Rainforest Areas Research Articles

Evaluation, comparison, and unique features of ecological security in southwest China: A case study of Yunnan Province

Yunnan Province is part of the Yun-Gun Plateau in southwest China with rich ecological resources and special geographic features, resulting in considerable ecological security. This study used the pressure-state-response (PSR) model to vertically evaluate Yunnan’s ecological security and horizontally compare ecological security between Yunnan and other four neighbouring provinces (Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Guangxi) during 2000–2020. We also elaborated on the ecological security of Yunnan’s unique geographical features, such as plateau lakes, karst mountains, and tropical rainforest areas. The results show that the ecological security in Yunnan Province improved overall, with a slow increase (2000–2006), a fluctuating decline (2007–2012), and a sharp jump (2013–2020). The ecological security level climbed from ‘critical safe’ to ‘comparative safety’. The pressure layer was the largest contributor to the increase from 2000 to 2011, whereas the response layer was the main determinant of the upward trend since 2012. Despite its better performance early in the study period, Yunnan’s ecological security index (ESI) rose at a lower rate since 2011 than ESIs of neighbouring provinces in the southwest. Within Yunnan, unique geographical regions have roughly consistent ESIs as the entire province. The exception was the tropical rainforest area, with lower ESI than in other parts of Yunnan. We then discussed implications for enhancing ecological security in Yunnan, including real-time monitoring platforms, green innovations and different environmental regulations. The results provide insight beneficial to the improvement of ecological-security evaluation and the ecological sustainable development of Yunnan.

KEANEKARAGAMAN TUMBUHAN ANGIOSPERMAE DI KAWASAN TAMAN NASIONAL MATALAWA KABUPATEN SUMBA TIMUR

The highest plant diversity in the tropical rainforest area in Matalawa National Park is the Angiospermae plant. There are still many people in Praingkareha Village who are not familiar with Angiospermae plants or closed seed plants. This study aims to describe the diversity index of Angiosperm plants found in the Laputi Forest block, Matalawa National Park. This research was limited to the Laputi Forest block, so it did not cover the entire forest in Praingkareha Village, Matalawa National Park, East Sumba Regency. This study used a double plot method with a purposive sampling technique. The results showed that there were 30 species of Angiosperms from 17 families with a total of 499 individuals. The diversity of Angiosperm plants in the Laputi Forest block of the Matalawa National Park area is moderate with (Ĥ)=2.90.

An urgent call-to-action to protect the nonhuman primates and Indigenous Peoples of the Brazilian Amazon.

Primates are facing an impending extinction crisis. Here, we examine the set of conservation challenges faced by the 100 primate species that inhabit the Brazilian Amazon, the largest remaining area of primary tropical rainforest in the world. The vast majority (86%) of Brazil's Amazonian primate species have declining populations. Primate population decline in Amazonia has been driven principally by deforestation related to the production of forest-risk commodities including soy and cattle ranching, the illegal logging and setting of fires, dam building, road and rail construction, hunting, mining, and the confiscation and conversion of Indigenous Peoples' traditional lands. In a spatial analysis of the Brazilian Amazon, we found that 75% of Indigenous Peoples' lands (IPLs) remained forested compared with 64% of Conservation Units (CUs) and 56% of other lands (OLs). In addition, primate species richness was significantly higher on IPLs than on CUs and OLs. Thus, safeguarding Indigenous Peoples' land rights, systems of knowledge, and human rights is one of the most effective ways to protect Amazonian primates and the conservation value of the ecosystems they inhabit. Intense public and political pressure is required and a global call-to-action is needed to encourage all Amazonian countries, especially Brazil, as well as citizens of consumer nations, to actively commit to changing business as usual, living more sustainably, and doing all they can to protect the Amazon. We end with a set of actions one can take to promote primate conservation in the Brazilian Amazon.

Over 170 years later: redescription of the genus Glyphuchus Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Discocephalinae), with the first description of the male

The rare Neotropical Discocephalini (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) monotypic genus Glyphuchus Stål, 1860 and its type species Glyphuchus sculpturatus Stål, 1860 are known only from the female holotype. Here, they are redescribed based on a recently collected specimen and on the holotype. The male of the genus is described for the first time based on a specimen collected in a protected area of the Atlantic Rain Forest, in southeastern Brazil. General morphology and male and female genitalia are described and compared to those of other Discocephalini genera. Photos of the main morphological characters are presented, as well as photos of the living and preserved specimens. The relevance of protected areas for studies on biodiversity and natural history is highlighted.

Relict landslide detection using deep-learning architectures for image segmentation in rainforest areas: a new framework

ABSTRACT Landslides are destructive and recurrent natural disasters on steep slopes and represent a risk to lives and properties. Knowledge of relict landslides’ location is vital to understand their mechanisms, update inventory maps and improve risk assessment. However, relict landslide mapping is complex in tropical regions covered with rainforest vegetation. A new CNN framework is proposed for semi-automatic detection of relict landslides, which uses a dataset generated by a k-means clustering algorithm and has a pre-training step. The weights computed in the pre-training are used to fine-tune the CNN training process. A comparison between the proposed and the standard framework is performed using CBERS-04A WPM images. Three CNNs for semantic segmentation are used (Unet, FPN and Linknet) with two augmented datasets. A total of 42 combinations of CNNs are tested. Values of precision and recall were very similar between the combinations tested. Recall was higher than 75% for every combination, but precision values were usually smaller than 20%. False positives (FP) samples were addressed as the cause for these low precision values. Predictions of the proposed framework were more accurate and correctly detected more landslides. This work demonstrates that there are limitations for detecting relict landslides in areas covered with rainforest, mainly related to similarities between the spectral response of pastures and deforested areas with Gleichenella sp. ferns, commonly used as an indicator of landslide scars. Relict landslide detection has limitations in rainforest environments The proposed framework for CNN semantic segmentation proved to be useful for relict landslide detection Land cover features spectral characteristics, and input data technical specificities are crucial to the accuracy of CNN models No optimal combination of parameters has been identified No CNN proved to be superior

Aglaia fellii W.E.Cooper & Joyce (Meliaceae), a new species for Cape York Peninsula

Aglaia fellii W.E.Cooper & Joyce (Meliaceae) is described from restricted areas of rainforest on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. Given the unusual morphological features of the species, including solitary flowers and fruits, a molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted to confirm its placement within Aglaia prior to formal description. All Australian Aglaia species and eight Australian representatives of closely allied Meliaceae genera were sampled, and 353 nuclear loci were sequenced. Maximum likelihood analysis of these loci retrieved A. fellii as nested within Aglaia, most closely related to A. cooperae and A. monticola. This validates its assignment to Aglaia, making it the only Aglaia species with mostly solitary flowers (rarely 3- or 4-flowered) and solitary fruits. A full taxonomic description of Aglaia fellii and notes on its habitat are provided.

What type of rainforest burnt in the South East Queensland's 2019/20 bushfires and how might this impact biodiversity

AbstractBushfires burnt over 18 million hectares across Australia's east coast, including rainforests, over the spring and summer 2019/2020 period. Rainforest harbours a large percentage of Australia's biodiversity and does not usually burn and therefore understanding the extent and biodiversity implications was a priority. The National Indicative Aggregated Fire Extent Dataset (NIAFED) combined with detailed regional ecosystem (RE) mapping was used to estimate the perimeter and area of each of the burnt rainforest types within South East Queensland (SEQ). Previous biodiversity estimates for each rainforest regional ecosystem type combined with remnant ecosystem mapping data then enabled an assessment of the potential biodiversity impacts of the fires for SEQ rainforest. We found that 12% of the rainforest estate in SEQ was within the burn footprint (29 031 ha) including parts of the UNESCO World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. Fifty per cent of the total remnant area of the Endangered rainforest type, semi‐evergreen vine thicket on Mesozoic to Proterozoic igneous rocks (RE: 12.12.17) was potentially burnt. This rainforest type has high diversity. Burn severity analysis found that the rainforest primarily burnt with low severity, however, there were patches of high severity. Accuracy assessment of severity mapping resulted in a weak correlation (0.57) due to the underestimation of ground fires in rainforest. As expected, we found rainforest‐suppressed fires. However, in contrast to expectations, we found the wettest rainforest types and putative past refugia burnt more than other rainforest types. These results suggest that given drought conditions any rainforest could burn, and we can expect that the area of rainforest will contract if both incidences of drought and wildfires increase due to climate change.

Willingness to Pay for Alternative Energies in Uganda: Energy Needs and Policy Instruments towards Zero Deforestation 2030 and Climate Change

With climate change advancing, the world’s target of zero deforestation by 2030 seems like a dream in Africa’s developing nations. This is because over 90% of households depend on wood fuels for their energy needs. Over the years, the decrease in natural rainforest area has been attributed to deforestation and forest degradation due to human activities, including the huge dependence on wood fuel for energy. Policies on clean energy production and imports to adapt to environmental and climatic implications are long overdue. This study hypothesized that Ugandans are willing to pay for alternative energies to conserve natural forests. The study aimed to examine the energy situation in Uganda and the willingness to pay for alternative energies (WTPEA) to reduce deforestation. This study conducted a dichotomous choice (DC) questionnaire for the willingness to pay for energy alternatives (WTPEA). This research used the questionnaire to collect the data, and a total of 1200 responses were collected and analyzed. The survey results showed that 80% of the respondents demonstrated a willingness to pay on average. The average willingness to pay amount (WTPA) was USD 15, and the median WTP was USD 10. Most of the respondents preferred gas and electricity for household cooking. The logistic regression results showed that their socioeconomic characteristics did not impact their hypothetical WTPEA. The willingness to pay for forest conservation (WTPFC) and the knowledge of forest functions and services were found to positively and significantly impact the WTPEA. The majority of the socioeconomic variables were found to very significantly influence the WTP amount. Furthermore, the WTPFC and charcoal fuel use were found to have a positive and very significant effect on the WTP for alternative energies. The Government of Uganda ought to employ policy tools to boost the imports and production of alternative energies in Uganda to save the depleting forests. This would promote and improve the conservation of virgin tropical rainforests, which are on the brink of extinction, and mitigate the dire climatic conditions.

Descriptions of five new species of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) from Andaman and Nicobar Islands

ABSTRACT Five mite species belonging to the family Phytoseiidae (Acari: Mesostigmata), namely, Amblyseius andamanicus Karmakar and Biswas sp. nov., Amblyseius reticulatus Karmakar and Biswas sp. nov., Euseius jhinukae Karmakar and Biswas sp. nov., Euseius madhubanensis Karmakar and Biswas sp. nov., and Ueckermannseius samudricus Karmakar and Biswas sp. nov., are discovered as new to science and are described based on specimens collected from plants amidst the lush green and dense tropical evergreen rainforest areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A new species group samudricus under the genus Ueckermannseius is proposed. Zoobank registration numberhttp://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D365B615-0D5F-4FC9-A688-C5B4BBD7E15F

Occurrence and distribution of the heterotrophic straminipiles from Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest areas

ABSTRACT We present herein the occurrence and distribution of the heterotrophic straminipiles collected from soil and water, submerged leaves and surface sediment from freshwater bodies at “Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação Juréia-Itatins”, a preserved conservation unit of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. From 180 collected samples, we isolated 41 taxa belonging to Hyphochytriomycota and Oomycota using the multiple baiting technique, with several new taxa to the science, new occurrences to São Paulo State or Brazil, and all new citation to the studied area. These taxa were identified based on morphological and/or molecular data, with several genic regions made available in GenBank. The calculated community structure of these zoosporic organisms showed a diverse community, with few dominant taxa, without significant differences (P≤0.05) among the different types of samples.

Insect galls from Amazon rainforest areas in Rondônia (Brazil).

This study aimed at survey insect galls of an Amazon rainforest area in Rondônia, Brazil. We found 152 gall morphotypes in 103 plant species. Fabaceae were the host with the greatest gall richness. Leaves were the most galled organ. Globose and glabrous galls were the most frequent. Cecidomyiidae were responsible for most of the galls. This is the first record of 110 galls morphotypes and 23 host plants species in this biome. Ten gallers are endemic in Brazil. Five genera of Cecidomyiidae were first recorded in Rondônia as well as Schismatodiplosis lantanae Rübsaamen, 1908.

Teleconnections among tipping elements in the Earth system

Tipping elements are components of the Earth system that may shift abruptly and irreversibly from one state to another at specific thresholds. It is not well understood to what degree tipping of one system can influence other regions or tipping elements. Here, we propose a climate network approach to analyse the global impacts of a prominent tipping element, the Amazon Rainforest Area (ARA). We find that the ARA exhibits strong correlations with regions such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and West Antarctic ice sheet. Models show that the identified teleconnection propagation path between the ARA and the TP is robust under climate change. In addition, we detect that TP snow cover extent has been losing stability since 2008. We further uncover that various climate extremes between the ARA and the TP are synchronized under climate change. Our framework highlights that tipping elements can be linked and also the potential predictability of cascading tipping dynamics.

Marketing efficiency perspective of sustainable Andaliman agroforestry in Humbang Hasundutan Regency

Indonesia has so many herbal medicinal plants and spices that are endemic and location-specific since it has a very vast tropical rainforest area. One of them is Andaliman (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium DC). This endemic species is very sensitive to climate and location changes so the farmers only have around 5 Andaliman trees planted in between any other kind of plants in their agroforestry land on average. There is an undeveloped and very promising future for the competitiveness improvement of Indonesia’s herbs and spices. This study was accomplished to investigate the marketing efficiency of Andaliman agroforestry in Humbang Hasundutan Regency to accommodate stakeholders in formulating policies to progress Andaliman's competitiveness. The results showed that all of Andaliman’s marketing channels in the research area were efficient. The most efficient was Channel II, followed by Channel III, and the last position was seated by Channel I. Marketing losses and labour costs were at the top of the list as the largest marketing costs, so they truly needed to be optimized at almost all channel levels and types of marketing channels to improve marketing efficiency. Therefore, referring to these results, we composed a suggestion to improve farmers' welfare by doing simple processing such as processing Andaliman into several dried and packaged products that are easier to use, long-last, and attractive, as well as combining more efficient production with distribution in shorter marketing channels. This will encourage farmers to maintain Andaliman agroforestry as a farming option that is more sustainable and natural.

Management of natural resources in protected areas: interinstitutional dialogue, social capital, and agency in the transition to agroecological systems

This article analyses the processes of participation and integration of groups living in and around protected areas, in efforts to convert conventional methods of agricultural production into agroecologicallysustainable practices. Taking as a case study a community located in the buffer zone of a large conservation unit, and part of the main contiguous remaining areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, this work focuses on the articulation among multiple existing elements in this area: an agroecological settlement, different levels of governance, internal social differentiation and classification systems, community agency, antagonistic visions of development, and their effects on community development practices. It also examines the external connections that the community establishes, acting as an instrument of compliance and reproduction of the dominant agrifood regime, and contributing to the formation and strengthening of an alternative short circuit of production and commercialization network, integrating local family producers to the consumers in large urban centres.

Evolutionary Challenges to Humanity Caused by Uncontrolled Carbon Emissions: The Stockholm Paradigm.

This review paper discusses the Stockholm Paradigm (SP) as a theoretical framework and practical computational instrument for studying and assessing the risk of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) as a result of climate change. The SP resolves the long-standing parasite paradox and explains how carbon emissions in the atmosphere increase parasites' generalization and intensify host switches from animals to humans. The SP argues that the growing rate of novel EID occurrence caused by mutated zoonotic pathogens is related to the following factors brought together as a unified issue of humanity: (a) carbon emissions and consequent climate change; (b) resettlement/migration of people with hyper-urbanization; (c) overpopulation; and (d) human-induced distortion of the biosphere. The SP demonstrates that, in an evolutionary way, humans now play a role migratory birds once played in spreading parasite pathogens between the three Earth megabiotopes (northern coniferous forest belt; tropical/equatorial rainforest areas; and hot/cold deserts), i.e., the role of "super-spreaders" of parasitic viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa. This makes humans extremely vulnerable to the EID threat. The SP sees the +1.0-+1.2 °C limit as the optimal target for the slow, yet feasible curbing of the EID hazard to public health (150-200 years). Reaching merely the +2.0 °C level will obviously be an EID catastrophe, as it may cause two or three pandemics each year. We think it useful and advisable to include the SP-based research in the scientific repository of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, since EID appearance and spread are indirect but extremely dangerous consequences of climate change.

A Novel Method for Estimating Biomass and Carbon Sequestration in Tropical Rainforest Areas Based on Remote Sensing Imagery: A Case Study in the Kon Ha Nung Plateau, Vietnam

Forest ecosystems play a key role in sustaining life on this planet, given their functions in carbon storage, oxygen production, and the water cycle. To date, calculations of the biomass and carbon absorption capacity of forest ecosystems—especially tropical rainforests—have been quite limited, especially in Vietnam. By applying remote sensing materials, geographic information systems (GIS) facilitate the synchronized estimation of both biomass and ability of forest ecosystems to absorb carbon over large spatial ranges. In this study, we calculated the biomass of tropical rainforest vegetation in the Kon Ha Nung Plateau, Vietnam, according to four regression models based on Sentinel-2 satellite image data, forest reserve maps, and forest survey standard cell data (including 19 standard cells for 2016 and 44 standard cells for 2021). The results of the data comparison for the four biomass computing models (log-log, log-lin, lin-log, and lin-lin) demonstrated that the models with the highest accuracy were the lin-log model for 2016 (with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.76) and the lin-log model for 2021 (with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.765). Based on the analytical results and the selection of biomass estimation models, biomass maps were developed for the Kon Ha Nung Plateau area, Vietnam, in 2016 and 2021, with a predominant biomass value of 80–180 tons/ha (Mg/ha); furthermore, biomass fluctuations were analyzed for the period 2016–2021. Accordingly, the ability to absorb carbon and CO2 equivalents in this research area for 2016 and 2021 was calculated based on the estimated biomass values. In summary, we present a method for estimating biomass via four basic linear regression models for tropical rainforest areas based on satellite image data. This method can serve as a basis for managers to calculate and synchronize the payment of carbon services, which contributes to promoting the livelihoods of local people.

Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving Environmental Conservation

Background: The Amazon forest is one of the areas experiencing the largest deforestation in the world and this causes a decrease in environmental quality that occurs in its region, and Brazil is responsible for half of the deforestation in the Amazon because deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon region has the largest percentage compared to other regions. Objective: In line with the formulation of the problem described above, the purpose of writing this paper is to find out why there is a decline in environmental quality and how the role and efforts of Brazilian indigenous people are to protect the environment in the Amazon Forest region. Method: The researchers used qualitative approach here. The data were obtained from various documents, including journals and news from different platforms. The researcher analyzed the data by reading every document thoroughly and concluding the result. Result: The result of the conversion of forest land in the Amazon is that other lands are easier and faster to evict as well when compared to the first time this exploitation activity was carried out in the 1970s to mid-2000s. Large areas of rainforest in the Amazon were eventually filled with livestock, soybean farming, excavation of dams and minerals, as well as clearing of land for urban projection and colonialization projects. Conclusion: From this writing, it can be concluded that the deforestation that occurs in the Amazon Forest is caused by human activities or irresponsible parties who turn the forest into land for personal gain.

Intersecting HIV and mpox epidemics: more questions than answers.

Intersecting HIV and mpox epidemics: more questions than answers.

Rimbo: Hutan Bagi Orang Rimba di Taman Nasional Bukit Dua Belas

The tropical rain forest area in Sumatra is not spared from extensive exploitation that has undergone changes in the last decade. The impact of degradation caused by the exploitation of oil palm land and large-scale clearing and widespread fires has caused the forest to be depleted. The depletion of the forest has disturbed the local community in it, namely the Orang Rimba who have been inhabiting lowland forests in the TNBD (Bukit Dua Belas National Park) area.This study uses an ethnoecological approach to describe and explain the Orang Rimba knowledge system to the forest, the relationships built for survival and the importance of the forest and the survival of the Orang Rimba.This research shows that Rimbo is a place and living space for Orang Rimba. So there is a classification of Rimbo for Orang Rimba which divides it into two, namely Jungle/Forest (Rimbo) and Tana (Land). The forest is divided into Rimbo, Bungaron, Ranah, Sesap and Belukah, Benuaron, Lalot'on. Meanwhile, Tana is divided into Tana Dewo, Tana Pasuron and Tana Bediom and Tana Perano'an and Ladong. On the basis of the division of Rimbo, the Orang Rimbo refer to their belief that nature is divided into Halom Nio and Halom Dewo. So for the Orang Rimba, Rimbo is a culture and survival in carrying out life.

Comparative Analysis of Mobile Signal Propagation Path Loss in Lagos, Nigeria

This research involves comparative analysis of mobile radio transmission path loss models in Lagos state. Lagos, coastal region within an altitude of 38m, and geographical coordinates (63.60N, 3.280E), in the rainforest area of south-western, Nigeria. The measured active base stations propagation measured parameters (for selected areas; Agbowa, Ibeju Imota, Ilupeju, and Surulere in Lagos between 2019 and 2020 from MTN-NG Microsites) recorded between frequency range of 1500- 2500MHz band with a visible line of sight (LOS) in three areas within the state. Stanford University Interim, ECC-33 and COST 231 models were adopted and optimized models were developed and their empirical outcomes revealed standard deviations (SDs) of 1.87, 1.11, and 31.78 respectively at 500m distance from the microsite of average rural areas. For the sub-urban areas, RMSEs (root mean square errors) observed were 39.11, 0.04, and 1.98 and with SD being 33.52, 0.03, and 1.69. More so, for an urban area, it was discovered that the RMSEs obtained for these three models were 34.84, 1.98 and 0.55 with SD of 29.86, 10.27 and 0.47 at same distance of 500m. The implication is that probability of an improved performance is high when optimized models is adopted compared with what is in existence.