Natural Forest Areas Research Articles

A Comparison of Six Forest Mapping Products in Southeast Asia, Aided by Field Validation Data

Currently, many globally accessible forest mapping products can be utilized to monitor and assess the status of and changes in forests. However, substantial disparities exist among these products due to variations in forest definitions, classification methods, and remote sensing data sources. This becomes particularly conspicuous in regions characterized by significant deforestation, like Southeast Asia, where forest mapping uncertainty is more pronounced, presenting users with challenges in selecting appropriate datasets across diverse regions. Moreover, this situation impedes the further enhancement of accuracy for forest mapping products. The aim of this research is to assess the consistency and accuracy of six recently produced forest mapping products in Southeast Asia. These products include three 10 m land cover products (Finer Resolution Observation and Monitoring Global LC (FROM-GLC10), ESA WorldCover 10 m 2020 (ESA2020), and ESRI 2020 Land Cover (ESRI2020)) and three forest thematic mapping products (Global PALSAR-2 Forest/Non-Forest map (JAXA FNF2020), global 30 m spatial distribution of forest cover in 2020 (GFC30_2020), and Generated_Hansen2020, which was synthesized based on Hansen TreeCover2010 (Hansen2010) and Hansen Global Forest Change (Hansen GFC) for the year 2020). Firstly, the research compared the area and spatial consistency. Next, accuracy was assessed using field validation points and manual densification points. Finally, the research analyzed the geographical environmental and biophysical factors influencing consistency. The results show that ESRI2020 had the highest overall accuracy for forest, followed by ESA2020, FROM-GLC10, and Generated_Hansen2020. Regions with elevations ranging from 200 to 3000 m and slopes below 15° or above 25° showed high spatial consistency, whereas other regions showed low consistency. Inconsistent regions showed complex landscapes heavily influenced by human activities; these regions are prone to being confused with shrubs and cropland and are also impacted by rubber and oil palm plantations, significantly affecting the accuracy of forest mapping. Based on the research findings, ESRI2020 is recommended for mountainous areas and abundant forest regions. However, in areas significantly affected by human activities, such as forest and non-forest edges and mixed areas of plantations and natural forests, caution should be taken with product selection. The research has identified areas of forest inconsistency that require attention in future forest mapping. To enhance our understanding of forest mapping and generate high-precision forest cover maps, it is recommended to incorporate multi-source data, subdivide forest types, and increase the number of sample points.

First record of Leptoglossusoccidentalis Heidemann, 1910 (Hemiptera, Coreidae) in the Canary Islands, a novel pine pest detected through citizen science in an oceanic archipelago.

The 'western seed bug', known as Leptoglossusoccidentalis, is considered a global invasive species that has experienced a recent rapid expansion worldwide, becoming an important pest species for coniferous forests. With the 'Canary Islands early-warning network for the detection and intervention of invasive exotic species' (RedEXOS), this species was detected for the first time in the Canarian archipelago in an urban area in the eastern part of the island of Gran Canaria. This early detection is crucial for understanding the potential damage in one of the islands with the highest surface area of natural endemic pine forest.

Dynamic Change of Forest Ecological Benefit of the Natural Forest Protection Project in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River

The Natural Forest Protection Project (NFPP) is an ecological restoration project aimed at safeguarding natural forests, and is one of China’s six main forestry initiatives. The upper reaches of the Yangtze River represent the main distribution area of natural forests in China, and are an important area for the implementation of the NFPP. A systematic assessment of forest ecosystem changes in the upper Yangtze River region before and after implementation of the NFPP is of great scientific significance for the improvement of the project implementation effect, regional ecological protection, and further protection and restoration of natural forest resources. This study uses the NFPP area in the Yangtze River’s upper reaches as the study area; the data are primarily derived from the 1998 and 2020 forest resources category II survey data, long-term monitoring data from forest ecological stations, and public social data published by authoritative Chinese organizations. Based on the above data, we used the full index system of forest ecosystem services, continuous observation, and inventory system with the distributed measurement method to analyze the dynamic changes in forest ecosystem services in the study area in terms of three aspects: physical quality, value quality, and dominant function. The results of the study show that: (1) over the studied time scale, compared to the 1998 baseline, the physical quantities (soil erosion control, water regulation, and PM10 retention) and value of each service function of the forest ecosystem in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River project area in 2020 showed a significant increasing trend; (2) at the spatial scale, changes in forest ecosystem service functions in the upper reaches of Yangtze River under the NFPP showed significant spatial heterogeneity from 1998 to 2020; (3) in 2020, the total value of forest ecosystem services in the study area was 3,261,161,000,000 yuan/a, of which the functional value of biodiversity conservation was 1,294,426,000,000 yuan/a and the functional value of water conservation was 841,069,000,000 yuan/a, indicating that the forest ecosystem of the study area plays an important role as a “green gene pool” and “green water reservoir”; (4) the forest ecosystem service functions of the NFPP in the upper reaches of Yangtze River are intricately tied to forest resource features such as forest area, forest volume, age-group structure of arbor forest, etc., which influence the physical quantity and value of each forest ecosystem service function to varying degrees. In addition to illustrating the amazing efficiency of the natural forest preservation initiative, this study provides a scientific foundation for future natural forest resource conservation and restoration. It can serve as a reference for the project’s subsequent development as well to provide scientific foundations and guidance for the development of the natural forest protection and restoration program and to promote the protection and restoration of more natural forest resources.

Using social media data and machine learning to map recreational ecosystem services

Crowdsourced geotagged social media data and machine learning approaches have emerged as promising tools for mapping ecosystem services, especially cultural ecosystem services that are difficult to assess. Here, we use recreation to show how social media data, machine learning, and spatial analysis techniques can improve our understanding of human-nature interactions and the mapping of recreational ecosystem services. We extracted 80,500 photographs taken in non-urban areas of the Tahoe Central Sierra Initiative project area in California between 2005 and 2019 that were posted to the photo sharing application Flickr and used these as a proxy for recreational visits to the area. Automated image content analysis was used to identify the objects and concepts in the photographs and uncover the types of nature experiences that are important to visitors. Additionally, variable importance, a Random Forest machine learning technique, was used to examine the environmental and landscape variables that drive recreation in the area and to create a classification model that predicts the recreation potential of the entire area based on important variables. The automated image content analysis identified 1,239 unique labels linked to recreation, with mountains, hills, and rocks being the most prominent features (22%). Our Random Forest model indicates that vegetation cover, land cover, elevation, smoke days, and landscape features are major drivers of recreation in the area and are of interest to visitors in the area. The model predicted that 25.9% of the area has the potential to support recreational visits. Most of these recreation potential areas are in protected areas (77.8%), predominantly in conifer forests (66%) and within national forest boundaries, especially the Tahoe National Forest area (37.6%). These results show that recreational ecosystem services vary across landscapes and illustrate the need for improved mapping approaches to determine the provision of ecosystem services in different places. The analysis provides novel insights into the various ways social media data and machine learning techniques can be powerful components of ecosystem service research and how they hold great potential for monitoring and informing management interventions on ecosystem service provision, especially in places with limited traditional onsite visitation data.

The effects of intensive eradication efforts for Asian longhorned beetle on understory plant communities, tree regeneration, and forest structure in southern New England hardwood forests

The United States has been experiencing an influx of nonnative pests due to increased globalization, and these pests have the potential to permanently alter the composition, structure, and function of forests. Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an invasive pest detected in Worcester, MA in 2008, where it invaded both urban and natural forested areas. As a part of the eradication measures (full host removals, herbicide treatments, and stump grinding), all host tree species, primarily Acer spp. were removed to prevent the spread of ALB. While these eradication measures successfully eliminate ALB, little is known about their effects on forest structural and compositional conditions and recovery over time. To address this, we examined forest compositional and structural development following eradication treatments and in adjacent unimpacted forested areas. Overall, our results indicated forest recovery followed similar pathways documented after natural disturbances in southern New England forests. There was little difference among eradication treatments in terms of the resultant forest composition and structure. Overall, forest types shifted to primarily oak-hickory or pine dominance following the removal of all Acer spp. Notably, maple species were present in high numbers in the regeneration layer regardless of treatment, followed by other early colonizing species. Red maple (Acer rubrum) was the most abundant sapling and seedling species and stump sprouting occurred at 60% of sites but was absent in untreated areas. These results suggest that ALB management does not drastically alter forest compositional dynamics in these mixed species forests in the short term, despite significant reductions in the abundance of mature host species through eradication treatments.

Decoupling Analysis of Carbon Emissions and Forest Area in China from 2004 to 2020

As the largest ecological carbon sequestration systems on the Earth, forests play a significant role in reducing carbon dioxide, and countries around the world are actively expanding their forest areas. However, China’s carbon emissions and forest area have shown an upward trend, which has seriously hindered the implementation of forestry carbon sequestration projects. This paper analyzed the temporal variation, spatial distribution, and deviation degree of the forest area and carbon emissions in China from 2004 to 2020 by using a decoupling model and a coordination model. Firstly, according to the decoupling model, the national carbon emissions and forest area are negatively decoupled. At the provincial level, Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Gansu have weak decoupling. Expansive link areas include Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. The other 19 provinces show expansive negative decoupling. Secondly, according to the coordination model, national carbon emissions are coordinated to the forest area. Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangdong are basically coordinated provinces. More coordinated provinces include Ningxia. The other 25 provinces are coordinated provinces. Finally, according to the comprehensive measurement model, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Hainan, Jilin, Anhui, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang are high-quality expansive negative decoupling provinces. Chongqing, Hunan, Tianjin, Shandong, Hebei, and Guangxi are moderate to strong expansive negative decoupling provinces. This study not only provides a new perspective for analyzing forest carbon sinks, but also provides theoretical guidance for enhancing the natural carbon sink capacity, helping to achieve global carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

Vododržnost hydrických skupin lesních půd v České republice

Forest soil moisture limits (hydrolimits) suggest variation in soil water availability for tree species. In this study, we focused on estimations of soil hydrolimits using multiple regression with grain size, Corg, pH/H2O and cation exchange capacity (CEC) in the overlays between forest site georelief and bedrock in the Czech Republic. The multiple regression parameters were optimized in a system of 615 pits from case studies in 32 natural forest areas during 2002–2020. Light anhydromorphic soils were characterized by a decrease in hydrolimits with a profile depth, while hydrolimit values were higher at greater depths in hydromorphic soils. The dependences of hydrolimits on the granularity and forest soil physico-chemical properties were closer in the subsurface horizons than in the top ones. Higher correlations suggested that the hydrolimit increase appears to be more easily achievable in subsurface soil horizons by stimulating variable contents of Corg and CEC. On the other hand, the dependence of hydrolimits on variable soil properties suggested sensitivity to environmental changes affecting ecosystems.

MODIS Time Series Reveal New Maximum Records of Defoliated Area by Ormiscodes amphimone in Deciduous Nothofagus Forests, Southern Chile

Outbreaks of the Ormiscodes amphimone moth are among the largest biotic disturbances in South America, defoliating vast areas of native Nothofagus pumilio forests in the Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia in the last decade. Using MODIS 16-day composites of the enhanced vegetation index and the new functions of the latest release of the “npphen” R-package, we identified new maximum records of continuously defoliated area in the Aysén region (Chilean Patagonia). This approach allowed us to detect 55,193 ha and 62,344 ha of extremely defoliated N. pumilio forest in 2019 and 2022, respectively, in an area locally known as “Mallín Grande”. Extreme defoliation was accounted for by means of negative EVI anomalies with values falling among 5% of the lowest EVI records of the reference period (2000–2010). These new 2019 and 2022 outbreaks in Mallín Grande were the largest reported insect outbreaks in South American Patagonia in this century.

RESOLUSI KONFLIK AGRARIA DI KABUPATEN LEBONG DALAM PERSPEKTIF FACE NEGOTATION THEORY

Agrarian conflicts related to forest areas also occurred in Lebong Regency, Bengkulu Province, namely the Tes Lake Natural Tourism Park Forest area. Area designation Nature Tourism Park Lake Tes has an impact on the community because they cannot take care of certificates or the legality of land ownership in the area even though the community has lived there before the issuance of the zoning regulations Nature Tourism Park Tes Lake. This study aims to understand and explain conflict resolution Nature Tourism Park Tes Lake in perspective Face Negotation Theory. This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study research type and is descriptive in nature. The results of this study found that the conflict actors Nature Tourism Park Tes Lake involves the community and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The conflict resolution is carried out by teamwork in the Agrarian Reform Task Force and analysed through Face Negotiation Theory. The team involved in conflict resolution Nature Tourism Park Lake of Tests did not practice evasion but had a sense of responsibility for resolving conflicts Nature Tourism Park Lake Tes, according to their respective duties, compromises and integrates with each other to resolve conflicts Nature Tourism Park Tes Lake.

Fire may prevent future Amazon forest recovery after large-scale deforestation

The Amazon forest is regarded as a tipping element of the Earth system, susceptible to a regime change from tropical forest to savanna and grassland due to anthropogenic land use and climate change. Previous research highlighted the role of fire in amplifying irreversible large-scale Amazon die-back. However, large-scale feedback analyses which integrate the interplay of fire with climate and land-use change are currently lacking. To address this gap, here we applied the fire-enabled Potsdam Earth Model to examine these feedback mechanisms in the Amazon. By studying forest recovery after complete deforestation, we discovered that fire prevents regrowth across 56-82% of the potential natural forest area, contingent on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This emphasizes the significant contribution of fire to the irreversible transition, effectively locking the Amazon into a stable grassland state. Introducing fire dynamics into future assessments is vital for understanding climate and land-use impacts in the region.

The application of gap planting technology to rehabilitate degraded natural forest

In 2020 degraded forests in Indonesia reached 33.4 million ha. These forests must be rehabilitated. The purpose of this research was to show the application of gap planting technology to rehabilitate degraded natural forests. This improvement of forest regeneration methods by planting local intolerant tree species in gaps area was used. Artificial gaps area was designed and it’s location was adjusted to the topography and forest cover. The size of each gap area is 2,000 m2. The ratio of total gaps area to total natural forests area was about four to six. Open areas, soil density, forest fire risk, working time and cost of gap planting, and tree growth were studied. The results showed that after the gap planting: forest cover consists of 37.43% gap planting area and 62.57% natural forest area; forest soil is not compacted; the fire hazard rating in the gap and natural forests is low. Moreover, it is cost-effective and has positive impacts such as job creation for local communities and a productivity increase of rehabilitated forests. It is concluded that the gap planting technology was environment friendly technology, and it is recommended to be used for rehabilitation of degraded forests in Indonesia.

Global warming and human health effects of wood heating life cycle in the Grand-Est region in France

In France, residential wood heating represents 52% of the share of energy produced from renewable resources for heat production. The forest of the Grand Est region (FR) covers one third of the regional territory and 12% of the national forest area. The main purpose of this study is to assess and to compare the global warming and the human health effects of the wood energy sector at domestic and regional scales. Five scenarios systems were studied. S1 (wood-log scenario and S2 (pellet scenario) were compared in real conditions of use. S3 studies in details the pellet manufacturing process. The novelty of the study compares S1 and S2 at the regional scale with two new scenarios S4 and S5 considering the entire log inserts and pellets stoves listed in the region. A cradle-to-grave approach was applied including all stages from forestry operations to heat production by combustion. Scenario S2 leads to a higher global change than S1 with values of 73.7 and 44.1 kg CO2eq per ton of green wood, respectively. If the combustion stage of pellets emits less greenhouse gases than the combustion of logs, the stage production contributes for 67% of the total impact. The packaging was the main process having the highest health and environmental impacts. At regional scale, the combustion stage mainly enhances all impacts due to the presence of old appliances with low environmental efficiency. Public policies must continue their efforts to promote the replacement of old household appliances.

Simulating Sustainable Forest Management Practices Using Crown Attributes: Insights for Araucaria angustifolia Trees in Southern Brazil

Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze, commonly known as Brazilian pine, is a significant tree species in the Brazilian flora that once covered an area of 200,000 km2 in the Southern region. During the 1970s, high-quality timber logs from this conifer became the primary export product of the country. However, the species is endangered due to uncontrolled exploitation and is subject to a harvesting ban. It is crucial, therefore, to explore sustainable cultivation methods for this species, which necessitates urgent research and scientific insights. In this study, we present a simulation of a management strategy for in situ conservation by manipulating growth space and crown size dynamics. Forest inventory data and mixed forest regression equations were employed to describe the horizontal dimensions of average and maximum potential crown growth, resulting in two management scenarios. The results presented in management diagrams show that both approaches required logging numerous trees to ensure adequate space for healthy tree growth and provide soil coverage and forest protection. Therefore, the absence of effective forest management initiatives for Araucaria forests may have further implications for the structure, production, conservation, and overall development. To address these challenges, we propose two hypotheses: firstly, that tree diameter depends on crown dimensions, which are in turn influenced by tree growth space, and, secondly, that crown dimensions serve as a reliable indicator of existing competition and can be utilized to simulate forest management practices. We urge that implementing sustainable forest management initiatives for Araucaria angustifolia at selected locations can contribute to expanding natural forest areas, mitigate deterioration caused by high competition, discourage illegal logging, and prevent overexploitation of their edible seeds, which hinders regeneration. Our results underscore the significant implications of the lack of forest management initiatives in rural properties, potentially resulting in irreversible deterioration. The exact consequences of this deterioration remain unclear, emphasizing the need for further studies to understand its eventual effects on the growth reaction of trees of different diameters, ages, and crown conditions after the liberation of their crowns.

A tale of two species: the importance of native ecosystems for long-term conservation on Príncipe Island, Gulf of Guinea

AbstractSince it was first described in 1901, the Príncipe thrush Turdus xanthorhynchus has been rare and restricted to the native forest in the south of Príncipe Island. The Obô giant land snail Archachatina bicarinata, however, was widespread across the island and at least locally abundant until the 1990s. Since then its population has collapsed, and now, like the thrush, it is also restricted to the native forest in the south of the island. Using species distribution modelling, we show that both species are currently strongly associated with rugged and remote areas of native forest at high altitudes. We argue that their current distribution might be negatively affected by anthropogenic pressures, as both are harvested, and also because invasive alien species are expected to have deleterious effects on these species, although further studies are needed to clarify interactions between these native and introduced species. The diachronic stories of these species highlight an overlooked value of native ecosystems: their role in the conservation of widespread species that might be unable to use anthropogenic landscapes in the future. They also reinforce the need for protected areas that strive to exclude most human activities in the context of particularly sensitive biodiversity, as is often the case on oceanic islands.

Predicting soil organic carbon stocks in different layers of forest soils in the Czech Republic

Carbon dioxide, the most produced anthropogenic greenhouse gas, could be moderated by sequestering carbon in forest soils. Forest soils store more carbon than there is in the atmosphere. Thus, the smallest variation in soil carbon levels could trigger a significant change in atmospheric carbon. This study focused on predicting the spatial distribution of carbon stocks within surface organic and mineral topsoil and subsoil layers of the forty-one natural forest areas of the Czech Republic. Cubist and Random Forests machine learning algorithms were employed with a grid search hyper tuning to improve prediction accuracy. We used the five-fold cross-validation to verify the model accuracy using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). Random Forests yielded lower RMSE of 1.10 kg/m2, 3.85 kg/m2, and 4.77 kg/m2 in the surface organic horizon (F + H layer), mineral topsoil (0–30 cm layers) and subsoil horizons (30–80 cm layers), respectively, compared to the RMSE values of Cubist, which were 1.14 kg/m2, 3.90 kg/m2, and 4.91 kg/m2 in the surface organic, mineral topsoil and subsoil horizons, respectively. R2 values of both models were low for all three horizons considered. Random Forests were the preferred algorithm for SOC stock prediction in all layers of the forest soils. Cubist predicted the spatial distribution of SOC stocks with more covariates than Random Forests. Altitude was the most important covariate for the spatial distribution of SOC stocks for both Random Forests and Cubist in all soil horizons considered. High SOC stocks for all soil horizons are spatially concentrated in soil horizons along the country borders in the mountaineous natural forest areas.

Land cover modelling for tropical forest vulnerability prediction in Kalimantan, Indonesia

This study aimed to estimate the vulnerability of tropical forest in Kalimantan, Indonesia, from simulated land cover changes using the Weighted Normalised Likelihood–Markov Chain model (WNL-MC) for the period 2018–2050 under a forest conservation and a no-conservation scenario. Predictions of future vulnerability and forest change were based on land cover maps for 2010 and 2014 developed using the integration of Landsat, ALOS PALSAR, and Sentinel-1 data. The four main land cover classes in the region were oil palm and rubber plantations, native forests, and non-forested areas. The performance of the WNL–MC model was evaluated by comparing the simulated and actual land cover maps for 2018 and validating them against high-resolution images. Kappa accuracy for the simulated maps was >85%, and overall accuracy was >90%. Under the scenario of no forest conservation, native forest showed approximately 50% loss over the next 30 years, while the forest conservation scenario showed a slowing of current deforestation by 18% from 2018 to 2030 and by 5.95% from 2030 to 2050. Native forest outside forest conservation zones was most vulnerable to conversion to other land uses, particularly in lowland areas close to settlements and roads. Estimations of native forest loss, particularly under the no-conservation scenario, emphasise the need for policies to preserve and conserve remaining native forest areas.

Evaluation of optical and synthetic aperture radar image fusion methods: a case study applied to Sentinel imagery

<p>This paper evaluates different optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image fusion methods applied to open-access Sentinel images with global coverage. The objective of this research was to evaluate the potential of image fusion methods to get a greater visual difference in land cover, especially in oil palm crops with natural forest areas that are difficult to differentiate visually. The application of the image fusion methods: Brovey (BR), high-frequency modulation (HFM), Gram-Schmidt (GS), and principal components (PC) was evaluated on Sentinel-2 optical and Sentinel-1 SAR images using a cloud computing environment. The results show that the application of the implemented optical/SAR image fusion methods allows the creation of a synthetic image with the characteristics of both data sources. The multispectral information provided by the optical image and information associated with the geometry and texture/roughness of the land covers, provided by the SAR image, allows a greater differentiation in the visualization of the various land covers, achieving a better understanding of the study area. The fusion methods that visually presented greater characteristics associated with the SAR image were the BR and GS methods. The HFM method reached the best statistical indicators; however, this method did not present significant visual changes in the SAR contribution.</p>

Diversity of cellulolytic fungi in different land use systems in the Amazon

Quantitative assessments of the population density of the microbial community in soils are important to establish ecological relationships that occur in the soil and to identify factors that influence the management of agroecosystems. Therefore, the objective was to quantify the cellulolytic fungi present in the soils of three use and management systems in the Amazon. The studied areas consisted of intercropped cultivation with gliricidia, orange and banana; area with orange and forest essence and native forest area. In each area, soil samples were collected at depths of 0-10 and 10-20 cm, placed in sterile plastic bags, duly identified, and stored in a thermal box and later in a cold chamber (4 ºC). The quantification of cellulolytic organisms was obtained by suspending the soil, using a specific culture medium. The cultures were incubated in a B.O.D oven at 28°C for 37 days. The estimate of the number of viable cells was made using the most likely number (MPN). The results show that the soil with the gliricidia, orange and banana intercropping has a higher population of cellulolytic microorganisms, this group is strongly influenced by the local vegetation cover, thus proving to be an alternative for intercropping systems with agricultural crops, providing a greater biodiversity of microorganisms in the soil, in addition to helping to provide nutrients for the species.

Occupancy and detectability of African crowned eagles in an urban mosaic landscape: The importance of natural forest areas

Diminishing forests as a result of anthropogenic activities continues to impact the persistence of terrestrial species negatively. Raptors are particularly susceptible to human activities because of their low population densities and large home range sizes. In this study, we investigated the occupancy and detection probabilities of the Near-Threatened African crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) in Durban, EThekwini Municipality, South Africa. Using point count surveys, we documented the presence/absence of African crowned eagles in 42 sampling sites in the urban mosaic landscape of Durban. We used the presence/absence data to model their occupancy and detection probability in our surveyed sites. The naïve occupancy of African crowned eagles was 0.6, and the estimated occupancy and detection probability were 0.78 + 0.061 and 0.40 + 0.085, respectively. Based on the best models, the occupancy of African crowned eagles was positively influenced by forests (β = 1.24 + 0.69) and negatively influenced by disturbance (β = −1.69 + 0.78) and roads. The detection probability of these eagles was positively influenced by disturbance (β = 0.34 + 0.29) and the presence of exotic tree plantations (β = 0.33 + 0.47) and negatively influenced by the type of surrounding settlements (i.e., urban or rural) (β = −0.59 + 0.43). Based on the averaged models, occupancy is positively influenced by forests (β = 0.15 + 1.48) and negatively influenced by roads (β = −0.05 + 0.34), building density (β = −0.07 + 0.79) and disturbance (β = −0.24 + 3.36). Detection probability is negatively influenced by surrounding settlement (β = −0.12 + 0.41) and positively influenced by disturbance (β = 0.04 + 3.21) and plantations (β = 0.01 + 0.12). Overall, our results showed the persistence of African crowned eagles in the urban mosaic landscape as a consequence of natural and managed green spaces, especially forests. This highlighted the importance of natural forests and exotic tree plantations in ensuring the survival and thriving of African crowned eagles and the key role these green spaces play in species conservation in this urban mosaic landscape.

Long-term weathering difference in soil-like indicators of bauxite residue mediates the multifunctionality driven by microbial communities

Long-term weathering enhances the stability of ecosystem services and alters the microbiome, however, its influences on the relationship between microbial diversity and multifunctionality are still poorly understood. Hereby, 156 samples (0–20 cm) from five artificially divided functional zones including central bauxite residue zone (BR), the zone near residential area (RA), the zone near dry farming area (DR), the zone near natural forest area (NF), and the zone near grassland and forest area (GF) were collected in a typical disposal area to determine the heterogeneity and development of biotic and abiotic properties of bauxite residue. Residues in BR and RA exhibited higher values of pH, EC, heavy metals, and exchangeable sodium percentage compared to those in NF and GF. Our results showed a positive correlation between multifunctionality and soil-like quality during long-term weathering. Microbial diversity and microbial network complexity responded positively to multifunctionality within the microbial community, which was parallel with ecosystem functioning. Long-term weathering promoted oligotrophs-dominated bacterial assemblages (mostly Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi) and suppressed copiotrophs (including Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota), while the response of fungal communities was lower. Rare taxa from bacterial oligotrophs were particularly important at the current stage for maintaining ecosystem services and ensuring microbial network complexity. Our results underscore the significance of microbial ecophysiological strategies in response to changes in multifunctionality during long-term weathering, and highlight the necessity of conserving and augmenting the abundance of rare taxa to ensure the stable provision of ecosystem functions in bauxite residue disposal areas.