Resilience of tropical tree cover: The roles of climate, fire, and herbivory

Staal, Arie; Nes, Egbert H. van; Hantson, Stijn; Holmgren, Milena; Dekker, Stefan C.; Pueyo, Salvador; Xu, Chi; Scheffer, Marten

doi:10.1111/gcb.14408

Cited by 52 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 86 publications

(186 reference statements)

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“…2 and Supplementary Fig. 8), in agreement with 21,60 . We also reproduced the transition from ignition/climate sensitive burnt area in northern and coastal California to fuel sensitive fire regions in southern inland California that has been found other studies 20 .…”

Section: Framework Assessmentsupporting

confidence: 83%

How contemporary bioclimatic and human controls change global fire regimes

Kelley

Bistinas

Whitley³

et al. 2019

Nat. Clim. Chang.

114

117

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Section: Framework Assessmentsupporting

confidence: 83%

How contemporary bioclimatic and human controls change global fire regimes

Kelley

Bistinas

Whitley³

et al. 2019

Nat. Clim. Chang.

114

117

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“…In the wet tropics where annual mean rainfall is >1500 mm, fire is normally a rare occurrence [7]. In Indonesia, fires are more common in dry years associated with positive ENSO index (El Niño) [8], but in recent years fires also occur even in non-drought years [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest and Land Fires Are Mainly Associated with Deforestation in Riau Province, Indonesia

et al. 2019

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Indonesia has experienced extensive land-cover change and frequent vegetation and land fires in the past few decades. We combined a new land-cover dataset with satellite data on the timing and location of fires to make the first detailed assessment of the association of fire with specific land-cover transitions in Riau, Sumatra. During 1990 to 2017, secondary peat swamp forest declined in area from 40,000 to 10,000 km 2 and plantations (including oil palm) increased from around 10,000 to 40,000 km 2 . The dominant land use transitions were secondary peat swamp forest converting directly to plantation, or first to shrub and then to plantation. During 2001-2017, we find that the frequency of fire is greatest in regions that change land-cover, with the greatest frequency in regions that transition from secondary peat swamp forest to shrub or plantation (0.15 km −2 yr −1 ). Areas that did not change land cover exhibit lower fire frequency, with shrub (0.06 km −2 yr −1 ) exhibiting a frequency of fire >60 times the frequency of fire in primary forest. Our analysis demonstrates that in Riau, fire is closely connected to land-cover change, and that the majority of fire is associated with the transition of secondary forest to shrub and plantation. Reducing the frequency of fire in Riau will require enhanced protection of secondary forests and restoration of shrub to natural forest.Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 3 2 of 12 to protected areas [15,16]. Fire is used as part of the land-conversion process, to clear vegetation in preparation for agriculture and plantations [17]. In Riau, Indonesia, fires are six times more frequent in regions experiencing recent tree cover loss compared to regions with no loss [16].Understanding the links between land-cover change and fire is necessary to inform land and fire management and fire suppression efforts. However, there is still poor understanding of the fraction of fire that is associated with specific land-cover changes. Satellite datasets provide some information on land-cover change (i.e., canopy cover loss), but there is rarely detailed information on the specific land-cover transitions that occur. Here we combine a new land-cover dataset with information on the location and timing of fires from satellite, to make the first assessment of the association between fire and specific land-cover transitions in Indonesia. We focus on Riau province, one of the most active areas of fire in Indonesia. Materials and MethodsOur study area consists of the province of Riau, Sumatra, covering 89,691 km 2 and consisting of 43% peatland [16]. We used the land-cover map provided by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry the land-cover classification was conducted as a part of National Forest Inventory (NFI) project which predominantly relied on analysis of Landsat imagery. During 2000During -2009 Landsat images were combined with 1000 m SPOT Vegetation and 250 m MODIS images, but the classification still depended on visual image interpretation. Finally, since 2009 only Landsat images have b...

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“…LU, livestock units;prec., precipitation. Dantas et al 2016, Staal et al 2018, Bernardi et al 2019. Future assessments of potential forest expansion into grasslands would entail studying how the interaction with fire under different grazing regimes could affect vegetation structure and ecological functions.…”

Section: Drivers Of Forest Cover Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the probability of finding grasslands, savannas, or forests in any particular place results from the complex interplay of resource conditions, land use, and disturbance regimes. Indeed, across the tropics and subtropics, fire occurrence and herbivory can maintain open grasslands and savannas in regions with enough precipitation to support closed-canopy forests (Hirota et al 2011, Staver et al 2011, Lehmann et al 2014, Dantas et al 2016, Staal et al 2018, Bernardi et al 2019. Forests, savannas, and grasslands provide different types of environmental services and configure cultural views that strongly influence economic activities and social organization (Berkes et al 2000, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forests expand as livestock pressure declines in subtropical South America

Bernardi¹,

Buddeberg²,

Arim³

et al. 2019

E&S

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Forests, savannas, and grasslands are prevalent across the landscapes of South America. Land uses associated with these ecosystems have influenced economies from household to country scales, shaping social-ecological organization across the region since pre-Hispanic societies. Recent studies suggest that tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and forests represent alternative ecosystem states. Transitions between these ecosystem states can be promoted by changes in disturbance regimes and by land uses determined by the organization of societies and their activities. We analyzed how changes in agriculture, fire, and livestock management influenced forest cover over a 45-year span (1966-2011) in the Campos region, an extensive subtropical ecotone between rain forests and grasslands of South America. We found that forests contracted in areas with high crop agriculture, whereas forests increased in those grasslands where livestock densities had been reduced. These patterns were strongly associated with soil and topographic conditions because they broadly determine the potential land productivity and use. Our results show that current land use and disturbance regimes explain the large extent of grasslands across the South American Campos and suggest that changes in land use and disturbance regimes could facilitate or prevent transitions between subtropical forests, savannas, and grasslands altering the provision of ecosystem services linked to them.Ecology and Society 24(2): 19 https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol24/iss2/art19/ analyzed changes in native forest cover over a 45-year period in Uruguay in relation to fire occurrence, livestock density, agricultural land cover, climate, soils, topography, and road density.

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Resilience of tropical tree cover: The roles of climate, fire, and herbivory

Cited by 52 publications

References 86 publications

How contemporary bioclimatic and human controls change global fire regimes

How contemporary bioclimatic and human controls change global fire regimes

Forest and Land Fires Are Mainly Associated with Deforestation in Riau Province, Indonesia

Forests expand as livestock pressure declines in subtropical South America

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