Article
Environmental Studies
Tewodros Tadesse, Tsegay Berhane, Dawit W. Mulatu, Meley Mekonen Rannestad
Summary: The study found that households are willing to accept an average compensation of 7.7 USD to work for 5-10 additional days of public work on soil and water conservation as part of contributing to Desa?a forest conservation. However, households' preferences to work on biodiversity conservation and agroforestry expansion were found to be negligible. Therefore, strengthening investments in environmental rehabilitation programs through soil and water conservation in forestlands could create incentives for households to sustainably conserve and use forests.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dhirender Kumar, C. L. Thakur, D. R. Bhardwaj, Nidhi Sharma, Prashant Sharma, Neeraj Sankhyan
Summary: The study revealed the significant impact of different forest management regimes on biodiversity conservation and carbon storage, with RF and DPF showing higher species diversity and carbon density.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Ecology
Cathryn A. Freund, Miles R. Silman
Summary: Landslides are crucial in tropical montane forest disturbance regimes and have significant implications for understanding biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Technological advancements in remote sensing have enabled large-scale landslide studies, leading to new insights into tropical montane forest ecology in the Andes. Three key areas of inquiry, utilizing remote sensing techniques, are outlined to enhance understanding of biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the impacts of climate change on tropical montane forests.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wanda De Keersmaecker, Pablo Rodriguez-Sanchez, Milutin Milencovic, Martin Herold, Johannes Reiche, Jan Verbesselt
Summary: An increase in disturbances in the Amazon tropical forest is affecting its ability to recover and maintain a functioning ecosystem. This study proposes an open source simulation framework to compare the reliability and sensitivity of recovery metrics and evaluate the effect of pre-processing techniques on their reliability. The framework can be used to test other datasets and ecosystems.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ariane A. Rodrigues, Marcia N. Macedo, Divino Silverio, Leandro Maracahipes, Michael T. Coe, Paulo M. Brando, Julia Z. Shimbo, Raoni Rajao, Britaldo Soares-Filho, Mercedes M. C. Bustamante
Summary: The Brazilian Cerrado, one of the most biodiverse savannas, has experienced extensive land-use transitions, resulting in reduced evapotranspiration and increased land surface temperature. Forest clearance for cropland or pasture has led to significant increases in land surface temperature and reductions in evapotranspiration. Transitioning from woody savannas to cropland or pasture also has similar effects but to a lesser extent. On the other hand, converting native grasslands to cropland or pasture has limited impact on land surface temperature but reduces evapotranspiration. Overall, these land changes have negatively impacted the water cycle and increased average land surface temperature in the Cerrado biome.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Elivane Salete Capellesso, Anamaria Cequinel, Renato Marques, Tanise Luisa Sausen, Cimelio Bayer, Marcia Cristina Mendes Marques
Summary: The study found that in the process of natural regeneration, aboveground carbon stocks, plant diversity, and conservation metrics in the Atlantic Forest increase over time; although carbon stocks increase over time, the maximum taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity possible for the region also increases. The results demonstrate that ecological restoration not only helps to sequester carbon and address climate change, but also increases biodiversity and conservation.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Cathryn A. Freund, Kasey E. Clark, James F. Curran, Gregory P. Asner, Miles R. Silman
Summary: Using a high-resolution LiDAR dataset and a time-series inventory of 608 landslides distributed across a wide elevational gradient in Andean montane forest, we show that age and elevation are the most influential predictors of forest canopy height and canopy variability. Other features of landslides, in particular the presence of residual vegetation, shape post-landslide regeneration trajectories. LiDAR allows for a detailed analysis of forest structural recovery across large landscapes and numbers of disturbances, and provides a reasonable upper bound on above-ground biomass accumulation rates. However, because this method does not capture the effect of compositional change through succession on above-ground biomass, wherein high-wood density species gradually replace light-wooded pioneer species, it overestimates above-ground biomass. Given previously estimated stem turnover rates along this elevational gradient, we posit that above-ground biomass recovery takes at least three times as long as our recovery time estimates based on LiDAR-derived structure alone.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Akib Hasan, Miguel Montoro Girona, Louis Imbeau, Jennifer Lento, Anouschka R. Hof, Guillaume Grosbois
Summary: Eskers are complex geological formations that provide crucial resources and their ecological knowledge is essential for their sustainable management and conservation. This study used a food web approach to identify the environmental variables, biological diversity, and indicator species associated with esker lakes. The results showed that esker lakes differ from clay lakes in terms of physicochemical properties and biotic communities, and they provide preferential habitats for certain species.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zuzana Burivalova, Cooper Rosin, Johanna Buchner, Volker C. Radeloff, Natalia Ocampo-Penuela
Summary: Unprotected lands, if managed properly, can prevent species extinctions. A significant portion of tropical forests are leased by logging companies, making the timber industry, regulatory institutions, and consumers important actors in conservation efforts. Our study found that a considerable proportion of sensitive bird species' ranges are leased by logging companies in certain countries, with particularly high density in Borneo. Our findings can provide guidance to governments, forest managers, sustainability certifiers, and consumers in turning conservation responsibility into conservation opportunities at multiple scales.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Jose Manuel Mora, Luis A. Ruedas
Summary: Although Costa Rica occupies a small portion of the Earth's land area, it is home to a significant proportion of global mammal diversity. Over the past decade, new species have been discovered, bringing the total number of documented species to 271. However, conservation efforts are crucial as the majority of mammal species in the country are facing population decline or have not been assessed.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Effah Kwabena Antwi, John Boakye-Danquah, Wiafe Owusu-Banahene, Kara Webster, Anna Dabros, Philip Wiebe, Stephen J. Mayor, Alana Westwood, Nicolas Mansuy, Martiwi Diah Setiawati, Priscilla Toloo Yohuno (Apronti), Kristen Bill, Adu Kwaku, Sonja Kosuta, Anthony Kwabena Sarfo
Summary: This paper reviews the academic literature on cumulative effects assessment of disturbance on forest ecosystems. The findings reveal that CEA studies are concentrated in the global north, with limited interdisciplinary approaches and focus on socioeconomic valued components. Challenges with data access, quality, and analysis, as well as the lack of research on the CEA-policy/management nexus, are identified. Future research is needed to broaden understanding of multiple disturbance effects in the global south and implications for sustainable forest management.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dennis Castillo-Figueroa, Andres Gonzalez-Melo, Juan M. Posada
Summary: This study quantified wood density (WD) in 86 upper Andean tree and shrub species and found that WD increases with forest succession. Contrary to the hypothesis, early successional forests had higher community weighted mean WD (CWMwd) than late successional forests, which was attributed to a high proportion of shrubs early in succession. Additionally, forests with high CWMwd had a higher percentage of aboveground net primary production (NPP) attributed to litter.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Natalia Mesa-Sierra, Marines de la Pena-Domene, Julio Campo, Christian P. Giardina
Summary: Deforestation poses a significant threat to tropical dry forests in Mexico, and active restoration measures are required to reintroduce tree cover. Through synthesizing restoration literature, we found that the Yucatan Peninsula had the highest number of restoration sites, and planting seedlings was the most commonly used strategy. Plant survival was influenced by factors such as maximum annual temperature and aridity index.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Chrisa Apostoloumi, Paraskevi Malea, Theodoros Kevrekidis
Summary: Seagrasses grow in shallow marine and estuarine environments globally, providing ecosystem services, but are currently experiencing a global decrease. Understanding the value of seagrasses is crucial for the sustainability of ecosystems. This study aims to define key principles and concepts related to seagrasses to promote awareness about their importance.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Pablo Mosquera, Henrietta Hampel, Raul F. Vazquez, Jordi Catalan
Summary: This study reveals the water chemistry characteristics and driving factors of tropical mountain lakes. The hardness and silica of the lakes are related to parent rock type and age, vegetation, aquatic ecosystems in the watershed, and lake and watershed size. The dissolved organic carbon in these lakes is higher than in temperate high-mountain lakes, causing increased water acidity. Smaller lakes and watersheds have higher levels of organic carbon and metals and lower hardness. Phosphorus correlates positively with the metal gradient, while nitrate correlates negatively, indicating common influence by in-lake processes.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mohsen Zabihi, Hamidreza Moradi, Mehdi Gholamalifard, Abdulvahed Khaledi Darvishan, Christine Fuerst
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carola Paul, Nick Hanley, Sebastian T. Meyer, Christine Fuerst, Wolfgang W. Weisser, Thomas Knoke
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hannes J. Koenig, Christian Kiffner, Stephanie Kramer-Schadt, Christine Furst, Oliver Keuling, Adam T. Ford
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Felix Mueller, Sabine Bicking, Kai Ahrendt, Dang Kinh Bac, Irmgard Blindow, Christine Fuerst, Peter Haase, Marion Kruse, Tim Kruse, Liwei Ma, Marie Perennes, Ivana Ruljevic, Gerald Schernewski, Claus-Georg Schimming, Anik Schneiders, Hendrik Schubert, NoteJohanna Schumacher, Ulrike Tappeiner, Peter Wangai, Wilhelm Windhorst, Jakub Zeleny
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Christian Albert, Christine Fuerst, Irene Ring, Camilla Sandstrom
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2020)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Mihai-Sorin Stupariu, Alin-Ionat Plesoianu, Ileana Patru-Stupariu, Christine Fuerst
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2020)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
J. Kleemann, H. Koo, I Hensen, G. Mendieta-Leiva, B. Kahnt, C. Kurze, D. J. Inclan, P. Cuenca, J. K. Noh, M. H. Hoffmann, A. Factos, M. Lehnert, P. Lozano, C. Furst
Summary: Ecuador's high biodiversity and ecosystem services are threatened by human disturbance and climate change. There are more studies on the impact of human disturbance than on climate change effects. Birds are the most studied taxon in Ecuador, while other plant and animal taxa have fewer available international scientific publications. More research is needed on the impacts of human disturbance and climate change, particularly in coastal, Andean, and Amazon regions. Documentation, standardization, sharing, and publishing of data are crucial for supporting the monitoring and maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Janina Kleemann, Camilo Zamora, Alexandra Belen Villacis-Chiluisa, Pablo Cuenca, Hongmi Koo, Jin Kyoung Noh, Christine Fuerst, Michael Thiel
Summary: Forest conservation is crucial in tropical regions, especially in Ecuador which is a center of forest ecosystems and biodiversity. Protected areas and their buffer zones are prone to deforestation, with agriculture being the main driver. Urgent actions are needed to address deforestation and forest fragmentation.
Article
Environmental Studies
Jin Kyoung Noh, Cristian Echeverria, Gabriel Gaona, Janina Kleemann, Hongmi Koo, Christine Fuerst, Pablo Cuenca
Summary: Natural ecosystems are declining and fragmenting globally. The relationship between forest fragmentation and human land use in Ecuador has not been adequately explored. Therefore, there is a need for a monitoring system to track ecosystem changes and align forest conservation strategies with actual human land use practices.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Simran Sekhri, Praveen Kumar, Christine Fuerst, Rajiv Pandey
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Studies
Alina Schuermann, Janina Kleemann, Christine Fuerst, Mike Teucher
Article
Environmental Studies
Francis Molua Mwambo, Christine Fuerst, Benjamin K. Nyarko, Christian Borgemeister, Christopher Martius
Article
Environmental Studies
Hongmi Koo, Janina Kleemann, Christine Fuerst
