The role of tropical dry forests for biodiversity, carbon and water conservation in the neotropics: lessons learned and opportunities for its sustainable management

Abstract

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the current regional literature associated with tropical dry forest (TDF) along three main axes: biodiversity, carbon and water conservation in the neotropics. Our analysis provides three key findings: (1) from the biodiversity point of view, we document that high degrees of endemism, diversity of plant life forms and ecophysiological types as key elements for their conservation across the Americas, (2) from the carbon storage point of view, we found that if the world's TDFs were restored they whole ecosystem would comprise 22 P g of carbon in aboveground biomass. In the Americas alone, TDF restoration could potentially add 8 P g of carbon to the potential total ecosystem carbon stock, (3) we found that at least 66 % of water reservoirs in the neotropics are located within dry forest ecoregions; therefore, the conservation of the quality of freshwater sources for human consumption in the neotropics is directly dependent on the sustainable management of TDF-dominated landscapes. In this paper, we stress that advocacy for conservation and sustainable management of TDF will benefit from integrating it's value in biophysical terms (e.g. carbon, biodiversity) with key ecosystem services and uses (e.g. its impact on hydrological dynamics and its potential for fostering ecotourism initiatives and entrepreneurship). By doing this, support and awareness could be wider and more effective in the long term, especially from national and local communities.

Removal of cattle accelerates tropical dry forest succession in Northwestern Mexico

“…Tropical dry forests (TDF) are widely distributed globally and are one of the most threatened ecosystems (Ceballos et al, ; Miles et al, ). The main causes of tropical dry forest loss and degradation are agricultural expansion and intense livestock grazing within remaining forest patches (Dirzo, Young, Mooney, & Ceballos, ; Janzen, ; Jaramillo, García‐Oliva, & Martínez‐Yrízar, ; Maass et al, ; Portillo‐Quintero, Sanchez‐Azofeifa, Calvo‐Alvarado, Quesada, & do Espirito Santo, M. M, ; Trejo, ). This has resulted in reductions in species diversity and changes to the composition, structure, and functional integrity of these ecosystems (Chazdon et al, ; García‐Oliva & Jaramillo, ; Poorter et al, ).…”

Land use policies and deforestation in Brazilian tropical dry forests between 2000 and 2015

“…Conversion into pastures and crops is the main threat to TDFs, which results from a long history of human occupation attracted by flat relief, fertile soils, and appropriate climate for agriculture (Sánchez-Azofeifa et al 2005, Miles et al 2006. Due to the drastic consequences of forest conversion at multiple scales (Lambin et al 2001, Myers et al 2013, Portillo-Quintero et al 2014, Houghton et al 2015, the reduction in deforestation and forest degradation is a growing concern worldwide. The design and enforcement of public policies to reduce deforestation and promote forest regeneration depend on accurate assessments of the spatial distribution and intensity of these processes (Lambin 1997, Kaimowitz andAngelsen 1998).…”

Integrating proximal broad-band vegetation indices and carbon fluxes to model gross primary productivity in a tropical dry forest

“…As of today only five of 517 FLUXNET sites are reportedly situated in this type of vegetation (ORNL DAAC 2013b). This contrasts directly to the importance, extent, and vulnerability of TDFs to disturbance (Portillo-Quintero and Sanchez-Azofeifa 2010, Portillo et al 2015, Calvo-Rodriguez et al 2017. In the Americas alone, their current extent is approximately 500 000 km 2 , but compared to their potential extent, 66% of these forests have already been converted to other land uses (Portillo-Quintero and Sanchez-Azofeifa 2010).…”