Challenging a Paradigm: Toward Integrating Indigenous Species into Tropical Plantation Forestry

The rapid rate of global deforestation, estimated at an average of 6.4 million ha per annum between 2000 and 2010, draws attention to the need to minimize future loss of forest cover. This chapter outlines potential afforestation and reforestation strategies that could improve the state of tropical forest management by conserving biological diversity and increasing potential economic benefits to local communities. Forest plantations provide many of the benefits associated with natural forests, including timber and non-timber forest products, erosion control, stabilization of hydrologic processes, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitats. Native species plantations will more closely mimic natural forests and provide many of the non-timber forest products that could be marketed beyond their current range. Continuing research on establishment of forest plantations using native species has provided a strong argument for their use based on stand productivity. Use of native species in place of exotics for plantation establishment could result in less negative impacts, both ecologically and economically, over time. Based on experiences of countries with extended histories of plantation forestry, the following recommendations should be considered as targeted guidelines for tropical forest plantation establishment: (1) use native species, within their native range and on suitable sites, (2) use multiple species to allow access to diverse markets, (3) select species that facilitate, or at least do not restrict, native understory development, and (4) consider the ability of species to sequester carbon. Implementation of these practices, whenever and wherever possible, should lead to more sustainable land use in tropical regions.