Timber Concessions Research Articles

Incorporation of foreign timber concessions in Soviet Russia in the 1920s

The article based on legislative acts of Soviet Russia and unpublished sources of the State Archive of the Arkhangelsk Oblast, describes the features of incorporation of Russangloles, Russhollandoles and Russnorvegoles joint-stock companies, operating in the North of Russia in the 1920s. The article analyzes the Standard Agreement on Timber Concessions (1922), which was used by the Soviet state and foreign entrepreneurs in the process of drafting concession agreements in the timber industry and the Scheme for Constructing a Standard Agreement on Timber Concession. The study of these sources allows reconstructing the principle of forming contracts contributing to Russangloles, Russhollandoles and Russnorvegoles functioning.

Rainforest Capitalism: Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession by Thomas Hendriks (review)

Rainforest Capitalism: Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession by Thomas Hendriks (review)

Distribution parameters of large mammals and conservation management in an Afrotropical forest landscape and biodiversity hotspot

AbstractThough there is consent that poaching is an important driver of wildlife declines in many African forests, we lack a deeper understanding of the factors behind population patterns in Afrotropical landscapes to inform conservation management. We surveyed line transects in four Cameroonian sites of different protection status in 2013/2014, namely Korup National Park, Banyang Mbo Wildlife Reserve, one timber concession and a section of an unprotected agroforestry matrix, and used data from 2007 for trend assessment. We used GLMs to identify predictors for mammal distribution based on a set of variables. While species compositions showed complex trend patterns, it is noteworthy that chimpanzee and elephant abundances declined significantly in the Banyang Mbo Wildlife Reserve. Although landscape management type affected the distribution of most mammal species, anthropogenic or environmental variables were strong predictors. Chimpanzee, elephant and drill abundances were higher at a larger distance to settlements. Vegetation density positively affected a number of species, including chimpanzee and red colobus. Several species were more abundant in rough terrain, probably because of reduced poaching. Our results suggest that protected areas in Southwest Cameroon had a mitigating effect on wildlife declines, mainly due to their remoteness and habitat quality, rather than management interventions.

Thomas Hendriks, Rainforest Capitalism: Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession

Thomas Hendriks, Rainforest Capitalism: Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession

Overlapping extractive land use rights increases deforestation and forest degradation in managed natural production forests

Guyana manages an estimated 5.3 million hectares of old-growth tropical forests, 29% of its total forest area, for timber extraction. Individuals and companies can apply for time-limited leases that allocate access, management, and extraction rights for timber through a concession system. In many tropical regions, including Guyana, a lack of integrated land use planning often leads to overlapping extractive and forest use rights for logging and mining. Overlapping land rights in turn create uncertainty and limit investments toward sustainable forest management, affecting deforestation and forest degradation rates. In this study, we use matched fixed-effect and difference-in-differences panel data models to quantify the impact of establishing logging tenure on deforestation and forest degradation. We assess the impact of different tenure use allocations for Guyana, a high forest cover low deforestation country, utilizing a 31-year (1990–2020) remotely sensed annual time series dataset on deforestation and forest degradation. The rate of forest loss (deforestation plus degradation) in public forests managed by the State with no authorized use allocation activities were 0.062% per year. The issuance of timber concessions increases the probability of deforestation by 33.5% and forest degradation by 8.9% compared to unallocated state forests. Forests with overlapping use rights for timber and mining had a 156% and 19.1% higher probability of deforestation and degradation relative to unallocated public forests and forests where only timber harvesting was authorized, respectively. We conclude that overlapping land use allocations result in conflicting resource use strategies that ultimately will limit sustainability and climate goals related to reducing deforestation and degradation.

Not all roads are barriers: Large mammals use logging roads in a timber concession of south-eastern Cameroon

In the literature, roads are often considered to be barriers for large vertebrates. In central Africa, the creation of roads and skid trails by logging operations leads to changes in the structure of forest landscapes that could influence wildlife movements. To assess the use of logging roads by six emblematic species of the central African forests, we conducted a camera trap (CT) survey on three types of tracks (secondary roads, skid trails, and elephant paths as control) in a logging concession of south-eastern Cameroon. The relative abundance indices (RAI) of each species derived from the CT data were used in a mixed linear model to test the effects of four factors (type of track; time: day vs. night; gregariousness: alone vs. group; and time after logging: less than one year vs. between one and two years). The results showed no preference for any type of track for gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). In contrast, significantly higher RAI on secondary roads were observed for buffalos (Syncerus caffer), forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis), and bongos (Tragelaphus eurycerus). For the last two, the difference was only significant if they were detected in the most recently logged areas, at night (for elephants), or alone (for bongos). We could not test for leopard (Panthera pardus) as we captured only two events. Although none of the species appear to avoid roads and skid trails, nor do they perceive them as a barrier, further studies should be conducted to increase sampling efforts over time and space to consider seasonality, vegetation growth after logging, geographical variability, and other anthropogenic influence. However, these first results reveal the importance of closing roads after logging to limit encounters between wildlife and humans and highlight the relevance of characterizing roads (type of road, width, surfacing, and canopy structure over the road) when studying their impact on wildlife.

Sparing old-growth maximises conservation outcomes within selectively logged Amazonian rainforest

Timber extraction threatens a vast area of tropical ecosystems, making it vital to design productive harvesting operations that limit biodiversity declines. Contrasting management options span a continuum from less-intensive, land-sharing logging applied over a larger area to land-sparing operations that combine intensive harvesting with the preservation of old-growth forest. Combining company-reported extraction rates with dung beetle surveys along an Amazonian logging gradient, we explore how individual species' abundances, geometric mean population sizes, functional diversity, and trait characteristics vary across simulated logging concessions and production targets. We substantially extend previous studies by evaluating 8000 mixed-harvesting scenarios and by assessing the profitability of contrasting practices. Simply maximising old-growth protection delivers the highest species' abundances and population sizes for species negatively affected by logging. Maximising old-growth also supports communities with a functional trait dissimilarity (FDis, RaoQ) and functional structure of nesting guilds, biomass, pronotum volume, front leg area, and front:back leg ratio traits that closely resembles old-growth forest. Functional evenness (FEve), richness (FRic), and divergence (FDiv) did not vary across logging strategies. Some 3 % of mixed approaches outperform extreme sparing (which maximises old-growth retention through intensive logging) but still involve substantial sparing, enabled by intensified logging elsewhere. However more-extensive business-as-usual harvesting is up to 90 % more profitable than extreme sparing, suggesting active policy mechanisms, standards, or regulations would be needed to make spatially-concentrated logging operations (which benefit biodiversity) more commercially attractive. Old-growth sparing appears key to limiting biodiversity declines within tropical timber concessions, but would require payments to compensate for reduced profits.

Hendriks, Thomas: Rainforest Capitalism. Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession.

Hendriks, Thomas: Rainforest Capitalism. Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession.

The challenging coexistence of forest elephants Loxodonta cyclotis and timber concessions in central Africa

Abstract With a drastic decrease in their populations over the last decades, forest elephants Loxodonta cyclotis are facing increasing human pressure. Their decline will have serious ecological consequences, as they are key actors in shaping ecosystems. Whilst timber concessions host many mammal species, the interactions between selective logging and forest elephants remain unclear. Through an extensive literature review, we discussed the following: 1) the ecological and human factors that drive the distribution of forest elephants on a large scale as well as in the specific context of logged forests; 2) the contribution of forest elephants to the regeneration of timber species; and 3) the damage caused by forest elephants to timber species. Although human activities have the greatest impact on forest elephant distribution, it is the availability of food, water, and minerals that locally determines their use of the habitat. Under specific conditions, timber concessions may host large populations of forest elephants. As effective seed dispersers, forest elephants contribute to the regeneration of at least 41 timber species, such as Bobgunnia fistuloides (pao rosa), one of the most expensive woods on the market. Damage caused by forest elephants is diverse and affects a wide range of species. From branch breaking to bark stripping, at least 61 timber species are used by forest elephants, and little is known about the consequences for the tree's vitality and wood quality. The interactions between forest elephants and logging are complex and involve many variables, requiring additional research. Nevertheless, this review suggests that timber concessions constitute key areas for forest elephant conservation, provided that low‐impact logging and wildlife management are implemented.

Rainforest Capitalism: Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession by ThomasHendriksDurham, NC: Duke University Press, 2022. 320 pp.

Rainforest Capitalism: Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession by ThomasHendriksDurham, NC: Duke University Press, 2022. 320 pp.

Deforestation projections imply range-wide population decline for critically endangered Bornean orangutan

Assessing where wildlife populations are at risk from future habitat loss is particularly important for land-use planning and avoiding biodiversity declines. Combining projections of future deforestation with species density information provides an improved way to anticipate such declines. Using the critically endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) as a case study we applied a spatio-temporally explicit deforestation model to forest loss data from 2001 to 2017 and projected future impacts on orangutans to the 2030s. Our projections point to continued deforestation across the island, amounting to a potential loss of forest habitat for 26,200 orangutans. Populations currently persisting in forests gazetted for industrial timber and oil palm concessions, or unprotected forests outside of concessions, were projected to experience the worst losses within the next 15 years, amounting to 15,400 individuals. Our analysis indicates the importance of protecting orangutan habitat in plantation landscapes, maintaining protected areas and efforts to prevent the conversion of logged forests for the survival of highly vulnerable wildlife. The modeling framework could be expanded to other species with available density or occurrence data. Our findings highlight that species conservation should not only act on the current information, but also anticipate future changes to be effective.

Bornean Pygmy Elephant habitat usage of natural salt licks in Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve

Bornean pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is crucial in the forests ecosystem as it plays a vital role as a forest engineer. As such, it is crucial to conduct more research to contribute to the conservation of this species. This study examined the pygmy elephant usage of natural salt lick in Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve (SLFR), also known as FMU19B. Salt lick is vital to maintain wildlife health. This study investigated the elephant’s visitation frequency and examined its activity pattern in the natural salt lick area. A camera trap survey was conducted from November 2019 till August 2020. Four natural salt licks (C50SL, C56SL, C59SL and C60SL), and three non-salt licks (C50NSL, C56NSL, and C59&C60NSL) was selected. The data were analysed using descriptive and statistical analysis. The results show a higher visitation frequency at the salt lick area than the non-salt lick area (p<0.01). The salt lick at C59 was the most frequently visited by the elephant. The activity pattern displayed by the Bornean pygmy elephant shows a higher degree of nocturnal activity (73.3%). This information is essential for the timber concession forest managers to design the conservation work for the species in balancing with the timber extraction activity.

Hendriks Thomas. — Rainforest Capitalism. Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession

Hendriks Thomas. — Rainforest Capitalism. Power and Masculinity in a Congolese Timber Concession

Landscapes of Inequity: Environmental Justice in the Andes-Amazon Region ed. by Nicholas A. Robins and Barbara J. Fraser

Reviewed by: Landscapes of Inequity: Environmental Justice in the Andes-Amazon Region ed. by Nicholas A. Robins and Barbara J. Fraser Aaron Groth Nicholas A. Robins and Barbara J. Fraser (Eds.) Landscapes of Inequity: Environmental Justice in the Andes-Amazon Region. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2020. xxxi + 347 pp. Maps, tables, notes, references, and index. $65.00 cloth (ISBN 978-1-4962-0802-6); $65.00 eBook (PDF) (ISBN 978-1-4962-2141-4); $65.00 eBook (ISBN 978-1-4962-2139-1). For those captivated by the andes-Amazon region’s biological and cultural diversity and are alarmed by multiple threats posed by extractive activities and infrastructure projects to its people and landscapes, this venerable volume constitutes an essential addition. Since Francisco Pizzaro’s conquest of Peru and Francisco de Orellana’s first descent of the Amazon from Quito, the region has endured successive waves of boom-and-bust cycles. Colonial governments and modern states attracted capital and promoted extraction of natural resources and production of commodities, while wealth generated was (and is) removed from the places of extraction and production to regional elites, far away capitals, and financial centers such as London and New York. These legacies of uneven development, persistence of inequality and land concentration, environmental contamination, usurpation of Indigenous territory, infrastructure projects, and extractive industries, directly impact the health, land uses, and livelihoods of communities across the region, as well as cultural identity. The editors and contributors offer evolving definitions of environmental justice, provide political context for the region, and frame environmental justice in multiple, site-specific contexts. Despite Andean-Amazon region countries’ status as signatories of International Labor Agreement 169, Indigenous (and other) communities are not systematically included in infrastructure and resource extraction planning. From Andean summits to lowland tropical forests, a variety of actors, confront and contest government agencies, large and powerful economic interests, and respond to development projects that have failed to include their input or consent. In addition, states, private industries, and organized crime syndicates target environmental defenders with physical threats, assault, targeted assassinations, criminalization of protest, extra-judicial killings, and judicial harassment. Hundreds of years of violence, disease, exploitation, repeated encroachment upon and attempts at privatization of community lands have not succeeded in eliminating community property. Governments across the region, as modern authoritarian, neoliberal, or pluri-national states have sought to make Indigenous and rural communities invisible (by legal instrument or cartographic omission) in order to facilitate [End Page 198] extraction. Richard Chase Smith, in We Are Here: The State of Community-Based Landscapes in Peru, showcases the efforts of the Common Good Institute (IBC), partners, and communities in the mapping and titling of community lands. While about one half of Peru is titled as peasant or native communities, the government controls and regulates rights to the subsoil, timber resources, and carbon. Planned mining, oil, gas, and timber concessions are superimposed on existing communities or communities still in the process of titling their land claims. Across the region, communities play a key role in forest protection and biodiversity conservation. However, employment opportunities are often concentrated in the exact extractive activities and commodities production that threaten community health, land uses, and livelihoods. Processes unleashed by the colonization of the Andes include demographic collapse of Indigenous populations, their forced resettlement into reducciones, and the dreaded mita–including corvée labor for mining centers. Nicholas Robins’ chapter, A Toxic Reckoning: Legacy Contamination in Huancavelica, Peru highlights colonial and modern Peru’s extraction of cinnabar and processing of mercury. Huancavelica produced mercury for the amalgamation processing of silver deposits in Potosí, Cerro de Pasco, and other mining centers. Cumulatively, successive mining and smelting, since the colonial period, has resulted in contamination of air, soil, and water, causing acute impacts on human health for the residents of several Andean cities (e.g., Huancavelica, Cerro de Pasco, La Oroya, Oruro, and Potosí). According to Robins, the Peruvian state, in failing to recognize and remediate sites contaminated during the colonial period in Huancavelica, practices a process of “invisibilization” of an entire city (p. 23). If the contamination does not legally exist, the Peruvian state bears no responsibility for cleanup. In addition to national and...

Plant diversity in logged over forest in Mahakam Ulu, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract. Setiawan AW, Tjiu A, Meididit A, Iswinanto, Ginanjar A, Atut Y, Agusti R. 2021. Plant diversity in logged over forest in Mahakam Ulu, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4829-4838. A study of flora was conducted in the Ratah Timber concession area. Objectives of this study was to calculate the Importance Value Index (IVI) and identify species diversity in Mahakam Ulu, East Kalimantan. A survey was carried out in 128 plots within 13 transects placed purposively. Vegetation sampling was conducted using line transect and a quadrat method. As many as 530 species belonging to 79 families were found. Of these species, 420 species were found in observation plots with 374 of the species being tree. The most dominant tree species were Endertia spectabilis, Shorea pinanga and Shorea leprosula with IVI of 10.24%, 8.25%, and 6.96%, respectively. In total, 114 species or 21.5% are endemic species of Borneo. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index at tree level was 5.51 and at seedling level was 4.95. The highest Similarity Index was found between transects 23 and 21, meanwhile the lowest was between transects 05 and 15. This study found 61 species which are classified on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (2020-1) as critically endangered (16), endangered (11), and vulnerable (34) species.

Disturbance impacts on the persistence niche of key species in the Baikiaea–Guibourtia–Pterocarpus woodlands of north-western Zimbabwe

The persistence niche (studied through different modes of regeneration) of three key species (Baikiaea plurijuga (Harms), Guibourtia coleosperma (Benth.) J. Leonard, and Pterocarpus angolensis) (DC) under five different disturbance regimes (eight years after cessation of disturbance) was studied in the Baikiaea–Guibourtia–Pterocarpus woodlands of north-western Zimbabwe. The disturbance regimes were: protected area (no disturbance); timber concession area (timber harvesting); pole and firewood harvesting sites; abandoned crop fields (after clearing for agriculture); and burnt sites (fire disturbance). Influence of stump diameter and height on regeneration factors was investigated. For each disturbance regime, six main plots (100 m × 100 m) each were systematically laid out (20 m apart) to assess regeneration. In each main plot, 10 m wide transects (5 m apart) were surveyed for seedlings and saplings of the target species (at least 100 plants of each species), resulting in 7 transects per main plot, 42 transects in each study site and 210 transects in total. Number of seedlings with or without a rootstock (i.e., just grown from seed) was recorded. Diameter of stumps was measured at the cut surface. Shoot height was measured from their origin. Each target species was associated with mode of regeneration (χ² = 27 642, p < 0.001). Most plants regenerated from root suckers. Regeneration mode is dependent on disturbance regime (B. plurijuga χ² = 225.66, p < 0.001; G. coleosperma χ² = 158.62, p < 0.001; and P. angolensis χ² = 144.01, p < 0.001). Stump diameter negatively influenced number of sprouts for B. plurijuga and P. angolensis, but positively influenced sprout height for all species. Stump height positively influenced sprout height for G. coleosperma and P. angolensis. The study therefore concludes that disturbances are necessary in facilitating sprouting and growth of suppressed shoots. Stump height and diameter influence the ability of stumps to regrow vegetatively through sprouting. Weak relationships between stump diameter/height and coppice density and shoot height suggest that there are other factors that affect vegetative regrowth through coppicing.

Connectivity and conservation of Western Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) habitat in Liberia

AbstractAimAs part of the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa, Liberia has pledged to include the value of nature in national decision making through natural capital accounting. Surveying species of concern, such as the western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), which was recently reclassified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and identifying protection priority areas are critical first steps towards achieving Liberia's goal to conserve 30% of its remaining forests and supporting the wave of conservation projects taking place in the country.LocationLiberia, Africa.MethodsWe modelled western chimpanzee habitat suitability, focusing on determining relevant environmental predictors and the most appropriate scale for modelling species–habitat relationships. We built models at six resolutions (30–960 m) to identify scale domains where relationships remain constant. We include several habitat variables that have not been included in prior modelling efforts. We then used the suitability map as the conductance input into a connectivity analysis using Circuitscape.ResultsThe amount of forest within 1–3 km was the most important predictor of chimpanzee occurrence. Variable ranks and importance shifted considerably between modelling scales, supporting the need for multiscale investigations, but scale domains were present. Several important corridors for chimpanzee habitat and movement overlap considerably with existing timber and palm oil concessions and overlap mining and rubber concessions to a lesser degree.Main conclusionsThe proportion of primary forest within 1–3 km is critically important for chimpanzee habitat. Ongoing conservation projects and efforts taking place in Liberia including the Good Growth Partnership and the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa can utilize the spatial findings on connectivity provided by this study to inform future conservation decisions, particularly expanding exiting protected areas.

Avifauna in the Wehea-Kelay Landscape, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Wehea-Kelay landscape is an unprotected area, located on the eastern part of Borneo Island. It is managed by 7 unit managements, which were mostly timber companies. We compiled and collated our avifauna data with previous studies. We recorded 273 bird species belonging to 60 families during field work. 61 species were protected based on Indonesian regulations. Among of them were threatened species with small population such as Great argus Argusianus argus, Storm’s stork Ciconia stormi, and Helmeted hornbill Buceros vigil. Although Wehea-Kelay is dominated by timber concessions, the landscape can still provide habitat for many species of bird. Nevertheless, anthropogenic pressures i.e. illegal hunting have increased and become a threat for birds particularly commercially traded species such as Leafbirds Chloropsis spp, White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus, Common hill myna Gracula religiosa, and also Helmeted hornbill Buceros vigil.

Trends and Situation of Forest Fire in Indonesia 2015-2018, Based on Three Factors: Peatland,Timber Concession, and Forest Area

This research addresses the reoccurrence of forest fires and their size with regional-spatial information. This study is attained to the Sustainable Development Goal in the year 2030 (climate action and life on land) and is consistent with the mission of JISDeP. Probit and tobit regression analyses were applied to the regional-spatial panel data from 2015 to 2018 in Indonesia with the observations of forest-fire events, peatland, forest area, and timber concession on an annual basis. Such analyses would characterize the possible determinants for the forest fire reoccurrence together with their sizes. Comparatively, this study tries to fill the gap by examining the reoccurrence of forest fires. This research tries to fill in the gap on studies about land and forest fires by combining quantitative analysis using probit and tobit regression and using spatial approach of peatland, forest and timber concession area. The regression results reveal the following outcomes. The first outcome is whether forest fire reoccurrence positively (negatively) associated with peatland and forest areas (timber concession). Second, forest fires tend to decrease with the repetition of past forest fires but increase with timber concession, peatland, and forest areas. Overall, these results imply that the reoccurrence of forest fires and their sizes is highly concerned with timber concession and types of areas, suggesting that Indonesia should organize the policies regarding forest timber concession and areas to reduce forest fires and the associated damage.

The yield of edible caterpillars Imbrasia oyemensis and Cirina forda from timber trees logged on concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A contribution to managing tropical forests for multiple resources

Local people in rural areas of the tropics depend on forests for a range of food resources, including protein-rich edible caterpillars, among them Imbrasia oyemensis and Cirina forda, which are important for nutrition and income. Sapelli (Entandrophragma cylindricum), the African mahogany, and Tali (Erythrophleum suaveolens) are food sources for these caterpillars; they are also among the most important timber species harvested from Congo Basin forests. This study quantified the yield of caterpillars from harvestable and precommercial sizes of trees of these two timber species to better understand the impact of logging on the availability of edible caterpillars to local people, and the implications for managing both timber and non-timber resources in industrial timber concessions. Caterpillars were collected and weighed beneath 50 Sapelli trees 23–190 cm DBH and 170 Tali trees 22–174 cm DBH on two timber concessions, from mid-August to mid-September, over two years. Caterpillars were found to descend from the trees during 5 days each year, and quantities varied between years. In both sample years, yields were significantly higher from harvestable trees larger than the minimum cutting diameter than from precommercial trees. Each harvestable Sapelli tree (≥ 80 cm DBH), yielded an average of 11.3 kg fresh weight of I. oyemensis year-1; smaller, precommercial trees yielded 5.4 kg tree−1year−1. Each harvestable Tali tree (≥ 60 cm DBH) yielded an average of 9.1 kg of C. forda year−1, as compared to 5.7 kg tree−1year−1 from precommercial trees. This means that industrial timber harvesting, which removes trees larger than the minimum cutting diameter, has a disproportionate effect on the availability of caterpillars. However, trees below the minimum cutting diameter also yield caterpillars, and may occur at higher densities. Guidelines that limit harvesting on steep slopes or near watercourses, or that call for retaining large trees as seed sources, also safeguard caterpillar yields. However, multiple resource management should consider proactive measures, which could include zoning areas near villages as sources of edible caterpillars, and protecting those trees from logging.