A large-scale forest fragmentation experiment: the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems Project

Abstract

Opportunities to conduct large-scale field experiments are rare, but provide a unique opportunity to reveal the complex processes that operate within natural ecosystems. Here, we review the design of existing, large-scale forest fragmentation experiments. Based on this review, we develop a design for the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, a new forest fragmentation experiment to be located in the lowland tropical forests of Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia). The SAFE Project represents an advance on existing experiments in that it: (i) allows discrimination of the effects of landscape-level forest cover from patch-level processes; (ii) is designed to facilitate the unification of a wide range of data types on ecological patterns and processes that operate over a wide range of spatial scales; (iii) has greater replication than existing experiments; (iv) incorporates an experimental manipulation of riparian corridors; and (v) embeds the experimentally fragmented landscape within a wider gradient of land-use intensity than do existing projects. The SAFE Project represents an opportunity for ecologists across disciplines to participate in a large initiative designed to generate a broad understanding of the ecological impacts of tropical forest modification.

Functional structure of ant and termite assemblages in old growth forest, logged forest and oil palm plantation in Malaysian Borneo

“…Old growth forest survey points at Maliau were in forest that has never been logged commercially, although half of the survey points were in forest that has been lightly logged once. Stand basal area in this lightly-logged area remains similar to undisturbed sites (Hamzah Tangki, unpublished data) and substantially different from the commercially logged forest (Ewers et al 2011). Tree communities were deemed not to have changed significantly (Ewers et al 2011).…”

“…Stand basal area in this lightly-logged area remains similar to undisturbed sites (Hamzah Tangki, unpublished data) and substantially different from the commercially logged forest (Ewers et al 2011). Tree communities were deemed not to have changed significantly (Ewers et al 2011). Logged forest survey points were in forest that has been selectively logged twice: once during the 1970s and again from the late 1990s-2000s.…”

“…Oil palm plantation survey points were in areas of Elaeis guineensis monocultures, planted in 2000 (10 years old at time of survey), with a low, open canopy and sparse understory vegetation. Further details are provided in Ewers et al (2011).…”

“…We used survey points established as part of a large-scale, long-term experiment investigating the effects of forest fragmentation: the ''Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project'' (Ewers et al 2011). Fifty-nine survey points were sampled in our study: 18 in old growth forest, 32 in logged forest of varying forest quality, and nine in oil palm plantation (Online Resource, Fig.…”

Influence of microhabitat structure and disturbance on detection of native and non-native murids in logged and unlogged forests of northern Borneo

“…Fieldwork was carried out at the Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA; 4°49 N, 116°54 E) and the Kalabakan Forest Reserve (KFR; 4°42 N, 117°34 E) in the state of Sabah, Malaysia (Figure 1), as part of the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project (Ewers et al 2011). The 390-km 2 MBCA was designated as a Class 1 Protection Forest Reserve by the Sabah State Assembly in 1997 due to its conservation importance.…”