Vegetation Ecology and Regeneration of Tropical Mountain Forests

Abstract

Tropical mountain forests, found mainly at altitudes between 1,200 and 3,500 m (LaBastille and Pool, 1978; Stadtmuller, 1987; Food and Agriculture Organization, 1992) are among the species-richest ecosystems worldwide. Particularly the Eastern Andean region is one of the major “biodiversity hotspots” (Myers et al., 2000). In striking contrast to tropical lowland rain forests, these tropical montane forests have received only marginal attention in science and society until recently, despite their ecological and economic importance as water catchments and erosion barriers. The neotropical montane region is considered one of the 12 major crop-gene centers of the world (Churchill et al., 1995). At the same time, mountain forests are especially sensitive ecosystems due to their steep relief, which allows extreme erosion under a high rainfall regime. Due to increased population pressure and resource use (firewood, mineral resources, pastures, agriculture), montane forests are dwindling more and more rapidly (Figure 11.1). The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO; 1993) estimates that tropical mountain forests comprise about 11% of the worlds tropical forest resources and suffer an annual deforestation of about 1.1%. Mountain forests generally occur on more humid mountains, and most frequently in Latin America and Southeast Asia, where mountain areas are most widespread, with outposts in tropical Africa (Stadtmuller, 1987). Most studies carried out in tropical ecosystems have focused on the lowland rain forests, where most research stations are located (Leigh, 1999). Even there, very little is known about the regeneration processes in the ecosystem (Finegan, 1996), and fairly nothing about its functioning.