Forest Nature Reserve Research Articles

Comments on “The Political Process of the National Forest Reserve in Japan”

Comments on “The Political Process of the National Forest Reserve in Japan”

COVER ARTICLE: Yanesha Agriculture in the Upper Peruvian Amazon: Persistence and Change Fifteen Years Down the ‘Road’

For centuries the Yanesha have practiced complex swidden agriculture well adapted to the narrow valleys of the upper Peruvian Amazon. The 1980s marked a time of increased change in the Palcazu Valley, beginning with the construction of a marginal highway (Carretera Marginal) in 1984 that dissected several native communities, this study employs quantitative plant ecology and interviews to describe change in Yanesha agriculture in Laguna fifteen years later. Percent cover, planting density, field size, and diversities of species (α), field-type (β), and height class did not change in fields. In 1999, black earth and commercial agroforestry were new field types, and upland rice fields were absent. In home gardens, species richness persisted, while changes in species composition reflected species experimentation and aggregation of homes along the roadside (with upland soils). The road facilitated the flow of plants, people, and markets to influence Yanesha agriculture, and facilitated other agents of change during more than a decade of guerrilla, military, Ashaninka, and drug-trafficking activities plaguing the Palcazu Valley. This violence punctuated calmer periods when “development” was promoted by aid agencies. Agents of conservation included community land titles, immigration restrictions, a national park, protection forest, and communal reserves.

The Political Process of the National Forest Reserve in Japan

The Political Process of the National Forest Reserve in Japan

The United States Army, Natural Resources, and Political Development in the Nineteenth Century

Throughout the nineteenth century the federal government undertook a number of natural resources policy initiatives. During this of courts and parties, the federal state needed some administrative presence to help it supply public goods within the development-oriented distributive politics. The United States Army was called upon to play this role in water projects and scientific geography. Toward the end of the century, the Army's natural resources management mission changed. As a new American state was being built, one in which regulatory politics played a more significant role, the Army served an important function in providing patchwork administrative capacity, demonstrated by its administration of national parks and forest reserves. During this time span, whether supplying public goods or regulating access to public lands, the Army was called upon for its professionalism, its expertise, and its presence in parts of the nation where these policies needed to be administered.

Impact of habitat degradation on phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae) of tropical dry forests in Northern Colombia.

We examined changes in the phlebotomine fauna resulting from human intervention in a tropical dry forest of Northern Colombia where visceral and cutaneous leishmaniases are endemic. A natural forest reserve (Colosó) and a highly degraded area (San Andrés de Sotavento [SAS]) were sampled monthly for 8 mo using Shannon traps, sticky traps, and resting-site collections. Overall abundances were higher in Colosó (15,988) than in SAS (2,324). and species richness of phlebotomines was greater in the forest reserve (11 species) than in the degraded habitat (seven species). Fisher alpha, a measure of diversity, reinforced this trend. Both sand fly communities were dominated by Lutzomyia evansi (Nuòez-Tovar), vector of Leishmania chagasi (Cunha & Chagas), representing 92 and 81% of all captures in Colosó and SAS, respectively. Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva), the common vector of visceral leishmaniasis, accounted for 4-7% of the sand fly community. Lutzornyia panamensis (Shannon) and Lutzomya gomezi (Nitzulescu), putative vectors of Leishmania braziliensis (Vianna), had low abundances at both study sites. The zoophilic species Lutzomyia cayennensis (Floch & Abonneuc) and Lutzomyia trinidadensis (Newstead) were present in variable numbers according to trapping methods and site. Habitat degradation negatively affected sand fly communities, but medically important species were able to exploit modified environments, thereby contributing to Lishmania endemicity.

Evolution of land policies and legislation in Malawi and Zimbabwe: implications for forestry development

This paper describes the effects of the colonial and post-colonial land policies and legislation on the management and utilisation of natural woodlands in Malawi and Zimbabwe. The two countries share similar patterns of land ownership; customary or tribal trust land designated by colonial governments for settlement and cultivation by the indigenous populations; private land mostly alienated from local communities for commercial farming and ranching, initially by white settlers and later officially sanctioned by post-colonial governments; and public land appropriated by government for purposes of establishing national parks and forest reserves. The private and public land tenure, did not only reduce the size of land available to indigenous communities for agricultural and non-agricultural activities, but also compromised the roles and power of traditional authorities in controlling and managing natural resources including miombo woodlands. The major factors, which appear to have contributed to rapid deforestation and land degradation, include increases in population pressure, poverty and failure by governments to urgently provide effective policy guidelines on land management and administration regarding the utilisation of forests and natural resources. The Zimbabwe Science News Volume 36 (1+ 2) 2002, pp. 18-27

THE DISPLAY OF THE WHITE-WINGED NIGHTJAR

Abstract In 1995, we discovered a population of the poorly known and critically endangered White-winged Nightjar (Caprimulgus candicans) in Yata'i (Butia paraguayensis) palm cerrado at the Mbaracayu Forest Nature Reserve, Paraguay. We provide the first description of the dislay of C. candicans, as observed in December 1995. The display, which appears to function primarily for mate attraction, took place in small arenas and consisted of a regular flight pattern between perches. Noises that accompany the display appear to be mechanical in origin. The modified shape of the outer remiges of male C. candicans suggests a role in the production of this display noise. Male territories were situated exclusively on the upper slopes of ridges in open grassland with a low palm density (termed campo sucio). Territories appeared to be relatively clustered, thus suggesting either a lek-mating system or male aggregation due to the use of specialized habitats as encounter sites for mating. Improved knowledge of the specie...

Conservation of Forest in Sweden: a strategic ecological analysis

Policies for future conservation of forests must be preceded by an evaluation of the present reserves. Using data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory, this study analyses Swedish reserves, i.e. national parks, nature reserves and forest service reserves, in terms of proportion of forest, stand age, site quality, tree species composition and tree volumes. The results show that in Sweden, the proportion of productive forest within reserves is 20% compared to 60% of the non-reserve land area, and that the volume of dead trees is greater in reserves. In general the distribution of forests within reserves is skewed towards old, low-productivity Norway spruce forests in Northwest Sweden. This allocation may not meet the demands for protection of the habitats of endangered species.

Protected Area Planning in the Tropics: Uganda's National System of Forest Nature Reserves

Abstract: Uganda is one of the most biologically diverse countries in Africa, with much of its biodiversity represented in a system of 10 national parks, 10 wildlife reserves, and 710 forest reserves, covering 33,000 km2 (14%) of the country's area. We focus on the role of the forest reserves in biodiversity conservation and describe a procedure we developed to design a national system of forest nature reserves. In the late 1980s a policy was instituted to dedicate half the area of forest reserves to sustainable timber production and the other half to environmental protection (with 20% as nature reserves). To select suitable sites, a 5‐year, US$1‐million program of biodiversity and resource assessment was undertaken, focusing on five biological indicator species groups and covering all the major forest reserves. Based on data generated by the field studies, we ranked each forest in terms of various criteria—(species richness, rarity, value for nonconsumptive uses, timber production, and importance to local communities)—and used an iterative site selection procedure to choose the most suitable combination of forests for nature reserve establishment. Our procedure maximized complementarity in representing species and habitats in reserves across the whole protected‐area system. We initially selected sites using purely biological criteria but later modified our procedure to ensure that opportunity costs and potential land‐use conflicts were minimized. Our preferred network of sites included 14 forests that, in combination with the existing national parks, would account for 96% of species represented in the country's protected areas. These 14 forests were classified as “prime” and “core” sites and were selected for the establishment of large nature reserves (averaging 100 km2). The addition of 25 smaller “secondary” forest nature reserves (averaging 32 km2) would protect more than 99% of the indicator species.

Holocene Environmental Changes from the Rio Curuá Record in the Caxiuanã Region, Eastern Amazon Basin

Holocene environments have been reconstructed by multiproxy studies of an 850-cm-long core from Rio Curuá dating to >8000 14C yr B.P. The low-energy river lies in the eastern Amazon rain forest in the Caxiuanã National Forest Reserve, 350 km west of Belém in northern Brazil. Sedimentological, mineralogical, and geochemical dates demonstrate that the deposits correspond to two different environments, sediments of an active river before 8000 14C yr B.P. and later a passive river system. The pollen analytical results indicate four different local and regional Holocene paleoenvironmental periods: (1) a transition to a passive fluvial system and a well-drained terra firme (unflooded upland) Amazon rain forest with very limited development of inundated forests (várzea and igapó) (>7990–7030 14C yr B.P.); (2) a sluggish river with a local Mauritia palm-swamp and similar regional vegetation, as before (7030–5970 14C yr B.P.); (3) a passive river, forming shallow lake conditions and with still-abundant terra firme forest in the study region (5970–2470 14C yr B.P.); and (4) a blocked river with high water levels and marked increase of inundated forests during the last 2470 14C yr B.P. Increased charcoal during this last period suggests the first strong presence of humans in this region. The Atlantic sea level rise was probably the major factor in paleoenvironmental changes, but high water stands might also be due to greater annual rainfall during the late Holocene.

Odontological characteristics of European brown bears from the Central Forest Biosphere Nature Reserve

Forty-five skulls of European brown bears from the Central Forest Nature Reserve and adjacent regions were examined in detail. The frequencies of oligodonty, dental caries, parodontosis, and traumatized teeth were estimated. A total of 12 variants of the tooth formula were described. The sample under study was distinguished from the populations examined previously by the lowest frequency of oligodonty. Dental caries in one or several teeth, caused by mechanical damage or malocclusion, occurred in 14% of animals. Strong wear marks on the canines caused by feeding on oats frequently resulted in broken canines in bears of the senior age groups.

Ranking the Azorean Natural Forest Reserves for conservation using their endemic arthropods.

Endemic arthropods were used to evaluate the conservation value of the 16 Natural Forest Reserves (NFRs) of the Azores (Macaronesia). For each of the 280 known Azorean endemic species of arthropods, a rarity index was calculated, using distribution and abundance data obtained from the literature. In addition, several scoring indices were used to rank the 16 NFRs. Frequency distributions of the rarity index indicated that there was a tendency for a greater proportion of the commonest species being represented in the NFRs in contrast with a lower representation of the rarest species. About 60% of the endemic arthropod species that were recorded from the NFRs are ‘single NFR endemics’, that is, are known from only one of the 16 NFRs. Species richness was considered to be a very good surrogate measure of the conservation value of the 16 NFRs under study. The fact that the six highest ranked NFRs (using a composite multi-criteria index) are located in different islands has some important conservation management implications; to preserve a large proportion of the Azorean arthropod biodiversity there is a need to protect sites in all islands. If the five highest ranked NFRs are correctly managed in terms of conservation, then at least 80% of the endemic arthropods known from the NFRs could be protected. Most of the tested taxa (Acari-Oribatei; Lepidoptera; Diptera; Coleoptera) are good surrogates of the overall total set of species present in the 16 NFRs when using a species richness index.

Birds as biodiversity indicators in the planning of Forest Nature Reserves in Uganda

Baltzer, M., Matthews, R., Howard, P., Kigenyi F. & Viskanic, P. 2000. Birds as biodiversity indicators in the planning of Forest Nature Reserves in Uganda. Ostrich 71 (1 & 2): 291. In Uganda a policy decision has been taken to set aside 20% of the nation's 1.4 million hectare forest estate as Forest Nature Reserves, for the protection of biodiversity. The estate comprises 713 Forest Reserves, ranging in size from just a few hectares to well over 100 000 hectares, scattered all over the country. In order to select appropriate areas for designation as Nature Reserves, the Forest Department (with assistance from the European Community and Global Environmental Facility) has evaluated all the larger reserves for biodiversity, focusing on birds and four other biological indicator groups (woody plants, mammals, butterflies and moths). Building on earlier work, teams of departmental staff carried out detailed systematic biodiversity surveys of 65 major forests between May 1992 and March 1995. The work on birds involved 1 442 person-days of field observation and 1.2 million metre net-hours of mist-netting effort. Altogether 5 744 species-site records were made, involving 604 of Uganda's 1011 species: this brings the total number of species known from Uganda's forest reserves to 841 (83% of the country's birds). Several species not previously known from Uganda were recorded, especially in the north and east of the country where birds of the northern (Sudan/Guinea) savannas and Somali-Masai regions reach the extreme limits of their ranges. The bird data have been analysed alongside comparable data for the other four indicator taxa. Fortunately, areas of high species richness and levels of endemism for the five groups tend to coincide. Priority conservation sites have been identified and a national network of Forest Nature Reserves has been designed as part of a representative and efficient protected areas system for Uganda.

Preliminary assessment of the impacts of human activities on gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla and other wildlife at Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Central African Republic

AbstractThe aim of this study was to make preliminary assessments of the effects of human activities on the gorillas and other wildlife in the Dzanga-Ndoki Park and broader Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Reserve (RDS), Central African Republic. During a month-long survey in 1997, observation and sign of humans and large mammals, including ape nest-sites, were recorded on 81.2 km of line transects in three sectors of the park and reserve. Human activities, including intensities of logging and hunting, appeared to decrease with distance from the population centres and were lower in the park than in the reserve sectors. Encounter rates with sign of duikers Cephalophus spp., monkeys Cercopithecus spp. and Cercocebus albigena, elephants Loxodonta africana, and gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla were generally lower in regions of high human activity in the reserve than in the park sectors. Nevertheless, gorilla nest-site densities did not vary significantly between sectors or with human activity levels. A high frequency of zero (bare ground) nests at RDS suggests that gorilla surveys that rely on line transect methods and use nest decomposition rates from other studies may sometimes underestimate gorilla densities. This study suggests that current levels of exploitation in managed hunting zones of national forest reserves may be negatively affecting targeted wildlife populations in these zones. Assessments should be a regular part of efforts to monitor the health of wildlife populations in managed protected zones. Participation by Central Africans in research will continue to benefit conservation and development efforts.

<p><strong>Bryophytes of Uganda. 1. BBS Tropical Bryology Group expeditions, 1996-1998. Introduction and collecting sites.</strong></p>

The British Bryological Society Tropical Bryology Group (TBG) undertook three expeditions to Uganda, in Jan-Feb 1996, Jan-Feb 1997 and June-Jul 1998. Collections were made from 134 sites, mainly from national parks and forest reserves in western and southern Uganda

The effects of logging and grazing on the insect community associated with a semi-arid chaco forest in central Argentina

The ground-dwelling insect community associated with semi-arid chaco forest in the Chancanı́ Natural Park and Forest Reserve (Córdoba, central Argentina) was studied from pitfall trap collections. The taxonomic composition and functional structure of the community present in the natural climax forest was compared with that of a degraded forest (shrubland) resulting from heavy logging and grazing. The studied communities differed significantly in taxonomic composition, sharing less than half of the insect families and less than a third of the Coleoptera species. The shift in dominant families within the Coleoptera reflected the habitat changes imposed by disturbance, mainly the scarcity of litter and presence of cattle dung in the shrubland. Such effects were also reflected in changes in the relative size of insect feeding guilds within the two habitats, scavengers being remarkably under-represented in the shrubland. Given the key role of scavenging insects as decomposers in arid systems, this observation could have profound implications for the functioning of this habitat type.

Biodiversity Assessment for Conservation Planning in Uganda'S Forests

The Uganda Forest Department recently completed a major national inventory of forest biodiversity, aimed at providing the information necessary to design a representative protected area system for the country. The inventory covered five national parks and a further 60 forest reserves, and involved the collection of data on five indicator taxa of plants and animals. The project involved approximately 100 man-years of work, during which 17,600 plant site records were made, 100,000 trap-nights of small mammal work undertaken, 57,000 large moths, 21,000 butterflies and 14,000 birds trapped.The analysis of data generated by the inventory has involved the development of a scoring system, by which the biodiversity and socio-economic values of different sites were compared, and nature conservation priorities established.More than 95 % of species belonging to the five indicator taxa are represented in the present 10 national parks combined with 11 selected forest reserves, and a more complete network of 43 sites would encompass more than 98% of species. The proposed network of forest Nature Reserves is presently being put in place.

<strong>Conservation Status of Bryophytes in Eastern Australia</strong>

No bryophyte conservation programs are in place in Australia as the knowledge of bryophytes is poor, especially of their habitat preferences and distribution. The conservation of species against habitats is discussed and it is maintained on present evidence that areas conserved for vascular plants and/or animal habitats, as national parks and forest reserves, in most cases would adequately conserve bryophytes.

A study on the ordination of forest nature reserves in Jiangxi province

A study on the ordination of forest nature reserves in Jiangxi province

Barriers to Establishment of Invading, Non-forest Plants in Deciduous Forest Nature Reserves

A field experiment was conducted to define minimum values of irradiance (i.e. light reaching the forest floor) and exposed mineral soil required for non-forest species to become established in deciduous forest in Southern Canada. Three logging intensities (0%, 33%, and 66%, of tree basal-area removed) were combined with three plot sizes (0.01, 0.05, and 0.20 ha) to create a range of values of irradiance and exposed mineral soil. The total number of non-forest species that became established during the first three years after logging was recorded.Non-forest species invaded experimental plots only when irradiance was at least 8% of incident light. There was no single minimum area of exposed mineral soil required for invasion. A few non-forest species became established even in the absence of exposed mineral soil where penetrating irradiance was 8% or greater. More non-forest species became established as irradiance and the amount of exposed mineral soil increased.Logging increased both irradiance and the amount of exposed mineral soil. Only a small amount of logging (e.g. 33% removal of tree basal-area from a 0.01 ha plot) would be compatible with the conservation objective of preventing invasion by undesirable non-forest species.