Primary tree species diversity in secondary fallow forests of Laos

McNamara, Sean; Erskine, Peter D.; Lamb, David; Chantalangsy, L.; Boyle, S.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2012.06.004

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In general, the regrowth forests tend to have similar species richness (except in Dong Na Tard), diversity indices and evenness values compared to the old-growth forests (Tables 2, 3). The findings of this study are in agreement with earlier studies which state that species richness of tropical regrowth forests can increase very fast and reach that of old-growth forest in a few decades (Guariguata and Ostertag 2001;McNamara et al 2012). The proximity of the regrowth forests to the old-growth forests (literally bordering each other) may be the main reason for the fast recovery of species richness in the regrowth forests.…”

Section: Floristic Diversity and Compositionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The climate in Laos is influenced by the Asian monsoon with distinct rainy (May to September) and dry (October to April) seasons and the average rainfall is ca. 1780 and 1610 mm/year at Napo and Dong Na Tard, respectively (Suzuki et al 2008;McNamara et al 2012). The temperature at Napo and Dong Na Tard is by and large similar.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…By and large, regrowth forest recovery in terms of structure, species richness, and composition depends on land-use history, distance to an old-growth forest, ongoing disturbance, etc. (Sovu et al 2009;McNamara et al 2012).…”

Section: Floristic Diversity and Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recovery of floristic diversity, composition and structure of regrowth forests on fallow lands: implications for conservation and restoration of degraded forest lands in Laos

et al. 2019

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In Laos, there are extensive shifting cultivation areas and regrowth forests spontaneously established on fallow lands. The aims of the study were to conduct a comparative study of old-growth and regrowth forests in terms of structure, woody species diversity and composition as well as to investigate the potential role of regrowth forests in the conservation and restoration of degraded forest lands in Laos and the tropics in general. Systematic plot sampling was used to survey the floristic diversity, species composition and structure of oldgrowth and regrowth forests. Concentric circular plots with an area of 200 m 2 and 500 m 2 were laid on line transects. A total of 24 plots were sampled from two sites. In comparison to regrowth forests, old-growth forests had higher structural heterogeneity because of higher canopy height variations, vertical stratification, and tree sizes and their variations. Species richness and diversity indices values were similar, but abundance and species composition were significantly different between old-growth and regrowth forests. It appears that species richness recovers first followed by forest structure and species composition. Regrowth forests are important for in situ conservation of tropical biodiversity and they can also serve as a conduit for the restoration of degraded lands and forests. Regrowth forests provide habitats, serve as buffer zones around the fragmented old-growth forests, function as source of propagules, and enhance landscape connectivity. Utilization of regrowth forests for restoration purposes is comparatively inexpensive. Regrowth forests should be given the due considerations in the national forest conservation and restoration policy of Laos.

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Section: Floristic Diversity and Compositionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Recovery of floristic diversity, composition and structure of regrowth forests on fallow lands: implications for conservation and restoration of degraded forest lands in Laos

et al. 2019

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“…In contrast, McNamara et al . 34 have found limited difference in the occurrence of old-growth forest specialist species in secondary forests with different disturbance history in Lao PDR, and argued that it may due to the high resilience capacity of certain species and their quick resprouting ability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical secondary forests regenerating after shifting cultivation in the Philippines uplands are important carbon sinks

Mukul

Herbohn

Firn

2016

Sci Rep

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In the tropics, shifting cultivation has long been attributed to large scale forest degradation, and remains a major source of uncertainty in forest carbon accounting. In the Philippines, shifting cultivation, locally known as kaingin, is a major land-use in upland areas. We measured the distribution and recovery of aboveground biomass carbon along a fallow gradient in post-kaingin secondary forests in an upland area in the Philippines. We found significantly higher carbon in the aboveground total biomass and living woody biomass in old-growth forest, while coarse dead wood biomass carbon was higher in the new fallow sites. For young through to the oldest fallow secondary forests, there was a progressive recovery of biomass carbon evident. Multivariate analysis indicates patch size as an influential factor in explaining the variation in biomass carbon recovery in secondary forests after shifting cultivation. Our study indicates secondary forests after shifting cultivation are substantial carbon sinks and that this capacity to store carbon increases with abandonment age. Large trees contribute most to aboveground biomass. A better understanding of the relative contribution of different biomass sources in aboveground total forest biomass, however, is necessary to fully capture the value of such landscapes from forest management, restoration and conservation perspectives.Secondary forests comprise more than half of the total forest area in tropical regions and are the dominant forest type 1 . In the tropics, secondary forests also represent a major global carbon sink that rapidly accumulates carbon in aboveground biomass [2][3][4] . Because they cover a large area in the tropics, accurate estimates of carbon in secondary forests are critical for quantifying the global carbon balance as well as for the successful implementation of climate change mitigation projects 5 . However, there remains a high level of uncertainty in tropical forest carbon accounting, firstly due to the unknown amount of deforestation and forest degradation 6 , and secondly due to a limited number of field studies that have estimated standing biomass in secondary forests 7

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“…Knowledge of recovery rates and responses of tropical forest to past forms of disturbance may facilitate our understanding of the capacity of these ecosystems to respond to present and future events. Although it is generally accepted that if left long enough, tropical rainforest will recover 1 , there is much debate about the nature of forest re-growth and the time taken for it. Re-establishment of forest to approximate pre-disturbance levels, as reported predominantly from single-site 2 3 and chronosequence studies 4 , typically requires 20–200 years, depending on the variable measured 5 6 7 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recovery and resilience of tropical forests after disturbance

2014

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The time taken for forested tropical ecosystems to re-establish post-disturbance is of widespread interest. Yet to date there has been no comparative study across tropical biomes to determine rates of forest re-growth, and how they vary through space and time. Here we present results from a meta-analysis of palaeoecological records that use fossil pollen as a proxy for vegetation change over the past 20,000 years. A total of 283 forest disturbance and recovery events, reported in 71 studies, are identified across four tropical regions. Results indicate that forests in Central America and Africa generally recover faster from past disturbances than those in South America and Asia, as do forests exposed to natural large infrequent disturbances compared with post-climatic and human impacts. Results also demonstrate that increasing frequency of disturbance events at a site through time elevates recovery rates, indicating a degree of resilience in forests exposed to recurrent past disturbance.

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Primary tree species diversity in secondary fallow forests of Laos

Cited by 23 publications

References 42 publications

Recovery of floristic diversity, composition and structure of regrowth forests on fallow lands: implications for conservation and restoration of degraded forest lands in Laos

Recovery of floristic diversity, composition and structure of regrowth forests on fallow lands: implications for conservation and restoration of degraded forest lands in Laos

Tropical secondary forests regenerating after shifting cultivation in the Philippines uplands are important carbon sinks

Recovery and resilience of tropical forests after disturbance

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