RESUMEN En octubre de 1988, el huracan Juana hizo daiios enormes a unas 500,000 ha de bosque trop... more RESUMEN En octubre de 1988, el huracan Juana hizo daiios enormes a unas 500,000 ha de bosque tropical humedo en el sureste de Nicaragua. En mayor parte, la regeneraci6n de la selva ha sido "directa", sin pasar por una etapa secundaria. Sin embargo, fue excepcional el ...
We compared five-year old forests developing after agriculture to those recovering from Hurricane... more We compared five-year old forests developing after agriculture to those recovering from Hurricane Joan (1988) and to the pre-hurricane forest, at two sites in tropical rain forest in southeastern Nicaragua. We used non-para-metric cluster analysis to group transects by their species compositions, and compared their species richness, estimated total species richness, dominance, density and basal area. Post-agriculture transects showed distinctive species compositions and lower diversity than post-hurricane transects, which were in turn more similar to the pre-hurricane forest. These results are similar to those found by other researchers in the Amazon and in Puerto Rico. Land use history was more important than proximity in the landscape in determining the composition and structure of post-disturbance forests in this region.
Hurricane Isabel caused large forest blowdowns over a wide area of the Mid-Atlantic, including th... more Hurricane Isabel caused large forest blowdowns over a wide area of the Mid-Atlantic, including the Piedmont and Blue Ridge in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This damage occurred despite these regions being well inland from the coast and maximum wind gust speeds of only about 50 mph (23 m⋅s). Forest damage was intensively sampled in a 1-ha plot in the Piedmont of Maryland that had been delimited and tagged five years prior to Hurricane Isabel, and thus can be considered a random sample with respect to storm impact. Additionally, blowdown and control transects were compared at six other locations in the region. The intensive study site (West Woods Permanent Plot) had 23.5% of its trees showing “severe damage” (uprooting or snapping of the trunk) and destruction of the canopy over 21% of its area. Damage was patchy, with some large gaps of up to 1500 m, but with other parts of the plot showing little or no damage. Tree fall was overwhelmingly toward the west. Uprooting—total or...
Cheating and taking advantage in mutualistic associations. Soberon Mainero 1985. Despite the unde... more Cheating and taking advantage in mutualistic associations. Soberon Mainero 1985. Despite the undeniable interest of group and community selection, in this chapter the authors stress gene and individual selection, the existence ...
There has been no further change in the deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon since our 2013... more There has been no further change in the deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon since our 2013 article in Tropical Conservation Science on the dramatic reduction in deforestation in the late 2000s. This lack of change was actually a remarkable occurrence because deforestation remained stable during a period of major economic recession and great political turbulence at the national level. Coverage of Brazilian Amazon deforestation in the global media during this period was misleading, emphasizing short-term increases in deforestation and erroneously presenting them as "balancing" the earlier dramatic reduction. However, the steady level of deforestation during this period does represent a political failure in which national political leaders did not achieve-or even try to achieve-the eminently feasible goal of zero deforestation.
Herbivores can profoundly influence plant species assembly, including plant invasion, and resulti... more Herbivores can profoundly influence plant species assembly, including plant invasion, and resulting community composition. Population increases of native herbivores, e.g. white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), combined with burgeoning plant invasions raise concerns for native plant diversity and forest regeneration. While
786 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST ON WASTING PARENTAL INVESTMENT Trivers (1972), in his article on pare... more 786 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST ON WASTING PARENTAL INVESTMENT Trivers (1972), in his article on parental investment and sexual selection, derives predictions about the likelihood of desertion of a pair-bond by either member from curves representing the ...
The environmental impacts of diet Global greenhouse gas emissions, 2005 Agricultural emissions pl... more The environmental impacts of diet Global greenhouse gas emissions, 2005 Agricultural emissions plus emissions from deforestation (most of which is driven by agriculture) represent 20 to 25% of greenhouse gas emissions
ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Tropical forests are disappearing around the world. This cle... more ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Tropical forests are disappearing around the world. This clearing causes around 15% of global carbon emissions, leads to the rapid loss of biodiversity, and destroys the livelihoods of many indigenous peoples. Understanding the factors that drive tropical deforestation today is essential in determining strategies to conserve forests and alleviate some of the worst effects of climate change. While deforestation was predominately driven by small farmers and government action in the 1970s and 1980s, since the 1990s there has been a major shift in the agents driving deforestation. What factors then drive tropical deforestation today? To answer this question, we comprehensively reviewed the peer-reviewed literature on drivers of tropical deforestation to find what is driving tropical deforestation today. We focused on the agents most often associated with tropical deforestation: timber production, large scale agriculture (soy, cattle and palm oil), small scale and subsistence agriculture, and woodfuel production. We also analyzed the effect that underlying trends in population and diet have on tropical deforestation. Results/Conclusions Most deforestation since the 1990s has been driven by large scale commercial agriculture. In Latin America, and Brazil in particular, forest clearing has mostly been due to expansion of cattle pastures and for a period in the late 1990s and early 2000s soy bean expansion. In Southeast Asia, deforestation has mainly been due to expansion of oil palm plantations and timber harvesting. In Africa small farmers and wood fuel collection still play a role, although deforestation rates are considerably lower there than in other regions. Additionally, increased urbanization and trends toward a diet based on meat, particularly beef, have tended to drive deforestation. While deforestation continues, there are many ways that society is acting to end it. Brazil offers a particularly effective example of how public pressure and policies affect change. In 2006, effective civil society pressure led to a moratorium of new soy production in Amazon forests, halting what had been a major driver of deforestation. Again in 2009, civic society groups forced the cattle industry to enact a moratorium on expansion of pasture in the Amazon. Additionally, with the incentive of compensation for reducing emissions from a bilateral deal with Norway, Brazil has lowered its deforestation rate by 67% since 2005, through a variety of policies.
This report was produced by the Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative of the Union of Concerned ... more This report was produced by the Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Doug Boucher and Kranti Mulik are UCS staff members specializing in tropical forests, agriculture, and climate. Pipa Elias is a consultant to the Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative. Ethan Davis is a graduate student at Pennsylvania State University and a consultant to UCS. The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future. The Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative (TFCI) is a project of the UCS Climate and Energy Program. The TFCI analyzes and promotes ways to cut global warming pollution by reducing tropical deforestation. To learn more about this work, visit www.ucsusa.org/forests.
Effect of the previous land use on the nodulation of Pentaclethra macrolo- ba.An experiment with ... more Effect of the previous land use on the nodulation of Pentaclethra macrolo- ba.An experiment with seedlings of the tree Pentaclethra macroloba (Willd.) Kuntze tested the hypothesis that extended periods without growth of legumes will reduce subsequent nodulation due to a lowered population of Rhizobium bacte- ria in the soil. The percentage of seedlings fanning nodules was lower in soils from
RESUMEN En octubre de 1988, el huracan Juana hizo daiios enormes a unas 500,000 ha de bosque trop... more RESUMEN En octubre de 1988, el huracan Juana hizo daiios enormes a unas 500,000 ha de bosque tropical humedo en el sureste de Nicaragua. En mayor parte, la regeneraci6n de la selva ha sido "directa", sin pasar por una etapa secundaria. Sin embargo, fue excepcional el ...
We compared five-year old forests developing after agriculture to those recovering from Hurricane... more We compared five-year old forests developing after agriculture to those recovering from Hurricane Joan (1988) and to the pre-hurricane forest, at two sites in tropical rain forest in southeastern Nicaragua. We used non-para-metric cluster analysis to group transects by their species compositions, and compared their species richness, estimated total species richness, dominance, density and basal area. Post-agriculture transects showed distinctive species compositions and lower diversity than post-hurricane transects, which were in turn more similar to the pre-hurricane forest. These results are similar to those found by other researchers in the Amazon and in Puerto Rico. Land use history was more important than proximity in the landscape in determining the composition and structure of post-disturbance forests in this region.
Hurricane Isabel caused large forest blowdowns over a wide area of the Mid-Atlantic, including th... more Hurricane Isabel caused large forest blowdowns over a wide area of the Mid-Atlantic, including the Piedmont and Blue Ridge in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. This damage occurred despite these regions being well inland from the coast and maximum wind gust speeds of only about 50 mph (23 m⋅s). Forest damage was intensively sampled in a 1-ha plot in the Piedmont of Maryland that had been delimited and tagged five years prior to Hurricane Isabel, and thus can be considered a random sample with respect to storm impact. Additionally, blowdown and control transects were compared at six other locations in the region. The intensive study site (West Woods Permanent Plot) had 23.5% of its trees showing “severe damage” (uprooting or snapping of the trunk) and destruction of the canopy over 21% of its area. Damage was patchy, with some large gaps of up to 1500 m, but with other parts of the plot showing little or no damage. Tree fall was overwhelmingly toward the west. Uprooting—total or...
Cheating and taking advantage in mutualistic associations. Soberon Mainero 1985. Despite the unde... more Cheating and taking advantage in mutualistic associations. Soberon Mainero 1985. Despite the undeniable interest of group and community selection, in this chapter the authors stress gene and individual selection, the existence ...
There has been no further change in the deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon since our 2013... more There has been no further change in the deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon since our 2013 article in Tropical Conservation Science on the dramatic reduction in deforestation in the late 2000s. This lack of change was actually a remarkable occurrence because deforestation remained stable during a period of major economic recession and great political turbulence at the national level. Coverage of Brazilian Amazon deforestation in the global media during this period was misleading, emphasizing short-term increases in deforestation and erroneously presenting them as "balancing" the earlier dramatic reduction. However, the steady level of deforestation during this period does represent a political failure in which national political leaders did not achieve-or even try to achieve-the eminently feasible goal of zero deforestation.
Herbivores can profoundly influence plant species assembly, including plant invasion, and resulti... more Herbivores can profoundly influence plant species assembly, including plant invasion, and resulting community composition. Population increases of native herbivores, e.g. white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), combined with burgeoning plant invasions raise concerns for native plant diversity and forest regeneration. While
786 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST ON WASTING PARENTAL INVESTMENT Trivers (1972), in his article on pare... more 786 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST ON WASTING PARENTAL INVESTMENT Trivers (1972), in his article on parental investment and sexual selection, derives predictions about the likelihood of desertion of a pair-bond by either member from curves representing the ...
The environmental impacts of diet Global greenhouse gas emissions, 2005 Agricultural emissions pl... more The environmental impacts of diet Global greenhouse gas emissions, 2005 Agricultural emissions plus emissions from deforestation (most of which is driven by agriculture) represent 20 to 25% of greenhouse gas emissions
ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Tropical forests are disappearing around the world. This cle... more ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Tropical forests are disappearing around the world. This clearing causes around 15% of global carbon emissions, leads to the rapid loss of biodiversity, and destroys the livelihoods of many indigenous peoples. Understanding the factors that drive tropical deforestation today is essential in determining strategies to conserve forests and alleviate some of the worst effects of climate change. While deforestation was predominately driven by small farmers and government action in the 1970s and 1980s, since the 1990s there has been a major shift in the agents driving deforestation. What factors then drive tropical deforestation today? To answer this question, we comprehensively reviewed the peer-reviewed literature on drivers of tropical deforestation to find what is driving tropical deforestation today. We focused on the agents most often associated with tropical deforestation: timber production, large scale agriculture (soy, cattle and palm oil), small scale and subsistence agriculture, and woodfuel production. We also analyzed the effect that underlying trends in population and diet have on tropical deforestation. Results/Conclusions Most deforestation since the 1990s has been driven by large scale commercial agriculture. In Latin America, and Brazil in particular, forest clearing has mostly been due to expansion of cattle pastures and for a period in the late 1990s and early 2000s soy bean expansion. In Southeast Asia, deforestation has mainly been due to expansion of oil palm plantations and timber harvesting. In Africa small farmers and wood fuel collection still play a role, although deforestation rates are considerably lower there than in other regions. Additionally, increased urbanization and trends toward a diet based on meat, particularly beef, have tended to drive deforestation. While deforestation continues, there are many ways that society is acting to end it. Brazil offers a particularly effective example of how public pressure and policies affect change. In 2006, effective civil society pressure led to a moratorium of new soy production in Amazon forests, halting what had been a major driver of deforestation. Again in 2009, civic society groups forced the cattle industry to enact a moratorium on expansion of pasture in the Amazon. Additionally, with the incentive of compensation for reducing emissions from a bilateral deal with Norway, Brazil has lowered its deforestation rate by 67% since 2005, through a variety of policies.
This report was produced by the Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative of the Union of Concerned ... more This report was produced by the Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Doug Boucher and Kranti Mulik are UCS staff members specializing in tropical forests, agriculture, and climate. Pipa Elias is a consultant to the Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative. Ethan Davis is a graduate student at Pennsylvania State University and a consultant to UCS. The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future. The Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative (TFCI) is a project of the UCS Climate and Energy Program. The TFCI analyzes and promotes ways to cut global warming pollution by reducing tropical deforestation. To learn more about this work, visit www.ucsusa.org/forests.
Effect of the previous land use on the nodulation of Pentaclethra macrolo- ba.An experiment with ... more Effect of the previous land use on the nodulation of Pentaclethra macrolo- ba.An experiment with seedlings of the tree Pentaclethra macroloba (Willd.) Kuntze tested the hypothesis that extended periods without growth of legumes will reduce subsequent nodulation due to a lowered population of Rhizobium bacte- ria in the soil. The percentage of seedlings fanning nodules was lower in soils from
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