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The term bioeconomy and closely related notions like bio-based economy or knowledge-based bioeconomy (KBBE) are increasingly used by scientists and politicians in the last years. It does therefore have the potential of becoming an influential global discourse. Its role is however so far unclear. The general assumption that guides this paper is that discourses, resulting ideas and arguments are generally said to have performative power. They shape actors' views, influence their behaviour, impact on their beliefs and interests and can cause institutional change in a given society. Thus, the aim of this paper is twofold: first, it aims to analyse whether the ideas used in a bioeconomy discourse differs from those in other global meta-discourses of the last decades affecting forest discourses, such as the ecological modernization discourse or the sustainable development discourse. Second, this paper aims to analyse whether and how the bioeconomy discourse has started (or not) to reshape or overshadow the “classical” forest discourses, such as sustainable forest management, forest biodiversity or forest and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To sustainably manage forest biodiversity and monitor changes in species patterning, mapping the spatial distribution of tree species is indispensable. Remote sensing can provide powerful tools for mapping species, but this task is complex in areas with high plant diversity and multi-layered canopies. This paper addresses the issue of classifying wet eucalypt forest plants by examining tree crown segmentation and species classification using different combinations of remote sensing datasets against mapped tree locations. This study explores optimal segmentation parameters for tree crown delineation compared to manually digitized tree crowns. The best segmentation accuracy of 88.71%, resulted from segmenting a combined Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) dataset derived from hyperspectral imagery (HSI) and a LiDAR-derived Canopy Height Model (CHM). Object-based classification of tree species was performed using a random forest classifier. The fused dataset of MNF and CHM produced the highest overall accuracy of 78.26% for four vegetation classes, while the fused HSI, indices, and CHM performed best (66.67%) with five vegetation classes. However, both approaches had a high overall performance. The CHM contributed to tree crown segmentation and species classification accuracy, and fused datasets were more robust to spatially discriminate wet eucalypt forest species compared to a single dataset. Eucalyptus obliqua was classified with the highest accuracy of 90.86% for four classes using the fused MNF and CHM dataset, and 86.11% for five classes using the fused HSI, indices, and CHM dataset. An important understorey species – the tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) – was classified with the highest accuracy of 83.54% for four classes using HSI. Therefore, fusing hyperspectral and LiDAR data could classify both the overstorey and dominant understorey species, and thus play a crucial role in identifying forest biological diversity. This approach will be useful for forest managers and ecologists to plan sustainable management of eucalypt forest biodiversity and produce maps for monitoring species of interest. [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]

The papers in this volume examine various aspects of the emerging markets for ecosystem services (watershed services, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity protection) in the Panama Canal Watershed. This introductory chapter provides context by: outlining the questions addressed; describing the structure and underlying framework of this volume and the nature of the course that produced it; and briefly discussing how the limitations of science affect attempts to market ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires are among the most serious disturbances that affect forest biodiversity, damaging both flora and fauna. In some burned areas, vegetation recovery is a long and complex process that requires the support of restorative actions. This study evaluated changes in forest structural features after a fire that affect habitat suitability for Rhinocryptids, an endemic group of bird species that are indicators of biodiversity in the temperate forests of South America. The study area was the Malleco National Reserve, Chile, where the main ecosystems are temperate forests. Four species from the Rhinocryptidae family of birds were used as bioindicator species. This group of species is endemic to temperate forests in South America. After fires occurred in 2002 and 2015, affecting temperate forests dominated by several Nothofagus species, two field inventories were carried out in 2016 and 2018. These inventories recorded the presence of Rhinocryptids and some forests structural features. Differences between the two stages of forest regeneration were assessed using statistical tests (T-test and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test) and a classification model was proposed to determine the presence of Rhinocryptidae species. The statistical analysis of forest structural features showed that the variables more relevant in the habitat recuperation are vertical stratification (p-value < 0.001) and understory cover (p-value = 0.053). The trained decision tree to predict the presence of Rhinocryptidae species had an accuracy of 65.22%. This model showed that the coexistence of more than one Rhinocryptidae species occurs when vertical stratification is not mono-stratified and the density is lower than 335 trees ha−1. Our results can help forest managers to consider forest structure as a suitable habitat for certain major wildlife species when implementing post-fire recovery plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-scale expansion of tea plantations has been associated with biodiversity decline and an increased vulnerability due to climate fluctuations within the tea cultivation landscape. In contrast, the millennium-old tea forest in Jingmai Mountain, along the Mekong River Basin in Pu'er Prefecture of Yunnan province, China, showcases a longstanding symbiosis between biodiversity conservation and the stability of rural livelihoods. This study explored indigenous knowledge pertaining to the sustainable management of the millennium-old tea forest. In the study, 239 individual farmers and key informants were interviewed for data collection. The results illustrated the profound reservoir of indigenous knowledge on sustainable management of the millennium-old tea forest preserved by the Blang community. The ecological perspective and internalized constraints of sacred knowledge, combined with productive knowledge in practice, contribute to the sustainable management of this unique ecosystem. The goal of the study is to share a success story and impart the teachings of a wise indigenous group to others for biodiversity conservation and sustainable rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper evaluates the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing for assessing species diversity in homogeneous (non-tropical) and heterogeneous (tropical) forest, an increasingly urgent task. Existing studies of species distribution patterns using hyperspectral remote sensing have used different techniques to discriminate different species, in which the wavelet transforms, derivative analysis and red edge positions are the most important of them. The wavelet transform is used based on its effectiveness and determined as the most powerful technique to identify species. Furthermore, estimations of relationships between spectral values and species distributions using chemical composition of foliage, tree phenology, selection of signature training sites based on field measured canopy composition, selection of the best wavelet coefficient and waveband regions may be useful to identify different plant species. This paper presents a summary on the feasibility, operational applications and possible strategies of hyperspectral remote sensing in forestry, especially in assessing its biodiversity. The paper also reviews the processing and analysis of techniques for hyperspectral data in discriminating different forest tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest biorefineries can help revive and diversify a struggling Canadian forest sector while enabling Canada’s transition to an advanced bioeconomy. Two distinct approaches to biorefining – centralised and distributed – are defined and assessed to determine their suitability for application in this sector. A proposed set of critical capacities required for the forest industry to transition to a biorefining business model form the basis of a comparison between the centralised and distributed approach. The potential implementation of each approach in the provinces of British Columbia (BC) and Ontario is assessed based on existing forestry infrastructure and available forest fibre. It is found that biorefinery development is likely to follow a distributed pathway in Ontario. In BC, the distributed model may also be attractive, but two locations are identified where a centralised approach may be successfully implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Indigenous forest management is known to be sustainable means of biodiversity conservation but the scientific studies to support this knowledge is limited. This study presents the floral diversity of Mt. Kili-kili under the management of the Kankana-ey tribe. A total of 109 species belonging to 94 genera and 61 families were documented. Majority are indigenous and endemic species, with some endangered and threatened species. The diversity indices showed an interesting trend of decreasing diversity towards the upper slopes. The overall Shannon index was 3.69, evenness was 0.50, Simpson's was 0.95 and Margalef's was 14.60, values that show the high floral diversity of the mountain site. The presence of several indigenous and endemic species as well as some threatened species is a testament to the efficacy of the management employed by the indigenous community. The results confirm the need for more field based research on biodiversity for modelling purposes and for clarifying theories on biodiversity. For example, the 109 species on Mt. Kili-kili show that species richness in a pine forest may not be as poorly diverse as previously thought. This highlights the need for more field-based inventories on floral diversity for better understanding and more appropriate conservation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abandoned conifer plantation forests in Japan have been a major concern regarding ecosystem function and biodiversity conservation. Responding to local demands of sustainable forestry and considering the roles of mixed forests in conserving biodiversity, national and regional strategies are being prepared to partly convert the plantations into mixed forests and secondary forests in turn. In this paper, as a case study, we assessed the potential impacts of the forest conversion on the habitats of large-sized vertebrates of endangered (Ursus thibetanusandAccipiter gentilis) and common (Sus scrofaandCervus nippon) status in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture. In the assessment, we applied an approach that combines multiple indices including habitat suitability index (HSI), InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) biodiversity model and forestry costs. We used various spatial data including vegetation maps and species occurrence data. We devised two scenarios of the forest conversion, based on economical and ecological analysis, in line with future forestry plans of the city and the prefecture. The analysis revealed that forest conversion results into increase in good quality habitat of the endangered species keeping the habitat of the common species unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the availability of new techniques to close wine bottles avoiding the risk of 'corky' taste, the tradition of closing wine bottles with cork stoppers is on the retreat. As a consequence, the Mediterranean cork oak forests with their rich biodiversity are endangered, since their cultivation is not profitable anymore. This paper explores the viability of a market approach to the preservation of these ecologically valuable landscapes. In an internet-based contingent valuation survey, we assess wine consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) a higher price for wine bottles closed with high-quality cork stoppers (with a low risk of tainting the wine) instead of buying wine bottles with alternative stoppers in order to preserve the cork oak landscapes. We find that though many wine consumers have experience with tainted wine, they are, nevertheless, willing to buy wine with high-quality cork stoppers at higher prices. Their average WTP is, however, not sufficient to cover the additional costs of these stoppers. Thus, we propose a financing mix of market returns and government subsidies for preserving the cork oaks. As a precondition for this market approach to be successful, bottles with high-quality cork stoppers must be clearly identifiable in the shops, and consumers must be informed about the ecological consequences of supporting the cork production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maintenance of certain levels of old forest represents a cornerstone of the EU's biodiversity management strategy. A consensus on a single general ecological definition of old-growth is particularly difficult in Mediterranean Europe. The present paper deals with old-growth forests and persistent woodlands in the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (PNCVD) to give an ecological understanding of forest complexity and dynamics under a multiscale and multidisciplinary perspective. The multiscale approach ranged from the identification and mapping of potential old-growth stands at landscape scale to a two-level field review of forest stand features. Field sampling involved a multidisciplinary team of researchers in forest structure, pedologic environment, soil microbial activity, flora and vegetation and deadwood components. The research provided sound knowledge about old-growthness features in the PNCVD that constitutes a unique case study in the whole Mediterranean basin. The integration of results allowed to: identify main ecosystem functions and the related services of the old-growth forests in the study area; distinguish persistent woodlands, multi-aged stands with old trees deriving from nineteenth-century management practices, from old-growth forests sensu strictu; recognize indicators of direct and indirect impacts of human activities; suggest effective practices for sustainable management in the Mediterranean context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest inventories are evolving towards multipurpose resource surveys, broadening their scope by including additional topics such as biodiversity issues. Surprisingly, few quantitative surveys have been devoted to old-growth forests, even if they constitute the most acknowledged forest biodiversity icons. In this framework, the use of probabilistic sampling may provide an effective as well as rigorous support for monitoring and assessing old-growth forests. To this purpose, the present paper proposes a two-phase sampling scheme. In the first phase, a coarse survey of few floristic and stand structural attributes is carried out by means of small plots systematically placed on the study area. Subsequently, in the second phase, a fine assessment of a large number of ecological attributes is performed on a subset of enlarged plots selected among the first-phase ones by means of simple random sampling without replacement. The proposed sampling scheme is implemented for monitoring and assessing the old forests of Cilento National Park (southern Italy). Results and comments are provided as an exemplicative case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orissa State in East India has a wealth of natural forests that range from coastal mangroves in the Bay of Bengal to dry and moist types of tropical deciduous forests in the Eastern Ghats. Approximately 37% of the State is classified as forest, including a well-planned network of protected areas (PAs) that comprises 2 national parks and 18 sanctuaries. Much of the remaining forest is under huge pressure from forest fires, livestock grazing, slash-and-burn agriculture, wildlife poaching, and illegal or unregulated collection of fuel wood, timber and other forest products. Major initiatives are underway in Orissa to conserve its natural forest biodiversity. The Orissa Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP), beginning in 2006, started to focus on providing inclusive support to local communities living within and around PAs by promoting and enhancing alternative livelihoods through community participation to reduce dependence on forest resources. The participatory processes that were piloted and upscaled in Satkosia Tiger Reserve have helped park managers and policy makers, for the first time in Orissa, to understand and value 'Village Ecodevelopment' as an essential tool in PA management. The experience and lessons learnt have been formulated into guidelines and field manuals for use throughout the State's network of PAs, paving the way for meaningful participatory eco-development. This paper describes the participatory process and mechanisms evolved and upscaled to engage with local communities in eco-development partnerships; defines the principles and mechanisms that underpin such partnerships; and demonstrates how management interventions can be effectively and equitably prioritised towards those members of a community most dependent on forest resources in order to maximise biodiversity conservation. Lessons learned include the importance of developing a shared vision at the outset, joint government-community collaboration in building capacities, independent expert facilitation and long-term nurturing of participatory processes, provision of well-defined livelihood enhancement opportunities and experiential learning among all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Uinta Mountains form a crossroads of forests and woodlands in the central Rocky Mountains. Although no tree species is endemic to the area, all species characteristic of the central Rocky Mountains are found there, and the ranges of several other species terminate in the Uinta Mountains and the surrounding area. The peninsula-like shape, east-west orientation, and complex terrain of the range create a wide variety of potential forest sites that contrast with other ranges in the central Rockies. As a result, the Uinta Mountains are home to sites of unexpectedly high tree species diversity. Throughout most of the range, vegetation is organized in predictable zones that are characteristic of the Intermountain West; the range exhibits excellent vegetation zonation. However, across much of the northern slope several important species are absent, resulting in unexpectedly low diversity and "missing" vegetation zones. In this paper we provide an overview of the forest ecology and biogeography of the Uinta Mountains and update the local model for vegetation zonation. We also consider some possible explanations for the unexpected vegetation patterns and identify opportunities for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major topic in forest ecosystems, determining plant successional changes is crucial to understanding the vegetation dynamics, composition and environmental disturbance of forest landscapes. This study is designed to evaluate the consequences of human and natural impacts on changes in secondary forest succession land cover from 1972 to 2002 in the Artvin Forest Planning Unit, in NE Turkey. This paper also contributes to the development of a framework for effective conservation of biodiversity through forest management plans by using successional stages and land cover types. Secondary forest succession stages and land cover types were determined according to Clementsian theory and mapped with Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies through aerial photos and high resolution satellite images (IKONOS). The results indicated that the forest area in 1972 and 2002 was 88% and 80%, and the number of forest patches were 106 and 222, respectively. While the total road length in the Forest Planning Unit (FPU) was 67.7 km in 1972, it was 130.0 km in 2002, an increase of 62.3 km. Results show that urbanisation, industrial development and dam construction, together with unregulated forestry activities with clear-cut as well as insect outbreaks, affected the secondary forest succession and fragmented the forest ecosystem in the study area. Determining the secondary forest succession in detail is necessary for the sustainable management of such fragmented forest areas and for the preparation of biodiversity-friendly integrated forest management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests currently cover over 20% of the Australian continent and are an important resource, subject to a wide range of economic and environmental pressures. These lands support substantial numbers of forest-dependent species with national forest inventories providing important information on biodiversity. National scale information on these forests has been collected or collated since 1988 under the National Forest Inventory (NFI) programme, but substantial problems with the ‘snap shot’ approach have been recognized, particularly with respect to monitoring change and a consequent move towards a permanent and sample-based continental forest monitoring framework (CFMF) has been proposed. CFMF is proposed to consist of three Tiers: (1) satellite imagery of the continent to identify forest and change in forest cover; (2) systematic high-resolution remotely sensed data and (3) permanent ground points at 20×20 km grid interception points. The CFMF approach is in line with the international trend of national forest inventories in developed countries although the Tier 2 approach offers a useful extension. An alternative inventory approach is provided by the National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) which models the mass of carbon and nitrogen in seven separate living and dead biomass pools for any point under forest or agriculture land use since 1970. The NCAS approach allows fine spatial and temporal monitoring of changes in these carbon and nitrogen biomass pools, and predictions of changes that result from policy or management decisions. This paper briefly reviews NFI, NCAS and the proposed CFMF, with particular emphasis on issues of use and potential for monitoring biodiversity in this biologically very diverse country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gura-Ferda forest is part of the moist evergreen Afromontane forest in southwestern Ethiopia. Despite the fact that large sections of this forest have become increasingly disturbed and fragmented since 1984, there is no scientific data on the dynamics of woody species diversity and forest carbon pools. As a result, the research was carried out to assess and compare the diversity of woody species and carbon stock along natural forest to farmland conversion gradient. Data were collected from natural forest, forest-farm interface, and farmland that were previously forest land. For the inventory of woody species, 90 nested plots (20 m*20 m for natural forest and forest-farm interface; 50 m*100 m for farmland) were established. To collect litter and soil samples, three 1 m*1 m subplots were established. Shannon-Wiener diversity index is significantly higher (p <.05) in natural forests (H' = 2.72 ± 0.31) than in forest-farm interface (H' = 1.42 ± 0.49) and farmland (H' = 1.08 ± 0.57). Natural forest total carbon stocks were approximately 1.55 and 2.64 times higher than forest-farm interface and farmland, respectively. This study revealed that there was a substantial reduction in species diversity and carbon stocks along the conversion gradient of natural forest to farmland. The Natural Resource Management sector of the district should use management approaches to reduce the pressure on natural forest, which has resulted in a substantial decrease in species richness and carbon stocks along the natural forest to farmland conversion gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarly and policy interest on endogenous cultural institutions (ECIs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is gaining traction, albeit with a lack of robust empirical evidence on compliance determinants. This article contributes in this regard, by drawing from a sample of 200 forest-dependent households in the Santchou Landscape of Cameroon, complemented by key informant interviews (N = 17) and focus group discussions (N = 11). Using the ordinary least square and the logit model, we (i) analyze forest use practices shaped by ECIs, (ii) assess forest-based ECIs compliance determinants, and (iii) estimate the effect of compliance determinants on forest-based ECIs. We find that while norms and customs shape the harvesting of wood-based and vegetal based NTFPs, they are less likely to shape the exploitation of seed based NTFPs. Second, demographic and economic factors override socio-political determinants of ECIs. Third, elites are less likely to affect forest-based ECI compliance. Policy should leverage culturally sensitive ECIs in regulating forest resource use. [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]

Human settlements and swift expansion of agriculture have simplified the natural ecosystems and causing the loss of copious biological diversity. The current study was conducted in Bita district, southwestern Ethiopia to examine the pattern of land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics using multispectral satellite data for the years 1973, 1986, 2000 and 2018. The remote-sensed data were processed using ERDAS imagine 2014, ArcGIS map 10.5, and ENVI software. A supervised maximum likelihood classification algorithm was employed along with the visual interpretation of satellite images to classify each Landsat image into LULC categories. Semi-structured interviews and Focus Group Discussions were employed to identify major driving forces, impacts, and periodic LULC changes. The result revealed an alarming decrease in forestland but with an increase in the cropland. During the study periods, cropland, bareland and settlement areas have augmented by over 450% each. Conversely, grasslands and forestlands have reduced by over 45% each. The local communities perceived the population growth, and the expansion of coffee plantations and other croplands as the dominant drivers of LULC changes. The respondents also observed that the decline in forest cover triggered the loss of biodiversity, soil fertility and water availability. Decision-making on issues related to natural resource conservation, utilization and participatory resource management has to involve the engagement of the local community and other stakeholders. The deterioration in ecosystem services such as lack of benefits from medicinal plants from the forest, increase land degradation, and the decrease in water availability found to be the impacts of LULC change. This calls for a proper natural resource management plan and improvement in the livelihood of the community in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The choice of planting density and tree genotype are basic decisions when establishing a forest stand. Understanding the interaction between planting density and genotype, and their relationship with biomass production and potential water stress, is crucial as forest managers are faced with a changing climate. However, few studies have investigated this relationship, especially in areas with highly productive forests. This study aimed to determine the interaction between biomass production and leaf water potential, as a surrogate of potential water stress, in different clonalEucalyptusgenotypes across a range of planting densities. Four clones (two clones ofE. urophylla×E. grandis, one clone ofE. urophylla, and one clone ofE. grandis×E. camaldulensis) and four planting densities (ranging from 591 to 2 949 trees ha−1) were evaluated in an experimental stand in south-eastern Brazil. Biomass production was estimated 2.5 years after planting and predawn (ψpd) and midday (ψmd) leaf water potential were measured 2 and 2.5 years after planting, in February (wet season) and August (dry season) in 2014. For all clones, total stand stemwood biomass production increased and leaf water potential decreased with planting density, and their interaction was significant. Thus, wood biomass at tighter spacings was higher but exhibited lower leaf water potentials, resulting in a trade-off between productivity and potential water stress. These are preliminary findings and still need to be supported by more experimental evidence and repetitions. However, in light of the increased frequency of extreme climate events, silvicultural practices that are tailored to the potential productivity of each region and that result in low potential water stress should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

This article addresses the challenge of combining ecosystem protection with economic development. The setting is societies living near a national park in a poor and peripheral part of Indonesia. Data from our household survey are used to answer the following questions: Do local communities find secure and sustainable livelihoods in areas surrounding the park? To what extent do communities close to the park contribute to ecosystem protection? We use cluster analysis to group households based on a mapping of livelihood means and outcomes. In-depth interviews complement the statistical data. The study reveals prevailing and widespread poverty combined with non-sustainable livelihoods. It shows that people's traditional lives may pose a risk, rather than the solution, to ecosystem protection, and that sustained biodiversity and pristine forests may not be consistent with maintaining an economic resource base for an increasing population. Further, that ecosystem degradation does not necessarily evoke traditional social mechanisms for nature protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A great diversity of small fish species inhabiting shallow aquatic biotopes of the South American Atlantic Forest have been reported in recent years, but records of interstitial catfishes of the genus Listrura for the southern subtropical Brazilian region are still rare. During field inventories in this region, two new species were collected, which are herein described. The new species are distinguished from congeners by a combination of morphological characters, including caudal peduncle morphology, number of vertebrae, relative position of fins, and bone morphology. The findings here described indicate that the scarcity of records of Listrura for the subtropical Atlantic Forest is probably due to the absence of collecting efforts in specialised biotopes, since species of Listrura are leaf litter dwellers. Both new species are probably more closely related to L. depinnai than to other congeners as all three uniquely possess an expanded skin fold supporting the procurrent caudal-fin rays, making the caudal peduncle deeper than the body region anterior to the dorsal and anal fins. However, only one of the new species shares with L. depinnai the presence of a process on the dorsal surface of the autopalatine articular facet for the mesethmoid, a condition not occurring in any other congener. The two new species are easily distinguished from L. depinnai by the absence of a dorsal fin in the latter species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on the diversity of native species from which can be selected potential species in Bung Jagoi community forests for reforestation. Multi-aged regeneration survey using nested plot design was carried out on four types of forest in Bung Jagoi community forests. The findings indicate that the intact and undisturbed primary forests are more diverse and hold a number of species with higher importance value than the disturbed forests. Bung Jagoi community forests also have abundant potential native species for reforestation. [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]

Yellowwood or Podocarpus (spp.) holds the esteemed biodiversity status, as key forest species in the mist-belt Afromontane forests of southern Africa. The podocarps are listed as endangered species owing to extensive logging. The forest species support large communities of plants and birds, attributing to the maintenance of biodiversity. Therefore, there is a need to understand the condition of such keystone species if effective and comprehensive biodiversity conservation measures are to be drawn for these dwindling forests. Leaf area index is a crucial eco-physiological parameter applied in the evaluation of the growth and productivity of forest trees, hence it is a suitable proxy for understanding the condition of Yellowwood trees. This study, therefore, sought to estimate the leaf area index of the Yellowwood spp. using Sentinel 2 Multispectral instrument (S2 MSI) data in concert with the Random Forest regression ensemble. Specifically, individual wavebands and vegetation indices were used in developing leaf area index prediction models based on two approaches. The multistage approach, categorised the predictors according to the generalised order of progression, from standard spectral bands to vegetation indices. The second approach involved using a pooled set of predictors, with the backward elimination of poorly performing wavebands and vegetation indices. Results showed that the backward elimination method produced a better model (R2 = 0.59; RMSE = 0.48) when compared to the multistage approach (R2 = 0.50; RMSE = 0.48). The most influential predictor variables in both models were Band 5 and NDVI Red Edge 2. Results of this study underscore the prospects of Sentinel 2 MSI data in characterising the productivity of critical forest species such as the Yellowwoods of the Afromontane forest in southern Africa. The findings of this study are a fundamental step towards understanding forest health and productivity, required in deriving comprehensive monitoring and management strategies in biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests are important habitats that harbor high biodiversity and have great economic value to humans. These ecosystems depend on saproxylic organisms, which play a crucial role in the decomposition of the main substrate of forests – wood. The highly important group of saproxylic organisms are beetles, with numerous species that are either of conservation concern (rare and threatened) or have economic value ("pests"). This review summarizes what is known about intra- and interspecific genetic information on species or populations of saproxylic beetles. A search of the literature yielded 110 articles published in 57 journals. The majority of molecular research has focused on "pests" (82 articles on 59 species), with fewer studies of the "non-pest" beetles (28 articles on 40 species, including 10 relicts of primeval forests). Most studies concerned Palearctic and Nearctic taxa, with only a few articles on beetles from (sub)tropical forests. Members of 11 families, 38 genera and 99 species were the subject of molecular studies. The majority of studies (71%) were conducted on beetles associated with conifers. Genetic metrics were found to have different overall values in "pests" and the "non-pest" species. Analyzes resulted in identification of units or either conservation (15 cases) or taxonomic (33) value, the discovery of hybridization (4), invasion routes, and common phylogeographic patterns with the localization of glacial refugial areas. This article is the first comprehensive summary of what is known about the history, present-day diversity, and relationships of highly important group of saproxylic beetles based on molecular studies. "Pests" found to be much wider studied than threatened taxa. A list of species that should be the subject of future molecular studies was provided along with a rationale. Finally, methodological and objective deficiencies in previous studies were characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mediterranean Basin has distinct vegetation types shaped by fire, herbivory, and various human activities. Based on data from 83 belt transects of 10 × 40 m in 28 study sites for five physiognomic vegetation types (semi-closed forest, open forest, closed shrubland, open shrubland, and scrubland) in southwestern Anatolia (Turkey), we analyzed woody species diversity, woody community composition, and vegetation structure of study sites. We used the growth form and regeneration strategy for functional comparisons of physiognomic vegetation types. We found clear distinctions in diversity, species composition, and functional structure of woody plant community across five physiognomic vegetation types. The forest-shrubland-scrubland distinction was the most apparent one. Despite similarities in the woody species richness and Shannon diversity, open and closed vegetation states of forests and shrublands also differed regarding the density and cover of mature individuals and the density of saplings in different functional groups. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analyses and indicator species analyses also indicated clear distinctions among physiognomic vegetation types and openness states. Our findings indicate the necessity of a more complex description of vegetation types in the Mediterranean Basin. The results suggest that open and closed vegetation states of forests and shrublands are functionally distinct vegetation types. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2022.2036845. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity and natural resources constitute a social safety net for forest-dependent communities and represent their main source of livelihood. Agricultural expansion driven by global food demand is not only deeply altering landscapes at the local level but also affect the forms of life and culture of rural life. These changes are increasing inequalities between stakeholders in developing countries and causing the direct displacement of numerous rural families. In this article, we focus on the Argentine Dry Chaco, one of the most threatened forest systems in the world, to analyse evidence about how land-use changes asymmetrically affect social wellbeing across landscapes and generate conflicts between stakeholders regarding the use and access to natural resources. This information needs to be considered for better territorial planning and to propose conflict resolution strategies towards more just and sustainable relationships between people and nature in complex landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) indicators consider the main ecological and socioeconomic functions of forests but do not currently include some key groups widely adopted to assess the effects of forest management, such as herbaceous vascular plants, epiphytic lichens, and wood-decay fungi. Moreover, they are shaped into high forests while in the Mediterranean area the oldest type of forest management is coppice. We investigated the diversity and the relationships of the above-mentioned groups of taxa in three European Forest Types (EFTs) to contribute to the selection of indicator species suitable for monitoring Mediterranean coppice forests. We find only a weak cross-taxon congruence between vascular plants and lichens on considering the whole dataset, while no significant correlations are evident within the three EFTs. Species richness was significantly different among EFTs, being Thermophilous deciduous forests the richest, both considering the groups of taxa separately and the total species richness. As for species composition, significant differences were found both for the whole dataset and also for pairwise comparisons among EFTs. We provided a dwelling-species list of the three key groups of taxa, which could be suitable for monitoring the sustainability characteristics of fragmented and low continuity forests such as coppice stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street trees are key elements in urban ecosystems from several points of view, and different species can have different functions (i.e., ecological, socio-economic). As such, a careful biodiversity assessment is pivotal. We evaluated urban street trees in 15 Italian cities along a geographical and bioclimatic gradient. The data was obtained from scientific literature and Garden Service Offices of the cities. The distribution patterns of the species were analyzed in terms of taxonomy, chorology, and tree size. We registered 277 tree species belonging to 48 families. The species richness is very variable in analyzed cities, and it is not directly correlated with the city's size. Only three species (Platanus × hispanica, Celtis australis and Quercus ilex) are common to almost all cities, while 41.52% of the species are present only in one city. The comparative analysis of species, considering the floristic and city distribution, showed different results, highlighting Pinaceae as the most common family. The chorological analysis shows a predominance of exotic species and a good relationship with the bioclimatic conditions of cities. A selection of the species, as street trees to maximize their ecological and socio-economic functions, is pivotal in urban landscaping and green management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed the diversity of Cerambycidae in three phytophysiognomies, one of Cerrado (cerradão) and two of Atlantic Forest (freshwater swamp forest and semideciduous seasonal forest) within the Municipal Botanical Garden of Bauru (central São Paulo State, Brazil), a relevant preservation area. Ceramybycidae, one of the most diverse beetle families, are important bioindicators due to their intimate relationship with their host plants. They have great ecological importance as one of the major groups of decomposers. Despite having a crucial role in forest ecosystems, detailed faunistic studies of the family are scarce. Sampling of adult Cerambycidae was conducted with malaise traps from October 2019 to September 2020. In total, we collected 69 species, mostly belonging to Cerambycinae and Lamiinae. Isomerida vittata (Pascoe, 1858) was the most abundant species. Species accumulation curves show sufficient sampling effort. We found higher abundances during the spring–summer period, indicating a seasonal distribution pattern. A comparison of species composition among the three areas showed that cerradão and semideciduous seasonal forest are more similar; a lower similarity was calculated between freshwater swamp forest and semideciduous seasonal forest. Diversity profiles show that the cerradão is the most diverse area and freshwater swamp forests have the highest evenness. Our study is one of the few survey studies of Cerambycidae in large remnant areas of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest and provides primary data on this taxon which may help to develop future conservation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest-based ecotourism in global perspective is managed by various stakeholders while promoting sustainable forest management. This review article attempts to identify forest-based ecotourism destinations in Sri Lanka, analyze the experiences of good governance, and evaluate local livelihoods and forest conservation outcomes. Within the diverse landscapes, national park and sanctuaries, rain forest trails, conservation forest trials, wetland sanctuaries, and indigenous operated ecotourism ventures are identified as the appropriate destinations. The experiences of good governance are discussed in terms of structure and integration, involvement and management, accountability practices, and culture of transparency. The enrichment of the local livelihoods is evaluated based on natural, physical, social, financial, and human capital development. The natural resource conservation activities prevention of deforestation and forest degradation, preservation of biological diversity, improvement of long-term production capacity of ecosystems, and wise management of natural resources are elaborated through local community outcomes, visitor outcomes, natural biophysical environment outcomes, wildlife outcomes, and organizational outcomes. Resource exploitation, gene piracy, wildlife crimes, and trade of protected flora and fauna have been examined as the bad side of the ecotourism. The policies suggested for sustainable development are conceptualization of ecotourism, community-based ecotourism, scientific and systematic process, and appropriate code of ethics and conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fennoscandian boreal forests are managed intensively for wood production, which has had a negative impact on biodiversity. The harvesting pressure on the forests is likely to increase in the future because wood is seen as an important resource in a bio-based economy. Thus, there is an urgent need to better describe the trade-offs between wood production and biodiversity, and to understand how these trade-offs can be alleviated by adapting forest management. Encompassing a broad range of biodiversity aspects, we studied how forest management can increase biodiversity indicators while maintaining or increasing current harvest levels. We found that there is considerable leeway for forestry to pursue multiple objectives simultaneously in Fennoscandian forest landscapes. We show that it is possible to both increase harvests and structural elements of importance for biodiversity compared to present levels in a forest landscape that is representative of conditions in boreal forests in northern Sweden. Achieving this requires a variation in management strategies at the landscape level, and an adaptation of management practices to explicitly consider and implement multiple objectives in the planning process. [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]

HIV/AIDS is likely to lead to an intensification of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, and poverty can also lead people into conditions that increase their risk of exposure to, and exacerbate the impact of, HIV/AIDS. While the role of forest biodiversity as a safety net for the rural poor during times of crisis has been noted in studies across the developing world, the links between HIV/AIDS, poverty, and forests are not well understood. In particular, scholarly inquiry into the death of a productive household member due to HIV/AIDS, and the environmental ramifications of such an event on household livelihoods, has been lacking. This is an important research gap given the extent of prime-age adult mortality attributable to the HIV/ AIDS pandemic, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a systematic analysis of the published and gray literature in this domain to answer the following questions: (1) How does household dependence on forest biodiversity change from the onset of HIV/AIDS through morbidity and mortality? (2) Is there evidence to suggest that level of dependence varies according to the role of the deceased within the household economy (e.g., wage earner, resource collector)? (3) What do we know about the effects of loss of forest biodiversity on HIV/AIDS-affected households? Our results indicate that: HIV/AIDS-related morbidity and mortality appears to increase an affected household's dependence on forest biodiversity (although further research is required); the death of a wage earner versus a resource harvester could impoverish a household by making it more reliant on collected natural capital that could previously have been bought; and the loss of forest biodiversity can threaten livelihood sustainability by reducing the availability of important medicinal plants, forcing people to skip meals to compensate for a lack of firewood for cooking, and requiring more physical labour to acquire forest resources such as firewood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of forest nature reserves as refuges for biodiversity seems to be overlooked probably due to their small size. These, however, may constitute important safe havens for saproxylic organisms since forest reserves are relatively numerous in Europe. Saproxylic beetles are among the key groups for the assessment of biodiversity in forest habitats and longhorn beetles may play an important role in bioindication as they are ecologically associated with various microhabitats and considered a very heterogeneous family of insects. To study the role of forest reserves as important habitats for saproxylic beetles, we compared cerambycid assemblages in corresponding pairs of sites (nature reserves and managed stands) in a forest region under high anthropogenic pressure (Upper Silesia, Poland, Central Europe). Moreover, we also intended to assess the role played by these beetles as bioindicators in the different forest types from this area. According to the obtained diversity index values, the most valuable stands are located in nature reserves, whilst sites with the lowest value included managed forests together with two homogeneous and relatively recently established nature reserves. Our analyses demonstrated a positive correlation between deadwood volume and biodiversity, for both species richness and abundance. Our results indicate that the decisive factor is the type of a given habitat, whose characteristics can be mainly influenced/determined by forest management. The potential role of longhorn beetles as bioindicators is highlighted and the effectiveness of using traps in this family, as well as general issues regarding the use of non-selective lethal traps in the study of single invertebrate groups in protected areas are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of urban greeneries in rapidly developing Kuala Lumpur has prompted urban residents to conserve the remnant urban forests as urban community forests. This study was carried out at Kota Damansara Community Forest Reserve (KDCFR) and examined i) how urban residents in partnership with forestry department sustainably manage this forest reserve, ii) visitors' uses of KDCFR, and iii) their willingness toward conservation. Following the idea of peoples' perception on the use and management of forests, data were collected through an online survey and physical interviews by administering a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Current management of KDCFR includes forest trails maintenance, forest protection, and community outreach activities. To 97% respondents, forest and trails had been managed and protected well, and some (18–29%) reported negative impacts of trails on forest. Visitors visited KDCFR few days in a month for coming close to the nature and forest walk (51%), recreation (42%), health benefits (33%), stress reduction (30%), cycling (29%) and meeting friends (21%). To 69% respondents, they were highly satisfied with the visit to KDCFR. Community management of KDCFR had brought positive attitude in visitors, and 94% of them were willing to contribute toward conservation through trail management, forest protection and donation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In boreal commercial forests, carbon sequestration, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation can be promoted through various measures. This study examines the factors affecting non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners' preferences for such forest management practices. A systematic literature review serves as a reference for the empirical analysis of a survey data on the Finnish NIPF owners' stated willingness to adopt thirteen distinct forest management practices. Binary logit models reveal socio-demographic factors, site-specific characteristics, previous forest management, and motivations for forest ownership that are associated with the stated adoption of management practices. Especially, environmental and financial motivations play an important role in decisions concerning forest management practices. Statistically significant factors vary depending on the forest management practice, reflecting the NIPF owner heterogeneity. Younger and highly educated forest owners are more supportive for various management practices that promote biodiversity, while older forest owners are reluctant towards deadwood retention. The results underline the importance of accounting for heterogeneous preferences regarding forest management practices when designing and implementing policies and advisory services aiming at enhancing carbon sequestration, climate change adaptation, or biodiversity in boreal commercial forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private forest owners are both the suppliers and consumers of forest ecosystem services which poses a unique challenge to using incentive-based strategies to encourage forest restoration. We used focus groups and deliberative monetary valuation (DMV) methods to understand the choices of forest owners in Mississippi and Florida. Participants acted as jurors and made judgements about what actions a hypothetical forest owner should make when offered compensation to enhance key ecosystem services. Fifteen major themes were identified via qualitative data analysis. Results support a proposed conceptual model that links perspectives toward forest management with the expression of cultural values and choice. Allocation of income to ecosystem improvements revealed that intentional forest owners seek to maximize utility through personal achievement benefits, rather than income generation alone. Findings have important implications for forest policy and program design by improving the design and efficiency of economic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoring the degraded areas with vegetation cover is an optimal strategy to mitigate land degradation. The objective of this study was to examine the composition and structure of woody vegetation in community and state forests in Tehuledere District, South Wollo, Ethiopia. The vegetation data were collected by sampling a total of 40 systematically laid sample plots (i.e. 20 samples in each forest type) and analyzed to determine woody species composition (i.e. number of species, frequency, density, dominance, and importance value index) and forest structure (i.e. diameter distribution, basal area, and biodiversity index). The vegetation structure was described by diameter class using inverse J-shaped as this type of distribution considered being indicative of a stable population structure or good regeneration status. The results revealed that significantly greater densities of seedlings and saplings were found in the community forest than that of the state forest. Moreover, a total of 45 woody species, representing 29 families were recorded in this forest. However, 29 woody species, representing 25 families were only found in the state forest, suggesting that 25 woody species were common in both forest types. However, 20 woody species were found only in the community forest, whereas only three species were exclusively obtained in the state forest. Woody plant densities were 10,881 and 9,501 individuals' ha−1 in community and state forests, respectively. The result suggested that Juniperus procera was the most dominant species in both forest types. The community forest had a diversity value of 2.26, while the corresponding value for the state forest was only 2.07. Overall, as compared to the state forest, the community forest had a better status in several biological parameters. Generally, the results emphasize the importance of the relative advantage of the community forestry approach to restore, enhance, and maintain (e.g. enrichment planting, pruning, and selective cutting) the forest resources over the conventional or protectionist way of the state forest management. Therefore, intervention for legal framework and institutional development particularly through formal recognition of people's ownership and right over the conservation management of forests is essential toward sustainable forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces a series of articles on the ecology of conifer plantations in Japan. The papers were presented at the session titled "The Ecology of Conifer Plantations" during the 115th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Forestry Society on April 3, 2004. The plantation-based forest industry faces difficulty due to increasing competition from cheaper imported timber and the intensiveness of local forest management. In order to acquire more timber, plantations are planning to do ecological and other functions such as conserving biodiversity and protecting water supply structures. The authors point some of the need to achieve development in plantations including retaining trees, maintaining of biodiversity and interrelationships in aiming management objectives.

We conducted a national survey on a high-quality internet panel to study landscape preferences in Norway, using photos as stimuli. We examined preference heterogeneity with respect to socio-demographic characteristics and latent topics brought up by the respondents, using ordinal logistic regression and structural topic modelling (STM), a machine learning-based analysis. We found that pasture landscapes are the most favoured (55%), while densely planted spruce forests are the least favoured (8%). The contrast was particularly strong between eastern and western Norway, between men and women, and between young and old. STM revealed that the choices were mainly driven by the preference for landscape openness, especially by women. Other important drivers were concerns regarding reforestation of former farmlands, aesthetic properties, forest management, biodiversity issues, and cultural values. Our results suggest that landscape policies may clash with socio-cultural preferences, and failure to account for these may undermine the success of a policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deadwood is an important component for conserving carbon stock (C-stock) and maintaining species diversity in forests. In the last years, some studies emphasized that the estimation of deadwood C-stock is a crucial aspect to understand the role of boreal forests as potential carbon sink. The aim of the present study is to provide new data about deadwood volume and C-stock in the mountain birch forests – pure mountain birch stands and mixed stands – of the Kola Peninsula (Russia). In 28 sampling plots randomly located in the Khibiny Mountains, quantitative and qualitative data on deadwood (logs, snags, stumps) were collected and processed. The results show on average 126 logs, 127 snags, and 225 stumps per hectare of mountain birch forest. The average deadwood volume is 23.9 m3 ha−1, while the deadwood C-stock in the mountain birch forests of the Khibiny Mountains is estimated at 3.10 Mg ha−1. The pure mountain birch stands are characterized by an average deadwood volume of 18.4 m3 ha−1, while the mixed stands have an average deadwood volume of 28.6 m3 ha−1. These results highlight an important contribution of deadwood of the boreal forests as carbon storage to mitigate climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests in the Philippines, and many other developing countries in the tropics, have been extensively cleared over recent decades. There have been increasing efforts to reforest these cleared lands to achieve both socio-economic and environmental objectives. To date, planted forests have been dominated by monocultures. There has however been increasing calls to use mixtures of species, although there is limited evidence to support mixed-species plantations being a better or win-win approach to reforestation. To address this, we compared the tree growth, forest structure, and tree species diversity performance of monoculture and mixed-species tree plantations across 168 sites (251 survey plots) on Leyte Island, the Philippines. Our results indicate that mixtures of fast-growing exotics species had better growth performance compared to monocultures of fast-growing exotics species, and also better tree species diversity performance at both the plot and landscape scale. Our results suggest that mixtures of exotic or native species can provide benefits over monoculture plantations. Mixtures of productive exotic species are most suited to situations where the production function of the forest is most important, while mixtures of native species are most suited to situations where the biodiversity function of the forest is most important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two perspectives on women's relationships to forests are usually invoked in much of the mainstream policies and research on gender and forest management in India. First, forest-dwelling women, particularly tribal women, are perceived as sharing some inherent and symbiotic relationships to forests and are, custodians of forests. These women are also seen as having significant stakes in state-led forest management projects to meet their subsistence and cultural needs in forests. Second, there is also a perception in India that forest-dwelling communities have strong desires to commercialise forests, and women work with men to garner economic benefits by unsustainably extracting forest resources. Both perspectives are often used to understand how and why tribal women use forest resources and may participate in state-led forest management projects. However, such perspectives give scarce attention to how forest management projects and other lived realities in forests have gendered consequences for women's lives and livelihoods, the everyday emotional and physical experiences of which reinforce gender inequalities, shape gender subjectivities, and is useful to understand how and why different women may use forest resources and relate to conservation projects in certain complex ways. Through an ethnographic study of a small group of tribal women who illegally planted rubber trees in the Bagafa reserved forest of Tripura, this article examines how women's subjectivities are produced, performed and contested at intersections of livelihood struggles in forests, aspirations for development, and forest management project-encounters, that come to shape both, their use of forest resources and approaches towards conservation projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored whether and how the duty-bearer applied a rights-based approach (RBA) in the context of long-running disputes in Madhupur Sal Forest, Bangladesh to transform conflicts into solutions for collective management of forest resources. Using a case study design, we applied a timeline method and semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect data. The grounded theory approach was used to reconstruct the experiences of tribal forest dwellers, and identify the common themes of RBA. The study revealed that neglecting the rights of the forest dwellers led to ineffective policies and programs and, subsequently, to long-running conflicts. In order to sustain collaboration, it is necessary to integrate rights-based discussions with desired recognition, promises, instruction, and welfare provision, considering freedom, security, need for information, and delegating responsibilities. The study provides insights into how forest duty-bearers should consider the broader perspective of RBA in order to sustain their initiatives and achieve the conservation goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal forests of Kenya are global biodiversity hotspots known for rich plant diversity and endemism. They exist as fragmented forest islands, and their current conservation status and quantitative trends in plant diversity are understudied. We investigated these knowledge gaps by providing a comprehensive literature review and comparing to field data collected using standardized sampling protocol. Our goals were to build a robust basis for future analyses, biodiversity monitoring, and to understand the role of fragment area in determining species richness. We recorded a total of 937 woody species belonging to 88 families in 30 forest patches from reviewed and sampled data. Species richness per site from literature review was affected by biases in data scarcity, forest size and variation in sampling methods. In general, large forests reserves of Shimba hills and Arabuko exhibited a high number of cumulative species compared to smaller forest patches. Species-area relationship showed a significant proportion of species richness per forest was determined by forest area, according to Arrhenius model. This study is the first to review forest patch woody plant species diversity knowledge gaps in the coastal forests of Kenya, and the resulting comparison provides the first quantitative overview and foundation of these forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]