Abstract
Context:Gold mining is the most destructive activity in the natural forests of the Madre de Dios region in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon. Understanding the natural regeneration process of these degraded areas is necessary to develop forest restoration projects in such conditions.Aims:We aimed to evaluate forest recovery and identify the successional and structure patterns of vegetation governing natural regeneration over time.Methods:Structure, composition, richness, diversity, and successional status were evaluated in abandoned artisanal gold mine areas in Madre de Dios, southeastern Peru. Vegetation data were recorded in 61 plots of 250 m2established in five sites varying from 1 to 19 years of abandonment. Vegetation in abandoned areas was compared with six undisturbed forests evaluated in previous inventories.Results:In the mining lands, tree density and basal area recovered quickly, while species richness and composition were slow. Forest recovery is an initial stage of transition from pioneer to early secondary species until at least 19 years after abandonment. The most abundant and frequent species were the fast-growing speciesOchroma pyramidaleandCecropia engleriana.These species could be considered potential candidates to promote restoration plans. Pioneer species represented 63% of the number of species in plots of 1–4 years, 57% in plots of 5–7 years, and 50% in plots of 8–19 years. Early and late secondary species represented 34 and 16%, respectively, of the number of species in plots of 8–19 years. Abandoned mining and reference plots present less than 5% of species in common.Conclusion:Our results highlight a slow natural regeneration process in areas for up to 19 years after gold mining. Species from different successional statuses were identified as potential candidates for recovering vegetation in such areas. Our findings may have important implications for further research focusing on the ecological restoration in tropical forests severely degraded by gold mining.
Highlights
The southeastern region of Peru comprises one of the largest areas of preserved Amazon forest encompassing almost 30% of the total protected areas of the country (SERNANP, 2019)
In the Madre de Dios region, gold mining-related deforestation was approximately 1,000 km2 between 1984 and 2017 (Swenson et al, 2011; Asner et al, 2013; Caballero Espejo et al, 2018), and it was responsible for the highest annual deforestation rate since 2011, 80 km2 year−1 on average (Caballero Espejo et al, 2018)
35 species were classified as pioneers, 23 as early secondary, and 13 as late secondary
Summary
The southeastern region of Peru comprises one of the largest areas of preserved Amazon forest encompassing almost 30% of the total protected areas of the country (SERNANP, 2019). This region is recognized worldwide as part of the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot due to its high species diversity (Rodrigues, 2013). In the Madre de Dios region, gold mining-related deforestation was approximately 1,000 km between 1984 and 2017 (Swenson et al, 2011; Asner et al, 2013; Caballero Espejo et al, 2018), and it was responsible for the highest annual deforestation rate since 2011, 80 km year−1 on average (Caballero Espejo et al, 2018). Long-lasting impacts include mercury-polluted air, soil, and water (Scullion et al, 2014) that severely limits forest recovery (Mosquera et al, 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
