Loss Of Forest Area Research Articles

Forest Transition and Metropolitan Transformations in Developed Countries: Interpreting Apparent and Latent Dynamics with Local Regression Models

Metropolitan fringes in Southern Europe preserve, under different territorial contexts, natural habitats, relict woodlands, and mixed agro-forest systems acting as a sink of biodiversity and ecosystem services in ecologically vulnerable landscapes. Clarifying territorial and socioeconomic processes that underlie land-use change in metropolitan regions is relevant for forest conservation policies. At the same time, long-term dynamics of fringe forests in the northern Mediterranean basin have been demonstrated to be rather mixed, with deforestation up to the 1950s and a subsequent recovery more evident in recent decades. The present study makes use of Forest Transition Theory (FTT) to examine spatial processes of forest loss and expansion in metropolitan Rome, Central Italy, through local regressions elaborating two diachronic land-use maps that span more than 80 years (1936–2018) representative of different socioeconomic and ecological conditions. Our study evaluates the turnaround from net forest area loss to net forest area gain, considering together the predictions of the FTT and those of the City Life Cycle (CLC) theory that provides a classical description of the functioning of metropolitan cycles. The empirical findings of our study document a moderate increase in forest cover depending on the forestation of previously abandoned cropland as a consequence of tighter levels of land protection. Natural and human-driven expansion of small and isolated forest nuclei along fringe land was demonstrated to fuel a polycentric expansion of woodlands. The results of a Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) reveal the importance of metropolitan growth in long-term forest expansion. Forest–urban dynamics reflect together settlement sprawl and increased forest disturbance. The contemporary expansion of fringe residential settlements and peri-urban forests into relict agricultural landscapes claims for a renewed land management that may reconnect town planning, reducing the intrinsic risks associated with fringe woodlands (e.g., wildfires) with environmental policies preserving the ecological functionality of diversified agro-forest systems.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAW AND POLICY IN PROTECTING AND MANAGING THE KRUENG PEUSANGAN WATERSHED, ACEH PROVINCE, INDONESIA

The Krueng Peusangan watershed in the Aceh Province, Indonesia, has an important role in the daily life of residents in the surrounding areas. The watershed serves as a supply of clean water, shelter, food sources, and sources of income for hundreds of thousands of people. Forest encroachment activities, mining, plantations, and land conversion have interrupted the watershed balance. These various activities cause threats of loss of forest area, biodiversity extinction, water crisis, flooding, human-animal conflict, and also global warming and food crisis. Therefore, this article analyses the law and policies issued by the Central, Provincial, and Regency/City Governments related to the management of the Krueng Peusangan Watershed and to examine the legal framework needed for watershed protection and management. This type of research is normative legal research using the regulatory, conceptual, and case approaches. The results revealed that the existing legal framework has not fully protected watershed rescue. The policies issued are still partial and have not been integrated on a regional or sectoral basis. This paper suggests that the Government of Aceh and Regency/City Governments to revise several Qanun, i.e., the Mid-Term Development Plan Qanun, the Watershed Management Qanun, Strategic Environmental Assessment Qanun, Qanun of Environmental Protection and Management Plan, and laws and regulations in the environmental, forestry, plantation and mining sectors.

20Forest loss shapes the landscape suitability of Kyasanur Forest disease in the Western Ghats, India

Abstract Background Anthropogenic pressure in biodiversity hotspots is increasingly recognised as a major driver of the spillover and expansion of zoonotic disease. In the Western Ghats region of India, a devastating tick-borne zoonosis, Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD), has been expanding rapidly beyond its endemic range in recent decades. While it has been suggested that anthropogenic pressure in the form of land use changes that lead to the loss of native forest may be directly contributing to the expanding range of KFD, clear evidence has not yet established the association between forest loss and KFD risk. Methods The current study sought to investigate the relationship between KFD landscape suitability and both forest loss and mammalian species richness to inform its epidemiology and infection ecology. Forty-seven outbreaks of KFD between 1 January, 2012 and 30 June, 2019 were modelled as an inhomogeneous Poisson process. Results Both forest loss (relative risk (RR) = 1.83; 95% C.I. 1.33 – 2.51) and mammalian species richness (RR = 1.29; 95% C.I. 1.16 – 1.42) were strongly associated with increased risk of KFD. Conclusions These results provide the first evidence of a clear association between increasing forest loss and risk for KFD. Moreover, the findings also highlight the importance of forest loss in areas of high biodiversity. This evidence supports integrative approaches to public health that incorporate conservation strategies simultaneously protective of humans, animals, and the environment. Key messages The association between deforestation and KFD risk suggest potential benefit in leveraging conservation efforts in the service of public health.

Early warning sign of forest loss in protected areas

As humanity is facing the double challenge of species extinctions and climate change, designating parts of forests as protected areas is a key conservation strategy.1-4 Protected areas, encompassing 14.9% of the Earth's land surface and 19% of global forests, can prevent forest loss but do not do so perfectly everywhere.5-12 The reasons why protection only works in some areas are difficult to generalize: older and newer parks, protected areas with higher and lower suitability for agriculture, and more and less strict protection can be more effective at preventing forest loss than their counterparts.6,8,9,12-16 Yet predicting future forest loss within protected areas is crucial to proactive conservation. Here, we identify an early warning sign of subsequent forest loss, based on forest loss patterns in strict protected areas and their surrounding landscape worldwide, from 2000 to 2018.17,18 We found that a low level in the absolute forest cover immediately outside of a protected area signals a high risk of future forest loss inside the protected area itself. When the amount of forest left outside drops to <20%, the protected area is likely to experience rates of forest loss matching those in the wider landscape, regardless of its protection status (e.g., 5% loss outside will be matched by 5% loss inside). This knowledge could be used to direct funding to protected areas threatened by imminent forest loss, helping to proactively bolster protection to prevent forest loss, especially in countries where detailed information is lacking.

Can community monitoring save the commons? Evidence on forest use and displacement

Rapid deforestation is a major driver of greenhouse-gas emissions (1). One proposed policy tool to halt deforestation is community forest management. Even though communities manage an increasing proportion of the world's forests, we lack good evidence of successful approaches to community forest management. Prior studies suggest that successful approaches require a number of "design conditions" to be met. However, causal evidence on the effectiveness of individual design conditions is scarce. This study isolates one design condition, community-led monitoring of the forest, and provides causal evidence on its potential to reduce forest use. The study employs a randomized controlled trial to investigate the impact of community monitoring on forest use in 110 villages in Uganda. We explore the impact of community monitoring in both monitored and unmonitored areas of the forest, using exceptionally detailed data from on-the-ground measurements and satellite imagery. Estimates indicate that community monitoring does not affect our main outcome of interest, a forest-use index. However, treatment villages see a relative increase in forest loss outside of monitored forest areas compared to control villages. This increase is seen both in nonmonitored areas adjacent to treatment villages and in nonmonitored areas adjacent to neighboring villages not included in the study. We tentatively conclude that at least part of the increase in forest loss in nonmonitored areas is due to displacement of forest use by members of treatment villages due to fear of sanctions. Interventions to reduce deforestation should take this potentially substantial effect into consideration.

Dinâmica Florestal nas Comunas do Cuima (Caála) e Chipeio (Ecunha), Huambo-Angola entre 2009-2019

Currently it is noted in Angola that there has been a considerable reduction and degradation of forest both in Miombo and in other native forest formations in the country. The record of high rates of deforestation has led the researchers to compare the forest changes cover in Cuima communes in a comparative way. (municipality of Caála) and Chipeio (municipality of Ecunha), both belonging to the province of Huambo, between 2009 and 2019, based on remote sensing data from Global Forest Watch. The two study zones, which both fall within the agricultural region 24 of the country, were the blocks subjected to vegetation dynamics analysis on the Global Forest Watch platform. In this stage, the following variables were analyzed: annual forest area, loss of annual forest area and gain of annual forest area of ​​each commune. Geospatial data were also obtained from the Maplibrary, Earth Explorer and Copernicus Open Access Hub servers. The results point to a reduction of 12.7% in the forest area of ​​the municipality of Cuima and 6.6% in Chipeio, between 2009 and 2019. There was also evidence of a low rate of gain in forest area and a high rate of loss of forest cover; for this reason, if there are no interventions, it is expected to see a reduction in the period 2009 and 2030 from 60.5% to 39.2% in the municipality of Cuima and from 88.1 to 74% in Chipeio. The adoption and promotion of alternative sources of family income are identified as the means of sustaining the studied forest resources.

Forest-associated bee species persist amid forest loss and regrowth in eastern North America

Forest-associated species, which depend on forest habitat for their survival, are among the world's most vulnerable species due to widespread forest loss. However, in many parts of the world, forests are re-growing. Thus, if forest-associated species can persist in young forests their conservation outlook is less bleak. We examined the effects of forest loss and regrowth on bee pollinators in eastern North America using three datasets totaling 36,605 individual specimens. First, we conducted a regional-scale study to identify forest-associated and habitat generalist bee species. Second, we examined how the abundance and richness of each group change with forest area and age, by collecting bees from forests chosen to vary orthogonally in these variables. Lastly, we examined whether the results of our field studies were consistent with long-term, regional trends in the richness of both groups, using a dataset of museum specimens collected between 1872 and 2011, which was a period of reforestation in our study region. We found that the abundance and richness of forest-associated bees increase with forest area, while being relatively insensitive to forest age. By contrast, habitat generalist bees are unaffected by forest area, but decrease in abundance with forest age. Consistent with these results, we found a 16% increase in the richness of forest-associated bees over a 140-year time series as reforestation occurred in eastern North America, but no significant trend for habitat generalists. Overall, our results show that the loss of forest area from a landscape harms forest-associated bees, and that young forests have high conservation value for both forest-associated and habitat generalist bees.

Allocating the REDD+ national baseline to local projects: A case study of Cambodia

This study aimed to propose a set of decision support tools to allocate Cambodia's REDD+ national baseline or initial forest reference level (FRL) to local REDD+ projects, based on their forest cover and forest carbon stocks, and the historical deforestation trends in their reference regions. Our samples included 77 hypothetical REDD+ projects and five actual REDD+ projects. To identify reference regions for our samples, a cluster analysis of 127 districts in Cambodia was conducted using the Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) algorithm (or k-medoids method). To calculate the baseline amount to be allocated to projects, four allocation methods were proposed. Two methods used ‘snapshot’ variables (i.e., [1] existing forest area or [2] forest carbon stock) and two used ‘change’ variables (i.e., [3] historical forest area change or [4] historical forest carbon stock change from 2006 to 2014). We weighted the baseline by the deforestation risk in 2014. We found that ‘snapshot’ methods tended to allocate more baseline if the project had more forest cover or forest carbon stocks. In contrast, ‘change’ methods tended to allocate more baseline if the project has more forest area loss or forest carbon stock loss between 2006 and 2014 in its reference region. These differences suggest that the ‘snapshot’ methods do not consider the inequity in the amount of baseline allocated to the projects. This inequity stems from the different degree of effort made by project stakeholders to protect their forests. The degree of effort varies depending on the historical deforestation trend in a project's reference region. However, the ‘change’ methods explicitly incorporate the trend into their calculations of baseline allocations. Technically, the ‘change’ method [4] seems to be the desired choice for allocating FRL to local projects; this is because it fits best with the idea of counter-factual thinking using a ‘reference period’ that a national baseline must have under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The ‘change’ methods are less likely to stimulate further deforestation, in a jurisdiction with high forest cover or forest carbon stocks that does not have a REDD+ project, compared with the ‘snapshot’ methods. However, the ‘change’ methods are more likely to face the challenge of political adjustment to balance the reduced emissions from some jurisdictions/projects with increased emissions from the other jurisdictions/projects, compared with the ‘snapshot’ methods. The findings are applicable not only in Cambodia but also in other REDD+ countries that include deforestation as one of the five REDD+ activities, within the scope of their national baseline submission to the UNFCCC. The study's outcomes will facilitate stakeholder dialogue on the proportions of national baseline allocated to sub-national programs/projects by showing the technical and political implications of the proposed allocation methods.

Impacts of wildfires in aquatic organisms: biomarker responses and erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities in Gambusia holbrooki exposed in situ.

Wildfires are an environmental concern due to the loss of forest area and biodiversity, but also because their role as drivers of freshwater systems contamination by metals. In this context, the fish Gambusia holbrooki was used as a model, deployed for in situ exposure in watercourses standing within a recently burnt area and further assessment of toxic effects. The fish were exposed during 4 days at four different sites: one upstream and another downstream the burnt area and two within the burnt area. Biochemical biomarkers for oxidative stress and damage were assessed. The extent of lipoperoxidative damage was monitored by quantifying malondialdehyde and DNA damage evaluated through erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities observation. Chemical analysis revealed higher metal levels within the burnt area, and exposed fish consistently showed pro-oxidative responses therein, particularly an increase of gill glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activity, the records doubling compared to samples from sites in the unburnt area; also the activity of glutathione-S-transferases comparatively increased (by 2-fold in the liver) in samples from the burnt area, and malondialdehyde was produced twice as much therein and in samples downstream the burnt area reflecting oxidative damage. Consistently, the frequency of erythrocyte nuclear abnormalities was higher at sites within and downstream the burnt area. This study supports the use of sensitive oxidative stress and genotoxicity biomarkers for an early detection of potentially noxious ecological effects of wildfires runoff.

Carbon loss from forest degradation exceeds that from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

Spatial–temporal dynamics of aboveground biomass (AGB) and forest area affect the carbon cycle, climate and biodiversity in the Brazilian Amazon. Here we investigate interannual changes in AGB and forest area by analysing satellite-based annual AGB and forest area datasets. We found that the gross forest area loss was larger in 2019 than in 2015, possibly due to recent loosening of forest protection policies. However, the net AGB loss was three times smaller in 2019 than in 2015. During 2010–2019, the Brazilian Amazon had a cumulative gross loss of 4.45 Pg C against a gross gain of 3.78 Pg C, resulting in a net AGB loss of 0.67 Pg C. Forest degradation (73%) contributed three times more to the gross AGB loss than deforestation (27%), given that the areal extent of degradation exceeds that of deforestation. This indicates that forest degradation has become the largest process driving carbon loss and should become a higher policy priority.

Detection of signals linked to climate change, land-cover change and climate oscillators in Tropical Montane Cloud Forests

Tropical Montane Cloud Forests (TMCFs) form biodiverse communities that are characterized by frequent occurrence of low-level clouds from which they capture a substantial proportion of their precipitation — here referred to as occult precipitation. TMCFs provide important ecosystem services, in particular the supply of water to their wider surroundings. Throughout the tropics (here 23.5∘ S to 23.5∘ N), they are under pressure from deforestation and poor land management which leads to loss of both forest area and species diversity, and reduces their capture of occult precipitation. Climate change may also reduce occult precipitation in TMCFs since the cloud base may lift in response to higher temperatures — the ‘lifting cloud-base hypothesis’. These threats to TMCFs are well understood, but their quantitative assessment is hampered by 1) uncertainty in the location and spatial extent of TMCFs and 2) limited availability of representative meteorological data. We use a Random Forest Classifier — informed by topographic data, MODIS vegetation data, TRMM precipitation data and ERA5-Land and MERRA-2 reanalysis products — to estimate the spatial distribution and extent of TMCFs (2.1 × 106 km2 ± 0.5 × 106 km2). We analyze temporal changes in climate, tree-cover and greenness of TMCFs over the past two to four decades to detect 1) multi-decadal trends, and 2) associations with the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Evidence for the ‘lifting cloud-base hypothesis’ in reanalysis products was inconsistent across the tropics; a lifting of the cloud base during the past four decades occurred for about 20% of TMCFs, predominantly in the Americas and a few locations in Africa, while in Asia a downward movement of the cloud base was found. However, these results in part depend on the bias correction applied to the reanalyses. Changes in TMCF tree cover and greenness varied by continent; in Africa in 50% of TMCFs tree cover declined, whereas TMCFs in the Americas and in Asia exhibited a net increase in tree cover, despite a reduction in tree cover in ~20% of these TMCFs. An important limitation of the tree-cover data is that they do not distinguish between natural tree cover and agro-forestry. ENSO signals were more strongly present in precipitation in American and Asian TMCFs, whereas IOD signals were stronger in TMCF temperature and dewpoint temperature across the tropics. ENSO and IOD signals were approximately equally important for precipitation in African TMCFs and in cloud-base height across the tropics. An arbitrary warming of 1 ∘C and a 100 m lifting of the cloud base, in accordance with the ‘lifting cloud hypothesis’, imposed on the Random Forest classifier showed a decline in the extent of TMCFs in the Americas and Africa, but an increase in Asia — mostly at the expense of evergreen broadleaf forests. The greater vulnerability of TMCFs in Africa may be linked to their more isolated and scattered distribution across the continent and drier conditions compared to a more continuous distribution and wetter conditions in the Americas and Asia.

Mega-dams and extreme rainfall: Disentangling the drivers of extensive impacts of a large flooding event on Amazon Forests.

Extreme weather events and the presence of mega-hydroelectric dams, when combined, present an emerging threat to natural habitats in the Amazon region. To understand the magnitude of these impacts, we used remote sensing data to assess forest loss in areas affected by the extreme 2014 flood in the entire Madeira River basin, the location of two mega-dams. In addition, forest plots (26 ha) were monitored between 2011 and 2015 (14,328 trees) in order to evaluate changes in tree mortality, aboveground biomass (AGB), species composition and community structure around the Jirau reservoir (distance between plots varies from 1 to 80 km). We showed that the mega-dams were the main driver of tree mortality in Madeira basin forests after the 2014 extreme flood. Forest loss in the areas surrounding the reservoirs was 56 km2 in Santo Antônio, 190 km2 in Jirau (7.4–9.2% of the forest cover before flooding), and 79.9% above that predicted in environmental impact assessments. We also show that climatic anomalies, albeit with much smaller impact than that created by the mega-dams, resulted in forest loss along different Madeira sub-basins not affected by dams (34–173 km2; 0.5–1.7%). The impact of flooding was greater in várzea and transitional forests, resulting in high rates of tree mortality (88–100%), AGB decrease (89–100%), and reduction of species richness (78–100%). Conversely, campinarana forests were more flood-tolerant with a slight decrease in species richness (6%) and similar AGB after flooding. Taking together satellite and field measurements, we estimate that the 2014 flood event in the Madeira basin resulted in 8.81–12.47 ∙ 106 tons of dead biomass. Environmental impact studies required for environmental licensing of mega-dams by governmental agencies should consider the increasing trend of climatic anomalies and the high vulnerability of different habitats to minimize the serious impacts of dams on Amazonian biodiversity and carbon stocks.

Does the growth of roads contribute to deforestation in Indonesia?

&lt;p&gt;This study investigates the effect of roads growth toward the deforestation rate in 33 provinces in Indonesia from eight years period of time, 2006-2013. A panel data analysis was utilized in order to analyze whether the existence of roads development affected the level of agricultural expansion activity by farmers which eventually determine the level of deforestation. Deforestation rate was set as the dependents variable and the length of roads was set as independent variable, while agriculture GDP, population, labor wage, budget of infrastructure, the price of crops and cost of agriculture production were set as control variable. The results show that growth of roads significantly contributes to loss in forest area or deforestation in Indonesia. Roads development become a driving magnet for forest cover dynamic changes since it is facilitate trade-off between economic activities and environmental damage, the reduction of agriculture production cost and the emerging unofficial roads building. Having this condition, farmers are eager to enhance their land productivity through agricultural expansion toward the forest and thereby this condition exacerbates the threats and pressure on the forest.&lt;/p&gt;

Improved Mapping of Long-Term Forest Disturbance and Recovery Dynamics in the Subtropical China Using All Available Landsat Time-Series Imagery on Google Earth Engine Platform

After implementations of many economic and forestry policies during recent 30 years, forest cover in China has experienced significant changes. The fine scale and long-term information on forest temporary (disturbance) loss, persistent loss (deforestation), and gains (afforestation/reforestation) will provide a guide for forest management and policies at regional scale. Using Jiangxi Province as a pilot study region, here we assessed forest cover dynamics in the subtropical China during 1986–2019 by integrating time-series Landsat images, Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery algorithm and Random Forest classifier on the Google Earth Engine Platform. The accuracy assessment indicated a high overall accuracy (>90%) and Kappa coefficient (>0.9) for both forest gain and loss detections as evaluated against various sources of plot-level sample data and the existing global forest change product. The total forest loss area was 18 697.79 km2, with persistent loss area of 3394.31 km2 due to land conversion during 1986–2019, while persistent (net) forest gain area was 45 656.96 km2, accounting for 57.70% of the forest area in 1986. Forest loss area exhibited large interannual variations, but showed a general increase trend from 1986 to 2019. The annual variation patterns of forest gain and loss area were associated with the changes in forestry policies and large disturbance events. Our assessments on the long-term and fine scale forest dynamic patterns will help evaluate the effectiveness of forest management practices and forestry polices on forest resource sustainability, and climate change and greenhouse gases mitigation in Jiangxi Province and China.

Calculation of Aerosol Emissions from Fires in the Tomsk Region Based on Remote Sensing Data

The areas of forest loss from fires in the Verkhneketsky district of the Tomsk region are considered. Pollutant emissions from fires are calculated. It is found that smoke aerosols from fires in 2012 and 2016 significantly exceed in mass technogenic emissions from stationary sources in the Verkhneketsky district. Based on the CALIOP lidar data, the smoke rise altitudes are determined as 1.3 to 4.3 km, which does not contradict model calculations.

Increased burning in a warming climate reduces carbon uptake in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem despite productivity gains

Abstract The effects of changing climate and disturbance on mountain forest carbon (C) stocks vary with tree species distributions and over elevational gradients. Warming can not only increase C uptake by stimulating productivity at high elevations but also enhance C release by increasing respiration and the frequency, intensity and size of wildfires. To understand the consequences of climate change for temperate mountain forests, we simulated interactions among climate, wildfire, tree species and their combined effects on regional C stocks in forests of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA (GYE) with the LANDIS‐II landscape change model. Simulations used historical climate and future potential climate represented by downscaled projections from five general circulation models (GCMs) that bracket the range of variability under the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 emissions scenario. Total ecosystem C increased by 67% through 2100 in simulations with historical climate, and by 38%–69% with GCM climate. Differences in C uptake among GCMs resulted primarily from variation in area burned, not productivity. Warming increased productivity by extending the growing season, especially near upper tree line, but did not offset biomass losses to fire. By 2100, simulated area burned increased by 27%–215% under GCM climate, with the largest increases after 2050. With warming &gt;3°C in mean annual temperature, the increased frequency of large fires reduced live C stocks by 4%–36% relative to the control, historical climate scenario. However, relative losses in total C were delayed under GCMs with large increases in summer precipitation and buffered by C retained in soils and the wood of fire‐killed trees. Increasing fire size limited seed dispersal, and reductions in soil moisture limited seedling establishment; both effects will likely constrain long‐term forest regeneration and C uptake. Synthesis. Forests in the GYE can maintain a C sink through the mid‐century in a warming climate but continued warming may cause the loss of forest area, live above‐ground biomass and, ultimately, ecosystem C. Future changes in C stocks in similar forests throughout western North America will depend on regional thresholds for extensive wildfire and forest regeneration and therefore, changes may occur earlier in drier regions.

Economic valuation of environmental attributes of the Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park via contingent valuation and choice experiment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the first economic valuation of four environmental attributes of the Yanachaga–Chemillén National Park (PNYCH – Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillén) in Peru.Design/methodology/approachThis study included households in three cities adjacent to the PNYCH and assessed the willingness to pay (WTP) for preservation efforts of these natural services to avoid the predicted loss in forest area by 2030 (currently 143,425 hectares per year).FindingsThe results showed that the average WTP was US$0.695 (2.3197 soles) per household annually. Added to all households in Peru (9 million), this is equivalent to approximately 6.255 million dollars annually.Practical implicationsThe economic valuation of these attributes is complementary to the contingent valuation and can have a significant impact, as this data influences decision-making and public policies focused on conserving forests and biodiversity.Social implicationsUpon using the choice experiment (CE) model, the attributes that have the most significant impact on inhabitants’ well-being were economic benefits. The flora and fauna coverage attributes were beneficial for the inhabitants of the place because they valued the proposed recovery and conservation program in a positive and differential way.Originality/valueFrom the collection of valuable economic data, the novelty lies in using the CE method, which has not yet been applied in valuations of natural ecosystem services in Peru.

A urgência de monitorar remanescentes florestais em áreas urbanas situadas na restinga

Desde a colonização, o manejo da Mata Atlântica no Brasil, em especial da vegetação de restinga localizada nas zonas costeiras, representa um desafio a ser enfrentado por toda a sociedade costeira. Os dados são alarmantes e ratificam a perda de áreas de florestas nestes cinco séculos de história, concomitante ao aumento da urbanização nas regiões costeiras, comprovando a dificuldade em conciliar ocupação humana e preservação florestal. Este trabalho preenche um hiato legal, recorrente em áreas urbanas ou de expansão urbana localizadas nas regiões costeiras, relacionado à convivência entre os remanescentes florestais e as áreas antropizadas, situados na mesma propriedade em consequência das determinações legais vigentes no país, através de Diretrizes para Aplicação de Faixas de Amortecimento Privativas - FAPs na Restinga, destinadas a empreendimentos com maior impacto ambiental, licenciados através de RAP – Relatório Ambiental Preliminar ou EIA RIMA – Estudo de Impacto Ambiental e Relatório de Impacto Ambiental. Objetivou-se a definição de técnicas interdisciplinares para localizar, dimensionar e monitorar o remanescente florestal preservado na propriedade, além de aferir impactos que ocorrem durante e após a supressão de vegetação, na implantação e operação da atividade licenciada. Este trabalho concluiu pela viabilidade das FAPs, após análise e discussão dos resultados, das legislações, normas, notas e pareceres técnicos relacionados às Áreas Verdes Remanescentes na Propriedade, de Preservação Permanente e as Unidades de Conservação. Este último assunto foca a gestão e dimensão das Zonas de Amortecimento, técnicas de Biomonitoramento e conceitos de Planejamento Estratégico, Ecologia da Paisagem, Dupla Territorialidade, Sistemas Sócio Ecológicos, Manejo Adaptativo e Serviços Ecossistêmicos.

Forest loss shapes the landscape suitability of Kyasanur Forest disease in the biodiversity hotspots of the Western Ghats

Background: Anthropogenic pressure in biodiversity hotspots is increasingly recognised as a major driver of the spillover and expansion of zoonotic disease. In the Western Ghats region of India, a devastating tick-borne zoonosis, Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD), has been expanding rapidly beyond its endemic range in recent decades. While it has been suggested that anthropogenic pressure in the form of land use changes that lead to the loss of native forest may be directly contributing to the expanding range of KFD, clear evidence has not yet established the association between forest loss and KFD risk. Methods & Materials: The current study sought to investigate the relationship between KFD landscape suitability and both forest loss and mammalian species richness to inform its epidemiology and infection ecology. Forty-eight outbreaks of KFD between 1 January, 2000 and 1 January, 2019 were modelled as an inhomogeneous Poisson process. Results: Both forest loss (relative risk (RR) = 1.78; 95% C.I. 1.31–2.42) and mammalian species richness (RR = 1.24; 95% C.I. 1.12–1.36) were strongly associated with increased risk of KFD and dominated its landscape suitability. Conclusion: These results provide the first evidence of a clear association between increasing forest loss and risk for KFD. Moreover, the findings also highlight the importance of forest loss in areas of high biodiversity. Therefore, this evidence provides strong support for integrative approaches to public health that incorporate conservation strategies simultaneously protective of humans, animals, and the environment.

Using occupancy models to assess the direct and indirect impacts of agricultural expansion on species\u2019 populations

Land-use change is a global threat to biodiversity, but how land-use change affects species beyond the direct effect of habitat loss remains poorly understood. We developed an approach to isolate and map the direct and indirect effects of agricultural expansion on species of conservation concern, using the threatened giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Gran Chaco as an example. We reconstructed anteater occupancy change between 1985 and 2015 by fitting single-season occupancy models with contemporary camera-trap data and backcasting the models to 1985 and 2000 land-cover/use maps. Based on this, we compared the area of forest loss (direct effect of agricultural expansion) with the area where forests remained but occupancy still declined (indirect effect of agricultural expansion). Anteater occupancy decreased substantially since 1985, particularly after 2000 when agriculture expanded rapidly. Between 1985 and 2015, ~ 64,000 km2 of forest disappeared, yet occupancy declined across a larger area (~ 102,000 km2), extending far into seemingly untransformed habitat. This suggests that widespread sink habitat has emerged due to agricultural land-use change, and that species may lose their habitat through direct and indirect effects of agricultural expansion, highlighting the urgent need for broad-scale conservation planning in the Chaco. Appropriate management responses could proactively protect more habitat where populations are stable, and restore habitat or address causes of mortality in areas where declines occur. Our work also highlights how occupancy modelling combined with remote sensing can help to detect the direct and indirect effects of agricultural expansion, providing guidance for spatially targeting conservation strategies to halt extinctions.