gourga forest as motivating factors. The main barriers to their establishment and management include lack of financial resources (35%), scarce lands (26%) and human pressures (8%). The implementation of private forests will need to be supported by the enactment of a secure land tenure policy, as well as payment for ecosystem services (PES) policies, incentivizing locals. We suggest decision makers mainstream privately-owned lands into national conservation strategies and design incentives policies to motivate local communities' engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoculture may drastically reduce biodiversity and change communities' structure due to habitat simplification. Plantations of Schizolobium amazonicum Huber ex Ducke ('paricá') has been expanding in the Amazon region due to the increased demand for veneer and plywood production. Our objective was to assess whether bird communities in paricá plantations and forested areas differ in terms of composition, richness, abundance, trophic structure, and functional trait composition. This study was conducted in young paricá plantations (1 to 5 years) and forest fragments in eastern Amazon, state of Pará, Brazil. We sampled birds in five plantation sites (each paired with a nearby forested area) using both the point-count method and mist nets. We recorded 208 bird species, 132 in forest fragments and 94 in plantations. Comparatively, habitats showed distinct species composition and trait composition, with few shared species (n = 18). Paricá plantations did not support forest species, while forest fragments harbored specialized bird communities that are more sensitive to environmental change as well as endangered species. In this way, the protection of these forested areas surrounding paricá plantations is a priority for forest biodiversity conservation, given the rapid deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tens of thousands of species are at risk of extinction globally. In many ecosystems, species declines are associated with deforestation. However, forest degradation also can profoundly affect biodiversity. I present a detailed case study of species declines associated with forest degradation in southeastern Australia's montane ash (Eucalyptus spp.) forests. The case study is based on ~40 years of long-term monitoring focused on declines (and potential extinction trajectories) of arboreal marsupials and birds, with a particular emphasis on key drivers, especially logging, wildfire, habitat loss, climate change, and interactions among these drivers. I discuss policy failures contributing to species declines, including ongoing logging of high-conservation-value forests, poor regulation of forest management, and inadequate design of reserves. I conclude with general lessons for better conservation and forest management efforts aimed at reducing forest degradation and loss of ecosystem integrity. I contend that ongoing logging in already highly degraded montane ash forests is inconsistent with the Australian government's commitment at the Glasgow COP26 meeting in 2021 on halting forest degradation. Similarly, the Australian Government has committed to preventing further extinctions in Australia, yet its current support for ongoing logging in montane ash forests through federal–state legislation will likely promote extinctions for some species. The inherent conflicts and contradictions between conservation and logging policies need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Deforestation of the Atlantic Forest of eastern Paraguay has been recent but extensive, resulting in a fragmented landscape highly influenced by forest edges. We examined edge effects on multiple dimensions of small mammalian diversity. Location: Forest fragments of eastern Paraguayan Atlantic Forest. Methods: We trapped small mammal species at different distances from the forest edge (DTE) in reserves and estimated multiple dimensions of diversity per site. Similarity analysis identified species clusters that best described the patterns of diversity across reserves. Multivariate ordination and linear mixed models were used to determine the influence of DTE on various dimensions of small mammal diversity. Results: There was an increase in richness and abundance along a DTE gradient, and remnants with higher edge:area ratios showed higher richness and abundance, independent of remnant size. Species at edges were generalists, open‐habitat species or exotic species (spillover effect). We found higher phylogenetic diversity and functional richness and divergence towards forest edges. Spillover of non‐forest and invasive species best explained richness, generalist forest species best explained total abundance, abundance of Hylaeamys megacephalus best explained diversity and evenness metrics and the presence of Marmosa paraguayana best explained various phylogenetic diversity models. None of the models that included megafauna or social factors were shown to be important in explaining patterns as a function of DTE. Main Conclusions: We found strong support for a spillover effect and mixed support for complementary resource use and enhanced habitat resources associated with ecotones. Generalists characterized edge assemblages but not all generalists were equivalent. Edges showed more phylogenetically and functionally distinct assemblages than the interior of remnants. There was a conservation of functional diversity; however, open‐habitat species, habitat generalists and exotic species boosted diversity near forest edges. Mechanisms governing diversity along forest edges are complex; disentangling those mechanisms necessitates the use of multiple dimensions of diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fifty-year study of land cover changes in Ghana's south-eastern region is conducted to identify major shifts and new avenues for justifiable growth and development. This study sought to assess the historical changes (1970–2020) associated with the region's land use systems, topography and land surface temperature. It further investigated the relationship between some given remotely sensed variables using autocorrelation and geoinformatics. Findings proved socio-political and economic factors have caused massive shift in land cover and prevailing climatic conditions through increasing settlements and migration, the extensiveness of agriculture, poverty, unregulated and unreported logging of trees, small-scale mining intensification, and weak governance systems. We discovered that the natural vegetation had dramatically reduced (− 52.01%), whilst built-up (+ 406.05%), farmlands/shrubs (+ 86.47%), and waterbodies (+ 47.35) were faced with a drastic increase. Class contribution rates show built environment massively influenced land modification, compared to other surveyed classes. In light of the major influences observed, it can be concluded that dynamics in land-use systems caused a substantial drift in local temperature. Temperature and built-up index correlated strongly (R2 =0.959, p <.0001) , whilst depicting a negative association against vegetation (R2 =0.959, p <.0001) and water index (R2 = 0.958, p <.0001). Variance assessment proved that the linear correlation model for the understudied elements is suitable. The study provides policy guidance amid sustainability concerns on streamlining land use activities in development planning and preservation of forests and river ecosystems that protect flora and fauna to enhance biodiversity and sustainable use of land and water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large quantities of dead wood can be generated by disturbances such as wildfires. Dead trees created by disturbances play many critical ecological roles in forest ecosystems globally. The ability of deadwood to serve its ecological roles is contingent, in part, on the length of time trees remain standing following disturbance. Here, we briefly outline the results of a 10‐year study that aimed to quantify the rate of collapse of trees killed in a major wildfire in the wet ash forests of mainland south‐eastern Australia. We also quantified the factors associated with dead tree collapse. Our analyses revealed that 23% of 417 measured trees collapsed between 2011 and 2021. The most parsimonious model of the factors influencing tree collapse revealed a strong effect of diameter; smaller diameter trees were more likely to collapse over the 10 years of our study than larger diameter trees. In addition, trees in small and large patches were more likely to collapse than trees in contiguous forest (where there had been no logging in the surrounding area). If current rates of tree fall are maintained, then many of trees initially measured will have collapsed by 2030. Such losses of dead trees will have major negative effects on key values of ash‐type forests such as biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing forests for biodiversity conservation while maintaining economic output is a major challenge globally and requires accurate and timely monitoring of imperiled species. In the Pacific Northwest, USA, forest management is heavily influenced by the status of northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina), which have been in continued population decline for the past four decades. The monitoring program for northern spotted owls is transitioning from mark–resight surveys to a passive acoustic framework, requiring development of alternative analysis approaches. To maintain relevance for conservation and management, these analyses must accurately track underlying population changes, identify responses to disturbance, and estimate occupancy of owl pairs. We randomly selected and surveyed 5‐km2 hexagons for 6 weeks using passive acoustic monitoring in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and the Oregon Coast Range during the 2018 spotted owl breeding season. We used a convolutional neural network to identify spotted owl calls, followed by logistic regression to determine the sex of vocalizing owls to assign pair status. We implemented multistate occupancy models to estimate probabilities of detection, species‐level landscape use, and pair occupancy of spotted owls. We also quantified detections of barred owls (Strix varia), a congeneric competitor and important driver of spotted owl population declines. The overall rate of hexagon use by spotted owls was estimated at 0.21 (SD 0.04) after adjusting for imperfect detection, and pair occupancy was 0.07 (SD 0.02). The probability of detecting a pair (i.e., both female and male) during a weekly occasion was relatively low (0.03, SD 0.01), indicating that true pair occupancy was between 1.3 and 4.1 times greater than the proportion of hexagons with observed pair detections. Barred owls were ubiquitous, with a naïve occupancy rate of 0.97. The intensity of calling by barred owls had a weak, negative effect on the probability of spotted owls being paired when present but had little measurable effect on their detectability. This work establishes a framework that may be effective for spotted owl population monitoring and illustrates that pairs have very low detection probability, which—combined with increasingly low numbers of spotted owl pairs—is an important consideration for conservation and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Analyze the multiple dimensions of biodiversity under a local and landscape lens in natural habitats, such as Amazonian savannas, is fundamental for the conservation of species and ecosystems. Objectives: We aim to explore how landscape forest cover and patch-level variables affect the patterns of species abundance, functional traits, and taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic α-diversity of Phyllostomid bats in forest patches of the Savannas of Amapá, in both the wet and dry seasons. Methods: We used mist nets to survey bats in 26 forest patches. We also quantified forest cover in buffers of 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500 m around each patch, and tree height, basal area, canopy cover, and vegetation clutter in the understorey at the patch level. We used hierarchical partitioning to relate the different indices with our predictor variables. Results: Taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in the wet season increased with the proportion of forest cover in the 2500 m buffer. Vegetation clutter was negatively related to taxonomic and functional diversity in the wet season. In the dry season, average tree height positively affected taxonomic and functional diversity. Patch-level variables were more important than forest cover in explaining the average functional traits in both seasons. Conclusion: We found seasonal variation in the relationships between components of bat diversity and different drivers. Since both forest cover in the landscape and patch-level variables are important for Phyllostomid bat diversity, conservation plans should consider forest conservation at the landscape level and maintenance of forest patch quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable conservation of forest flora species is dependent on local conservation strategies. In the past, fringe communities of the Ambalara Forest Reserve were excluded from its conservation. In contemporary times, the participation of fringe communities in the conservation of forest flora species of the Ambalara Forest Reserve has been strengthened due to the Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) initiative. This study examines the impact of strategies used by local actors such as the land priest (tendaana), sectional heads, chiefs (naamene), diviners, women leaders (magazias) and youth groups on forest flora species of the forest reserve. The strategies used by local actors are taboos, creation of traditional firebelts, revered tree species, bans and awareness creation. The study reveals that, fringe communities endorse the chiefs (naamene) and the land priests (tendaana) as the most effective actors in the conservation of forest flora species of the reserve and the traditional fire belt creation as the most effective conservation strategy. The study concludes that, there exist local management actors and strategies in the conservation of forest flora species of the forest reserve, and fringe communities and the reserve are impacted positively by means of their engagement in alternative livelihood activities and species richness of forest flora species respectively. It is recommended that traditional awareness creation should be intensified by the chiefs and elders on the need to conserve forest flora species of the reserve for future generations and as a form of mitigating the effects of climate change on biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest management affects conditions for both early‐ and late‐seral organisms, and managers and conservationists require information for balancing the ostensibly opposing habitat needs of both these guilds. We conducted meta‐analyses that examined silvicultural systems with a range of postharvest retention and their impacts on mature‐forest and shrubland bird species densities in eastern North America during the breeding season. Densities of mature‐forest bird species generally declined as canopy tree retention and basal area decreased, although some mature‐forest species had similar densities among unharvested and partially harvested (e.g., first‐entry shelterwood) stands, and others had their highest densities in shelterwoods. We conducted a previous meta‐analysis study, which showed most shrubland bird species in the region increase with harvest intensity, but some shrubland species had similar densities in clearcuts and shelterwoods. Given the contrasting effects of harvest intensity on the two avian guilds, we used Partners‐in‐Flight conservation values to generate objective community‐wide conservation indices relative to postharvest tree retention. Clearcuts and shelterwoods typically had the highest conservation values, and unharvested and lightly thinned stands (70%–100% tree retention) had the lowest conservation scores. Many declining shrubland bird species of conservation concern are abundant in low‐retention stands, thus elevating the conservation value of these stands. Additionally, high conservation values of harvested stands with 40%–70% tree retention represent the presence of both shrubland and mature‐forest species; the latter are potentially responding to enhanced understory structure needed for avian nesting or foraging. In contrast, contemporary closed‐canopy forests in eastern North America are generally characterized by low structural diversity and are mid‐seral stands due to historical patterns of land use and tree harvesting. Although avian community conservation values were lowest in high‐retention stands and many other threatened, non‐avian taxa depend on open‐canopy, managed forests, managers should note that late‐seral, unharvested stands can provide important habitat for old‐growth‐dependent taxa and any intensive forestry should also take into account other factors. Considering the growing interest in using postharvest retention of canopy trees to meet ecological objectives, our novel synthesis can assist managers in assessing species‐specific and community‐wide avian responses to tree retention levels along the entire gradient of canopy treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are hundreds of scientific papers dealing with the issues of biodiversity and extinction debt in temperate forests, both of which are partly related to the absence of deadwood. Some studies have derived habitat thresholds for deadwood (according to species, size, spatial distribution) as baselines for management recommendations. But a majority of studies have one important knowledge gap – how long does it take for deadwood to decompose? To derive the residence time of deadwood, we used a 40-year time series of 4 censuses in European lowland hardwood temperate forests. The deadwood residence of 2252 logs of 5 main tree species was calculated using Bayesian Survival Trajectory Analysis. Pedunculate oak ( Quercus robur ) had the longest residence time, with the largest logs decomposing for an average of 62 years. Next was narrow-leaved ash ( Fraxinus angustifolia ) with a residence time of about 42 years. Field maple ( Acer campestre ) and hornbeam ( Carpinus betulus ) had a similar residence time – with the largest logs averaging 37–39 years. Elm ( Ulmus sp.) had the fastest decomposition of large-sized logs – estimated at 24 years. Generally, small-sized logs of all investigated species decomposed quickly. Conversely, large-sized logs of hornbeam and ash decomposed as quickly as their intermediate-sized logs. Large-sized logs of elm decayed even faster than intermediate-sized logs. An analysis of the position of field maple logs during decomposition showed that those decomposing in the air or in water decomposed slower than logs “on the ground”, with a half-life of 40 years (compared to 28 years on the ground) and a residence time of 54 years (44 years on the ground). Our results suggest that the management of deadwood should focus on (i) leaving the largest logs, which took the longest time to reach advanced decay stages, and (ii) a diversified approach regarding the individual residence time of different tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Deforestation is a leading cause of biodiversity loss and an important source of global carbon emissions. This means that there are important synergies between climate policy and conservation policy. The highest rates of deforestation occur in tropical countries, where much of the land at the forest frontier is managed informally by smallholders and where governance systems tend to be weak. These features must be considered when designing policies to reduce emissions from deforestation such as REDD +. Deforestation is often accompanied by fires that release large amounts of carbon dioxide. These emissions are especially high in the case of peatlands which contain thick layers of carbon-rich matter. In this paper we derive marginal abatement cost (MAC) curves using data from a farmer survey in Sumatra, where rates of peatland deforestation are high. Comparing these results with farmers' stated willingness to accept payment not to clear forest to establish oil palm suggests that REDD + policies may be more expensive than MAC estimates suggest The extent to which this is true depends on the types of soils being deforested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are critical for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation: reducing emissions, increasing removals, and providing resilient ecosystems with stable long‐term carbon storage. However, evaluating the mitigation effectiveness of forests managed for conservation versus commodity production has been long debated. We assessed factors influencing evaluation of mitigation effectiveness––land area, time horizon, reference level, carbon stock longevity––and tested the outcomes using analyses of carbon dynamics from an Australian ecosystem. Results showed that landscape scale accounting using carbon carrying capacity as the reference level and assessed over a series of time horizons best enables explicit evaluation of mitigation benefits. Time horizons need to differentiate between near‐term emissions reduction targets (2030 and 2050), relative longevity of carbon stocks in different reservoirs, and long‐term impacts on atmospheric CO2 concentration. Greatest mitigation benefits derive from conservation through continued forest growth (52% gain in carbon stock by 2050) and accumulating carbon to attain carbon retention potential (70% gain). Cumulative emissions from harvesting result in permanent elevation of atmospheric CO2 concentration (32 times the annual emission by rotation end). We recommend these time horizons and landscape scales for evaluating forest management to better guide policies and investments for achieving climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of continuing degradation or deforestation in areas of undisturbed primary forest, there is a need to study the relative merit of strategies that mitigate their impacts on biodiversity and associated ecological functionality.Here, we provide a global synthesis of forest degradation or deforestation using 48 studies published in peer‐reviewed journals that use dung beetles as indicators given their sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbance and their relevance in performing essential ecological functions in terrestrial ecosystems.We evaluated forest cover associated with undisturbed primary forest degradation (i.e. degraded primary forest) and undisturbed primary forest deforestation (i.e. secondary forest, forestry plantations and forestry restoration implementation) on species richness, total abundance, biomass, functional groups' presence and ecological functions provided by dung beetles. Additionally, we determined whether if dung beetle responses to forest disturbances were geographically dependent.We found lower diversity and a decrease in ecological functions associated with all classes of disturbance in primary forest. However, the effects were less severe in the case of forest degradation compared to complete deforestation with natural regeneration of secondary forest, development of forest plantations or active forest restoration by planting indigenous trees. The Neotropical and Oriental regions are particularly vulnerable, given the elevated rates of undisturbed primary forest deforestation and its negative impact on their assemblages' diversity and ecological functions.Synthesis and applications. Our results show that efforts for the conservation of remaining undisturbed primary forests need to be prioritized, especially in tropical latitudes. However, in regions where primary forest conservation is not feasible, logging management programs in degraded primary forest may have a potential role in reducing negative impacts for dung beetle diversity and ecological functions. Moreover, we conclude that despite the negative effect of primary forest deforestation and implementation of secondary forest, forestry plantation and forestry restoration, they can be useful for partial recovery of diversity and ecological functions performed by dung beetles in areas lacking any primary forest (undisturbed or degraded) vegetation cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]