Deforestation Process Research Articles

Land-use and climate controls on aquatic carbon cycling and phototrophs in karst lakes of southwest China

Land-use and climate changes have been repeatedly identified as important factors affecting terrestrial carbon budgets, however little is known about how deforestation and catchment development affect aquatic systems in carbonate-rich regions. Multi-proxy analyses of 210Pb-dated sediment cores from two hard-water lakes with different land-use histories were applied for assessing carbon cycling and limnological changes in response to land-use changes over the past century in southwest China. Logging of primary forests in the catchment of Lugu Lake, starting in the 1950s, led to a significant increase of catchment erosion, as well as a consistent decline in inferred lake-water total organic carbon (TOC) levels and sediment carbonate accumulation. This process of recent deforestation may significantly reduce the role of lake systems to act as carbon sinks through hampering of both the soil organic carbon flux and the dissolution of catchment carbonate. The decline in lake-water TOC in Lugu Lake further increased algal production (i.e. tracked through sediment trends in chlorophyll a and its main diagenetic products) and changes in diatom composition. In comparison, there was little variation of sediment carbonate content in Chenghai Lake, which has a long history of catchment deforestation, while both primary production and lake-water TOC increased following cultural eutrophication during the last three decades. Furthermore, regional warming was associated with an increase in small-sized diatoms in both deep lakes, likely due to enhanced thermal stability. This study highlights the significant role of vegetation cover and land use in driving aquatic carbon cycling and phototrophs, revealing that deforestation can strongly reduce both inorganic and organic carbon export to lakes and thus aquatic carbon storage in karst landscapes.

An Assessment of Soil’s Nutrient Deficiencies and Their Influence on the Restoration of Degraded Karst Vegetation in Southwest China

The distribution of karst landscapes over the Earth’s surface, to a large extent, follows the distribution of carbonate (limestone and dolomite) and gypsum rocks and together these make up about 12% of the Earth’s land area, and the largest karst region in to world is in Southwestern China. Characterized by a unique set of landforms, these geographical areas also differ from other geomorphic regions by the presence of cave systems in the subsurface. Unfortunately, due to human disturbances, such as deforestation, agricultural expansion, livestock overgrazing and fire, these regions have been affected by varying degrees of degradation, which could also be worsened if water and soil erosion phenomena typical of these areas are considered. Therefore, there is a need to implement measures and strategies to protect these karst areas and develop plans to restore vegetation in this region. To support local and national authorities to achieve this goal, this study aims to characterize nutrient deficiencies in degraded areas and estimate what could be the thresholds required to facilitate the restoration of vegetation in karst areas in southwest China. The results obtained confirm that the total element concentrations for Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), N, K, Ca, P, S and Mg were relatively high in the study karst area in southwest China. However, the total amounts of soil nutrients stored were very low due to the limited amount of soil identified as a consequence of previous deforestation processes undertaken within this study area and this aspect needs to be taken into consideration if aiming at a positive success of future restoration processes.

Análisis del proceso de deforestación en el estado de Michoacán: de lo espacial a lo social

En el estado de Michoacán, México, se desarrollan principalmente actividades productivas en los sectores primario y secundario, esta dinámica ha favorecido la intensificación en el uso del terreno y agudizado la deforestación. En este trabajo, se plantea una propuesta metodológica que permite explicar el proceso de deforestación mediante el uso de herramientas estadísticas aplicadas en gabinete y métodos descriptivos, a partir de la observación en campo. Los resultados señalan que en ocasiones factores biofísicos, sociales, económicos y de política pública, favorecen el desmonte de los bosques y en otras, su conservación. Esta premisa puede ser la base para identificar regiones con necesidades específicas y plantear objetivos, planes de acción y/o recomendaciones, para atenderlas.

"Wood Security": the importance of incentives and economic valorisation in conserving and expanding forests

Tropical forest degradation is a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions, but international forest and climate policies are yet to respond decisively to this. In some regions, as a result of population growth, climate change and forest degradation, the increased need for wood, whether for timber or fuelwood, will exceed the sustainable supply capacity of natural forests and plantations, potentially accelerating deforestation processes. As with the issue of food security, a problem of "wood supply security" is emerging in several developing countries. This issue is poorly understood by most international initiatives focused on climate or biodiversity, which want to conserve forests but neglect the importance of the productive role of forests to support this conservation through their sustainable use. Solutions exist, but a number of barriers, starting with unclear tenure rights and short-sighted policy choices, prevent the large-scale deployment of these ones. Putting investment back at the forefront of the international agenda and setting the right incentives for producers is necessary to overcome these barriers and create the conditions for achieving future results sought by the "results-based payments" schemes such as REDD+, currently favoured by donors. Beyond the production side, the role of the global demand and the consumers is critical, and trade policies should evolve significantly to favour sustainable and deforestation-free productions.

DISPERSÃO GEOQUÍMICA NA BACIA HIDROGRÁFICA DO RIO SÃO DOMINGOS (RJ) CONTROLADO PELA MORFOLOGIA DA BACIA

A bacia hidrográfica do rio São Domingos está localizada na Faixa Ribeira em uma área com forte estruturação que condiciona o sistema de drenagem. Está situada no noroeste do estado do Rio de Janeiro em uma região predominantemente agrícola, onde ocorre mudança de relevo tanto para atender esta atividade quanto decorrente do processo de desmatamento para pecuária e extração doméstica de madeira. A partir da utilização do método de análise e de concentração de metais nos sedimentos de corrente e correlação com as rochas do embasamento, foi possível identificar as diferentes influências nas concentrações de metais observadas nestes sedimentos, bem como a dispersão geoquímica. Foram observadas que as concentrações de metais (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, V e Zn) se distribuem em quatro zoneamentos morfoestruturais definidos, também, de acordo com a estruturação da drenagem e, cujas fontes foram caracterizadas como de origem antrópicas e naturais, sendo essa a mais expressiva contribuição que se origina das rochas do embasamento, intensificadas pela estruturação da drenagem através da erosão.

Annual 30-m land use/land cover maps of China for 1980–2015 from the integration of AVHRR, MODIS and Landsat data using the BFAST algorithm

Annual land use land cover (LULC) change information at medium spatial resolution (i.e. at 30 m) is required in numerous subjects, such as biophysical modelling, land management and global change studies. Annual LULC information, however, is usually not available at continental or national scale due to reasons such as insufficient remote sensing data coverage or lack of computational capabilities. Here we integrate high temporal resolution and coarse spatial resolution satellite images (i.e., Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)) with high spatial resolution datasets (China’s Land-Use/cover Datasets (CLUDs) derived from 30-meter Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI) to generate reliable annual nominal 30 m LULC maps for the whole of China between 1980 and 2015. We also test the performance of a statistical based change detection algorithm (Breaks for Additive Seasonal and Trend), originally designed for tracking forest change, in classifying all-type LULC change. As a result, a nominal 30 m annual land use/land cover datasets (CLUD-A) from 1980 to 2015 was developed for the whole China. The mapping results were assessed with a change sample dataset, a regional annual validation sample set and a three-year China sample set. Of the detected change years, 75.61% matched the exact time of conversion within ±1 year. Annual mapping results provided a detail process of urbanization, deforestation, afforestation, water and cropland dynamics over the past 36 years. The consistent characterization of land change dynamics for China can be further used in scientific research and to support land management for policy-makers.

Deforestation and world population sustainability: a quantitative analysis

In this paper we afford a quantitative analysis of the sustainability of current world population growth in relation to the parallel deforestation process adopting a statistical point of view. We consider a simplified model based on a stochastic growth process driven by a continuous time random walk, which depicts the technological evolution of human kind, in conjunction with a deterministic generalised logistic model for humans-forest interaction and we evaluate the probability of avoiding the self-destruction of our civilisation. Based on the current resource consumption rates and best estimate of technological rate growth our study shows that we have very low probability, less than 10% in most optimistic estimate, to survive without facing a catastrophic collapse.

Quantification of Soil Losses along the Coastal Protected Areas in Kenya

Monitoring of improper soil erosion empowered by water is constantly adding more risk to the natural resource mitigation scenarios, especially in developing countries. The demographical pattern and the rate of growth, in addition to the impairments of the rainfall pattern, are consequently disposed to adverse environmental disturbances. The current research goal is to evaluate soil erosion triggered by water in the coastal area of Kenya on the district level, and also in protected areas. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was exercised to estimate the soil loss in the designated study area. RUSLE input parameters were functionally realized in terms of rainfall and runoff erosivity factor (R), soil erodibility factor (K), slope length and gradient factor (LS), land cover management factor (C) and slope factor (P). The realization of RUSLE input parameters was carried out using different dataset sources, including meteorological data, soil/geology maps, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and processing of satellite imagery. Out of 26 districts in coastal area, eight districts were projected to have mean annual soil loss rates of >10 t·ha−1·y−1: Kololenli (19.709 t·ha−1·y−1), Kubo (14.36 t·ha−1·y−1), Matuga (19.32 t·ha−1·y−1), Changamwe (26.7 t·ha−1·y−1), Kisauni (16.23 t·ha−1·y−1), Likoni (27.9 t·ha−1·y−1), Mwatate (15.9 t·ha−1·y−1) and Wundanyi (26.51 t·ha−1·y−1). Out of 34 protected areas at the coastal areas, only four were projected to have high soil loss estimation rates >10 t·ha−1·y−1: Taita Hills (11.12 t·ha−1·y−1), Gonja (18.52 t·ha−1·y−1), Mailuganji (13.75.74 t·ha−1·y−1), and Shimba Hills (15.06 t·ha−1·y−1). In order to mitigate soil erosion in Kenya’s coastal areas, it is crucial to regulate the anthropogenic disturbances embedded mainly in deforestation of the timberlands, in addition to the natural deforestation process caused by the wildfires.

CLASlite unmixing of Landsat images to estimate REDD+ activity data for deforestation in a Bangladesh forest

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) has emerged as a global climate change mitigation initiative under negotiation by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change aimed at providing financial support to the developing countries for conserving respective forests. To implement the REDD+ initiative, developing countries need to estimate, among other necessitates, the activity data (i.e., pattern and process) of respective deforestation and forest degradation. Bangladesh is steadily progressing through its REDD+ roadmap. However, an important research issue to address includes using remote sensing technology to detect activity data for deforestation in a spatially explicit manner following the recommended good practice guidelines by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This study mapped the activity data for deforestation of a mixed forest in Bangladesh during 1995 to 2015, applying Monte-Carlo spectral unmixing classification algorithm to Landsat images in CLASlite software. The classification was verified using independently drawn reference points from high-resolution Google Earth images. A postclassification comparison method was applied to generate landcover transition matrices. The outputs were highly accurate maps (overall accuracy >90 % ) and statics of activity data for deforestation of the study area. The approaches and findings may have significant implications in adopting any REDD+ project in Bangladesh.

Large‐scale deforestation of mountainous areas during the 21st Century in Zhejiang Province

AbstractDeforestation affects environmental systems worldwide by increasing disaster risk and carbon emissions and also by reducing soil fertility rejuvenation and biodiversity. Here, we inspected the patterns and processes of deforestation in Zhejiang Province of China since 2000 under a background of national forest restoration. By integrating the Hansen high‐resolution forest cover change products and a field study, the relationship between forest loss dynamics and topography and also the proximity to settlement and rivers, were evaluated. The results show that the total forest loss in Zhejiang Province was 266,984 ha in 2001–2018. Forest loss magnitude reached a maximum in 2008 and has maintained a high level of annual loss about 17,000 ha since. While forest loss patches are mainly located on the mountaintops, the slope and altitude of the deforested patches reached maximal values in 2008, and both of them decreased since then even though the amount of forest loss remains high. The most significant forest loss was recorded at the south of Zhejiang Province around Lishui City and the least forest loss was in the area of Jiaxing city near Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province. The area of deforestation decreases while the distance to settlements increases. We analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics and potential factors that affect deforestation in Zhejiang Province and highlight the role of market and policy, which transformed land use. This study further enriches the forest transition theory and provides a basis for the future decision making on clearing forest for compensating farmland loss.

Potencial productivo de conos y semillas de dos especies del género Pinus

La necesidad de disponer de semillas forestales de calidad y en cantidad suficiente es importante para mitigar y revertir los procesos de deforestación y de cambio de uso de suelo que ocurren a nivel local, nacional y mundial; por tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el potencial productivo de conos y semillas de dos especies de pino en la región de El Salto, Pueblo Nuevo, Durango, México. Se muestrearon 63 ejemplares de Pinus cooperi y 53 de Pinus durangensis; de cada árbol se recolectaron, en promedio, cinco conos y se contabilizó el total existente en toda la copa; se determinó la longitud, diámetro y el potencial biológico de cada cono, y se clasificaron las semillas como plagadas, abortadas y viables, mediante pruebas de rayos X. Los resultados mostraron que solo 17 % de las pertenecientes a P. cooperi y 21 % de P. durangensis fueron viables; 34 % y 27 % correspondieron a la categoría de abortadas; mientras que, 49 % y 52 %, respectivamente presentaron plagas. No se obtuvieron diferencias estadísticas para las variables de los conos y semillas en P. durangensis (α≤0.05%); sin embargo, para P. cooperi sí se registraron en la longitud del cono, potencial biológico y semillas desarrolladas.

Variability of soil carbon and nitrogen stocks after conversion of natural forest to plantations in Eastern China

Forest plantation, either through afforestation or reforestation, has been suggested to reverse and mitigate the process of deforestation. However, uncertainties remain in the potential of plantation forest (PF) to sequestrate carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) compared to natural forest (NF). Soil C and N stocks require a critical and updated look at what is happening especially in the context of increasing rate of land use change and climate change. The current study was conducted in China’s Eastern forest to estimate soil C and N stocks in six depth layers (0–10, 10–20, 20–40, 40–60, 60–80 and 80–100 cm) and two forest types (NF and PF) at four sites along climate factors gradient. The results showed that the overall mean soil C and N amounts to a depth of 20 cm ranged from 2.6 ± 1.1 Mg ha−1 to 38.6 ± 23.1 Mg ha−1, and soil nitrogen stock ranged from 0.2 ± 0.1 Mg ha−1 to 3.3 ± 1.5 Mg ha−1. Moreover, a loss of C stock was observed at Qingyuan (QY) by −7%, Dinghushan (DH) by −26%, Jianfengling (JF) by −13% while that of N stock was observed at QY (−8%), DH (−19%) and JF (−12%) at both depth layers. These results indicate that NFs have a better capacity to accumulate soil C and N. The soil C and N decreased from the southeast to the northeast and increased from tropical to temperate mixed forests zone in the eastern part of the study area. The C and N stock mainly occurred in the topsoil and decreased significantly with depth. Moreover, soil C and N stocks increased with age of plantation. This study provides an overview of the current spatial distribution and soil stocks of C and N, as well as the effects of environmental factors on soil C and N stocks. It also indicated that, although mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation are the key factors affecting the variations in soil C and N, their vertical and horizontal distribution differed in various aspects.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of soil moisture for surfaces with a change in land use in the semi-arid region of Brazil

The semiarid region of Brazil undergoes constant changes in land use due to the process of deforestation and high water seasonality, represented among other variables by a decline in the soil moisture content. In this study, the influence of land use on the soil moisture dynamics is analysed. For this purpose, three experimental sites were evaluated, characterised by different types of land use: an agroecosystem of forage cactus, a deforested environment and an area of Caatinga vegetation, located in the semiarid central hinterlands of Brazil. Calibration of the Diviner2000® capacitive probes was carried out using the relationship between the soil volumetric moisture content (θv), obtained by the gravimetric method, and the relative frequency readings of the probes. Weekly measurements of the moisture content were taken at 22 points at depths of 0.00–0.60 m from November 2014 to October 2017, providing 157 sampled days. The mean values and standard deviations of the θv variable for the three surfaces were analysed over twelve periods, and grouped according to the local water regime into rainy, dry and transitional. To analyse the temporal stability of θv, the relative difference and the Spearman correlation matrix were calculated. Finally, multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify associations between the mean values of θv and physical properties in the different soil layers. Based on the results, the local calibration curves presented significant coefficients of determination, showing that the equations can be used for reliable estimates of θv. The θv was higher in the Caatinga (0.086 m3 m−3), intermediate in the forage cactus (0.064 m3 m−3) and lower in the deforested area (0.045 m3 m−3). Changes in land use influence the spatial variability of θv in the soil layers, which responded to the local rainfall regime, especially in the upper layers (0.05–0.25 m). Significant differences in θv between soil surface coverage occurred during the dry sub-periods and the transition periods, when the Caatinga was superior to the other areas. The temporal stability analysis identified the forage cactus area as the most representative location for θv estimates, while the Spearman correlation matrix detected the more-unstable areas of moisture, with persistent moisture patterns between the dry sub-periods and transition periods only. Associations between moisture and different soil properties were affected by soil surface coverage and soil layer depth. All the proprieties explained moisture distribution along the profile. It can be concluded that converting the Caatinga vegetation into other soil surface coverages changes soil-moisture distribution patterns, resulting in a reduction in θv of 26% and 47% for forage cactus and deforested areas, respectively. Therefore, the establishment of forage cactus in current deforested areas of the Brazilian semiarid may attenuate the temporal variability and reduction of soil moisture compared to bare soil surfaces.

Reforestation in Venezuela – current situation and future perspectives

The location of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in the tropical region of northern South America, in the Northern Hemisphere, with a total area of 91.64 million ha, of which 49.6 million correspond to natural forests (54.12 % of the national territory). Venezuela shows a series of geographic advantages that allow a rapid growth and development of the trees in comparison with the temperate zones where the growth is extremely slow. However, the occurrence of deforestation processes has intensified in a sustained way in the recent history of the country.
 In the period from 1920 to 2008, the loss of 26.43% of the forested area has been recorded. Likewise, in the period 1975-1988, deforestation was estimated at 216,000 ha year-1, equivalent to 2.9 million ha in 13 years (Catalan 1992). Deforestation has now increased to worrying levels and according to FAO estimates (2010), in Venezuela, a forested area of more than 288.000 ha year-1 is deforested.
 In the middle of the 20th century several public and private institutions began an important effort to reforest areas of sandy soils of scarce depth on a bed of highly impermeable clay. With erosion processes generated as a result of strong winds that causes severe damage to the little existing vegetation. It was expected that with the passage of time this region could become a desert in the oriental plains of Venezuela. This is how the Maderas del Orinoco Companies (CVG - PROFORCA), the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CVG), Smurfit Kappa Cartón of Venezuela, San Carlos Forestry Development, Masisa. Propulso, among others, started in different regions of the country the establishment of plantations for various purposes. For this they have used fast growing forest species such as: Pinus caribaea var hondurensis, Eucalyptus Urophylla, Acacia magnium, Caraipa llanorum, Tectonia grandis, Hebea brasiliens, Gmelina arborea, Erisma uncinatum, among others. At present, a reforested area of 650.000 ha has been reached. This has favored the protection of natural habitats by reducing the pressure for exploitation and use of the forests.
 The legal framework established in the new National Constitution, approved in 1998, is based on decrees of 1825-1829 of the Liberator Simón Bolívar and classifies the territory in diverse forest areas establishing a modern environmental conservation policy. A historical summary and the current legislation with the classification that promises a rational management of the national territory is presented.

Spatial and spectral remote sensing features to detect deforestation in Brazilian Savannas

The Brazilian Savannas have been under increasing anthropic pressure for many years, and land-use/land-cover changes (LULCC) have been largely neglected. Remote sensing provides useful tools to detect changes, but previous studies have not attempted to separate the effects of phenology from deforestation, clearing or fires to improve the accuracy of change detection without a dense time series. The scientific questions addressed in this study were: how well can we differentiate seasonal changes from deforestation processes combining the spatial and spectral information of bi-temporal (normalized difference vegetation index) NDVI images? Which feature best contribute to increase the separability on classification assessment? We applied an object-based remote sensing method that is able to separate seasonal changes due to phenology effects from LULCC by combining spectral and the spatial context using traditional spectral features and semivariogram indices, exploring the full capability of NDVI image difference to train random forest (RF) algorithm. We found that the spatial variability of NDVI values is not affect by vegetation seasonality and, therefore, the combination of spectral features and semivariogram indices provided high global accuracy (97.73%) to separate seasonal changes and deforestation or fires. From the total of 13 features, 6 provided the best combination to increase the separability on classification assessment (4 spatial and 2 spectral features). How to accurately extract LULCC while disregarding the ones caused by phenological differences in Brazilian seasonal biomes undergoing rapid land-cover changes can be achieved by adding semivariogram indices in combination with spectral features as input data to train RF algorithm.

Effects of crowding due to habitat loss on species assemblage patterns.

Terrestrial animals are negatively affected by habitat loss, which is assessed on a landscape scale, whereas secondary effects of habitat loss, such as crowding, are usually disregarded. Such impacts are inherently hard to address and poorly understood, and there is a growing concern that they could have dire consequences. We sampled birds throughout a deforestation process to assess crowding stress in an adjacent habitat remnant in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Crowding is expected of highly mobile taxa, especially given the microhabitat heterogeneity of Neotropical forests, and we hypothesized that the arrival of new individuals or species in refuges shifts assemblage patterns. We used point counts to obtain bird abundances in a before-after-control-impact design sampling of a deforestation event. Temporal changes in taxonomic and functional diversity were examined with metrics used to assess alpha and beta diversity, turnover of taxonomic and functional similarity, and taxonomic and functional composition. Over time increased abundance of some species altered the Simpson index and affected the abundance-distribution of traits in the habitat remnant. Taxonomic composition and functional composition changed in the remnant, and thus bird assemblages changed over time. Taxonomic and functional metrics indicated that fugitives affected resident assemblages in refuges, and effects endured >2 years after the deforestation processes had ceased. Dissimilarity of taxonomic composition between pre- and postdeforestation assemblages increased, whereas functional composition reverted to preimpact conditions. We found that ecological disruptions resulted from crowding and escalated into disruptions of species' assemblages and potentially compromising ecosystem functioning. It is important to consider crowding effects of highly mobile taxa during impact assessments, especially in large-scale infrastructure projects that may affect larger areas than is assumed.

ANÁLISE DO CACAU ORGÂNICO DE SÃO FÉLIX DO XINGU (PA) ATRAVÉS DA CADEIA GLOBAL DE VALOR

O cacau é uma cultura importante do ponto de vista social para a agricultura familiar. O seu cultivo cresceu na Floresta Amazônica brasileira, especialmente no estado do Pará. Na região sul do Pará, onde o crescimento da pecuária bovina acelerou o processo de desmatamento nas últimas décadas, o cultivo do cacau tem representado uma alternativa a este modelo. Entretanto, o fato de ser uma commodity e que, portanto, está sujeita as instabilidades do mercado internacional é um risco presente. Este estudo aborda as mudanças na cadeia produtiva do cacau com certificação orgânica produzido no município de São Félix do Xingu, estado do Pará, usando a abordagem teórica de Cadeia Global de Valor (CGV), a qual permite uma visão da agregação de valor ao longo da cadeia, seguindo a metodologia de pesquisa qualitativa. Como resultado constatou-se uma redução do número de players na cadeia, provocado pela descomoditização do produto, e maior estabilidade do preço do cacau orgânico, devido à redução do número de intermediários na cadeia. Conclui-se que o principal ator responsável pela coordenação desta cadeia é a Cooperativa Alternativa Mista dos Pequenos Produtores do Alto Xingu PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Agricultura familiar; Agregação de valor; Cadeia de produção do cacau; Certificação orgânica; Cooperativismo.

Spatial and temporal changes in the dung beetle diversity of a protected, but fragmented, landscape of the northernmost Neotropical rainforest

Abstract Studies addressing the temporal changes of ecological communities within fragmented forests transformed into natural protected areas are urgently needed. The creation of the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve (LTBR) in 1998 stopped the deforestation process of the northernmost tropical rainforest of the Neotropical region, allowing the analysis of the long-term effects on native communities after the halting of habitat fragmentation. We compared the diversity of dung beetles in 11 forest fragments and eight pastures in the LTBR between two periods: 1999–2000, the early years after the creation of the LTBR; and 2016–2017, i.e., 17 years later. Species richness and abundance of dung beetles were similar in both periods, being higher in forest fragments than in pastures; however, the dominant species were different in each period in both forest fragments and pastures. The number of habitat indicator species increased in 2016–2017 compared to 1999–2000, with a high species diversity of forest indicators relative to pasture indicators at both periods. Alpha and gamma diversities were lower in 1999–2000 than in 2016–2017. Beta-diversity at the spatial level was strongly driven by species turnover, which was higher in pastures than in forest fragments. All functional groups (dwellers, rollers, and tunnellers) showed higher abundances in forest fragments than in pastures in both 1999–2000 and 2016–2017 periods. Our results suggest that stopping the fragmentation process in the LTBR has allowed the survival of native dung beetle assemblages, which are undergoing a recovery process of their populations and ecological functions over the years.

Deforestation Processes in the Polish Mountains in the Context of Terrain Topography

In the 1980s, the Western Sudety Mountains were affected by a forest dieback process, resulting in large-scale deforestation covering an area of about 15,000 ha. A similar phenomenon is presently being observed in the Western Beskidy and Eastern Sudety Mountains, where the course of the process and the final effects are similar. The presented study analyzed the relationships between forest dieback processes today and in the past. Among others, the impact of the following factors was examined: exposure, slope, altitude, and topographic index, which was generated based on the airborne LIDAR (also airborne laser scanning abbreviated as ALS) data. The identification of forest dieback areas in the past was carried out based on the archived Landsat satellite imagery, as well as data obtained from the Polish State Forests. The identification of forest dieback areas at present was carried out based on the ALS data (single-tree detection approach) and color infrared aerial images. In the study, inter-dependencies between forest dieback today and in the past were compared. The performed analyses show significant differences between forests’ dieback specifics in all three areas. The process first occurred at 800–900 m a.s.l., and afterwards at over 900 m. Mortality was especially intensive on the western and southwestern slopes. Below 700 m a.s.l., forests survived quite well. In the 1980s, significantly higher concentrations of hazardous chemical compounds were noted, which resulted in respectively greater deforestations on aspects open to the operation of prevailing winds (mainly west). Nowadays, a proportionately higher number of trees die on the southern aspects, which is particularly visible in the Western Sudety Mountains.

Pragmatic conservation: Discourses of payments for ecosystem services in Colombia

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes incentivise landowners to maintain, restore or enhance ecosystem services. Currently, there are more than 550 active PES programmes worldwide, expected to support conservation efforts and, ideally, to also reduce rural poverty. In this article we explore the discourses that underpin PES debates and practice in Colombia, a late-comer to the PES agenda in Latin-America. Informed by interviews with PES actors and Q-methodology (n = 41), we identify three PES discourses: conservation conduit, contextual conservation, and inconvenient conservation. The narratives diverge in their framing of deforestation processes; their most preferred PES design features; the likely role of payments in changing people’s motivations to conserve biodiversity over time; and the potential effectiveness of PES, specifically when the latter aim to contribute to peace-building efforts and reducing illicit crop cultivation. The conservation conduit and contextual discourse are by far the most popular, while the inconvenient conservation narrative is only endorsed by academic actors. This suggests the existence of a broad community which believes PES are a pragmatic conservation strategy and who supports PES because payments can correct the often-uneven distribution of conservation costs and benefits. This overall positive engagement with PES, we argue, may facilitate the increase and upscaling of PES initiatives throughout the country, provided that funding and other supporting social conditions are met.