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This paper investigates the views of multi-stakeholders on the governance quality of existing forest management strategies for red panda (Ailurus fulgens) protection in Nepal, focusing on forest governance in general, red panda conservation programmes and natural habitat protection in particular. The study deployed two surveys in August and September 2020. The first survey was conducted online for the stakeholders with internet access; for those without, it was conducted over the phone. While the results reveal almost similar perspectives among the stakeholders regarding the effectiveness of the red panda management approaches, they differ significantly between the online survey and telephonic survey, in terms of the relative scores given to these initiatives. In depth, follow-up interviews revealed that marginalised groups had little access to income generation from conservation activities and few capacity-building opportunities. These findings indicate that while management strategies for red panda conservation were generally considered effective by online survey participants which are generally more privileged, this is less effective for marginalised people. Local people, who are typically resource-poor and reliant on the forest, continue to endure inequitable resource distribution and benefit sharing. Consequently, greater attention should be paid to balancing the conservation needs and basic needs of forest-dependent communities through capacity building, income generation and alternative sources of livelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acer monspessulanum(maple) is an endemic endangered tree with a wide but fragmented distribution in the Mediterranean mountains. The persistence of its small populations depends often on few adults, which makes it is highly vulnerable to limiting recruitment factors. In this paper, we examined the regeneration status of this maple in three populations through its geographical distribution in the mountain range of the Tunisian dorsal (Jbel Srerej national park and sacred site). Morphological parameters, genetic variability, and diversity were analyzed as species viability indicators. The ecological site of maple was studied based on the soil texture and structure under the population, additionally to the role of shrubs as nurse plants in maple regeneration dynamic. Here, the maple population in Tunisia was investigated for the first time. The results show thatAcer monspessulanumpopulation has a variation terms of height, stem diameter and crown diameter, it also shows that there is a good natural regeneration. Analysis of the soil’s physicochemical parameters showed that the species grows on sandy loam and clay loam soil, shallow and slightly alkaline pH. This study contributes to better characterization of the Tunisian maple population and its ecological niche from the standpoint of soil and vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Protection of vulnerable species often creates conflicts between land use and conservation management. Particularly challenging is the case of Siberian flying squirrel (SFS; Pteromys volans). SFS favours mature forest habitats, which are often the target for logging, and therefore its protection causes opportunity costs. In our analysis a regional case study was applied as a platform to create alternative forest management scenarios. These scenarios aimed to maintain and improve SFS habitats with varying magnitudes, from no action in SFS habitat improvement to increasing the amount of suitable habitat for SFS. Stand projections for each forest management scenario were modelled with the Motti stand simulator, and the simulated stand structures were further analyzed using specific indexes with Geographic Information System (GIS) methodologies and tools to predict potential nesting and feeding habitats and connectivity for SFS. Connectivity between habitats was assessed with a Least Cost Path analysis. The results showed that some forest management scenarios were more cost-efficient than others in maintaining habitat suitability and connectivity for SFS. Further, with adjusted cutting removals (due to restrictions other than SFS habitat related, mainly recreation) an additional hectare suitable for SFS habitat was considerably more cost-efficient than without the adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deadwood is one of the main indicators of forest biodiversity. Stag beetle (Coleoptera: Lucanidae) larvae are saproxylic organisms specialized in living in deadwood colonized by microorganisms; these beetles are bioindicators of forest integrity and are currently under threat by habitat loss, climate change and intensive forest management. A multi-year collection of data on the habitat and microhabitat deadwood-related requirements of Platycerus caraboides (Linnaeus, 1758) and Platycerus caprea (De Geer, 1774) in northern Italian forests has shed new light on the bio-ecology of these two reclusive species. They are predominantly found at medium to high elevations on north-facing slopes. Their presence – but not their abundance – is related the plant taxon, diameter and decay stage of the deadwood, predominantly belonging to the family Fagaceae but – a new finding – also to the family Salicaceae (Salix caprea L.). Both species prefer narrow, faded, soft, very powdery, humid logs. Based on these findings, forestry management strategies should not overlook the importance of fine deadwood in managing saproxylic biodiversity in European forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses questions pertaining to the effective use of habitat suitability models as tools for biodiversity assessment in forest management. Specifically, it discusses, in relation to recent literature, how habitat suitability models could be made more accountable for the multidimensionality of the biodiversity concept, means to generalizing single-species models and addressing population viability, and how to integrate habitat suitability models and forest management planning. Single-species models dominate in the literature, but working with many species, e.g. the focal species concept, provides a feasible option to broaden the conceptual scope of habitat suitability models as tools for biodiversity assessment. The advent of spatially explicit models scaled to the ecologies of species has made habitat suitability models better able to deal with habitat quality and to identify and quantify functional habitat at different spatial scales. The output of habitat suitability models as spatial templates for the simulation of population dynamics is increasingly used to address population viability. Linking species’ habitat requirements with landscape projection models and scenario analysis is the important next step to take in order to make habitat suitability models more efficient as planning tools in forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecoscience (Ecoscience) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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.)

Copyright of Ecoscience (Ecoscience) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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.)

Copyright of Ecoscience (Ecoscience) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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.)

Several studies have looked at the relative importance of habitat association of tree species in maintaining tropical tree species diversity at a variety of scales including the importance of edaphic factors. The objective of this study was to test hypotheses on the distribution of important timber species in relation to topographic position and soil chemical parameters. Tree species from a Central African rain forest were selected within a 100-ha plot in southwestern Central Africa Republic. Individuals of Lovoa trichilioides, Nesogordonia papaverifera, Pterocarpus soyauxii, Terminalia superba ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) were inventoried then mapped to topography using a survey laser. A torus translation was performed to test for associations between tree species distribution and topographic position as well as soil mineral nutrients for three of the four species. Trees ≥ 30 cm dbh of all three species showed no association with topographic position. However, the distribution of T. superba was significantly associated with high concentrations of soil mineral nutrients. Evidence from mineral nutrient levels indicates that extrapolating topography to define habitat and soil type can be very misleading. Because many of Central Africa's most important timber species have distributions linked to edaphic factors, it is clear that soils must be considered equally as much as topographic position for management plans of logging concessions within Central African tropical forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The woodland key habitat (WKH) concept has become an essential instrument in biodiversity-orientated forest management in northern Europe. The philosophy behind the concept is basically the same in all of the countries: to conserve the biodiversity of production landscapes by preserving small habitat patches that are supposed to be particularly valuable. This article reviews the definitions, inventories and implementation processes of WKHs in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Sweden and the Baltic countries have similar WKH models, while the models in Finland and Norway are clearly deviating. Depending on the country, the definitions emphasize different factors, such as soil and bedrock properties, stand structure and occurrence of indicator species. The mean size of the WKHs varies considerably, from 0.7 ha (Finland) to 4.6 ha (Sweden). The degree of formal protection also differs. Preservation of WKHs is primarily based on forest legislation in Finland, Estonia and Latvia, and on forest certification in the other countries. The implementation of the WKH concept is inconsistent between the countries, resulting in different sets of habitats being included in the WKH networks. This makes direct comparisons between the countries difficult, and may hamper the generalization of research results into other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest management and the preservation of natural resources and wildlife have been of concern in Maritime Canada, where there is a long-standing reliance on primary resources. This study explored the relationships between wildlife conservation and forest management among Cape Breton woodlot owners by examining how ownership factors affect the relative importance of maintaining wildlife on non-industrial, privately owned forested lands. Using data from a 2005 survey, this study examined the post-materialist thesis and used an ordered regression analysis to better understand the relationships among variables such as income, acreage owned, and the important of wildlife preservation. Although income did have a positive relationship with preservation, the relationship was bounded at the upper levels, with respondents earning above a certain level displaying lesser concerns regarding wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research sought to understand the patterns of vegetation recovery after disturbances because of coppice management in beech forests. Eighty sampling units from the mountain belt of the Marche region (Apennines, Italy) were collected according to a stratified sampling based on their geological setting (limestone, sandstone), elevation classes and age after last coppicing (to represent a chronosequence, from 1 to 90 years). The expected successional trend of decreasing species richness was confirmed, together with some stabilisation processes for older stand ages. However, more complex diversity patterns were found when total species richness was decomposed into the species richness of five social behaviour types (SBTs), defined based on the species' habitat preference. On both bedrocks, temporal gradients explained the observed diversity changes at the stand level: forest specialists increased whereas non-forest species decreased. A relatively long time after coppicing (40-60 years), the contribution of the beech specialist species doubled, whereas non-forest and species from anthropogenic habitats decreased by about 50%. On sandstone, the contribution of gap species also decreased over a long-period, and the beech stands experienced stronger changes over time. We conclude that the decomposition of total species richness in terms of SBT affords the opportunity to identify temporal references for thresholds which can be used to assess plant diversity status in relation to management schedules and conservation policy decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old forest stands comprise a very small proportion of the managed forested landscapes of Scandinavia today compared with the preindustrial era. Therefore, it is important to develop conservation measures for old forest remnants and temporarily available old stands in managed forests in the most optimal way. This study examines the spatial functionality of old spruce-dominated forest in several regions of Sweden through the perspective of organisms with different ecologies, in terms of their area requirements and mobility. Instead of real species, virtual species were used representing a gradient of these two ecological traits. The main tool was habitat suitability modelling. Countrywide estimates of forest variables derived from the satellite data and field data from the National Forest Inventory using the k -nearest neighbour method were used as sources of habitat distribution data. There was large regional variation in old spruce forest functionality depending on natural conditions and forest history. The relationship between functionality and amount was largely curvilinear. Areas with?>?10% of old spruce forest generally had high levels of spatial functionality, whereas high variation in functionality was observed in areas with little old spruce forest cover. This method for multiple-scale assessment of old forest functionality, using virtual species, may be helpful in regional forest biodiversity planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]