Forest Transition Research Articles

Analysis of arable land distribution around human settlements in the riparian area of Lake Tanganyika in Africa

Land use changes in the tropics under the pressure of population growth have attracted wide attention. In this study, the riparian area with more settlements was selected to explore the land use temporal-spatial characteristics of the less developed Lake Tanganyika region. The study methods employed mainly included land use transition matrix, kernel density estimation, grid and buffer analysis of the ArcGIS software and remote sensing image processing. The changes of land use mainly reflected in the transformation between different land types, among which the conversion from forestland into arable land constituted the major event. Though the land use change rate was not so significant for the whole region, dramatic changes occurred around the towns especially in the northern area. It was found that a circle of arable land of about 6 km in width and more than 40% arable land density composed the farming hinterland of the major towns. Moreover, with the forest transition theory the change trends of land use and their influencing factors were analysed. The findings in this study should be helpful for the land use simulation and planning in similar riparian areas. For better understanding the dynamic of land use change, a future additional in-depth study at extensive spatial and temporal scale is appealed.

A new species of Bidessus from Anjozorobe-Angavo and a review of Malagasy Bidessus (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae)

We review the species of Bidessus of Madagascar and describe Bidessus anjozorobe sp. nov. from material collected in Anjozorobe forest. Anjozorobe is part of the Anjozorobe-Angavo Protected Area, which is an important corridor of transition forest between typical eastern humid forests and the residual sub-humid forest of the Central Highlands. Bidessus longistriga Régimbart, 1895 and Bidessus perexiguus Kolbe, 1883 are widespread but endemic low-altitude species on Madagascar. Bidessus nesioticus Guignot, 1956 is an alpine species described from near the peak of the Ankaratra mountain massifs at 2500 m a.s.l. We recollected the species for the first time since its description, in Ankaratra and in a new area above 2000 m a.s.l. in the Andringitra mountain further south. Bidessus cf. nero Gschwendtner, 1933 is tentatively recorded for Madagascar for the first time but further studies are needed to test the status of mainland and insular populations. Bidessus apicidens Biström & Sanfilippo, 1986 has not been recollected on Madagascar since 1970. All species are endemic to Madagascar except potentially Bidessus cf. ceratus and Bidessus cf. nero described from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, respectively. The older records of the two non-endemic species Bidessus complicatus Sharp, 1904 and Bidessus ovoideus Régimbart, 1895 on Madagascar could not be verified.

Policies Drive Sub-National Forest Transitions in Vietnam

Vietnam has seemingly been able to shortcut the forest transition (FT) by quickly moving to the reforestation phase. Provincial-level forest cover and socio-economic trends are, however, not necessarily compatible with a standard FT framework. This article compares forest cover change and associated policy reforms in two provinces. Bac Kan is one of the poorest provinces in Vietnam, and has, after years of deforestation and forest degradation, expanded its forest cover during the past two decades. In contrast, Lam Dong province has higher GDP and population density, but has had high deforestation linked to expansion of perennial crops. This is contrary to what could be expected from a conventional FT hypothesis. Land use dynamics in Vietnam is heavily driven by its historical heritage related to the independence from French rule and heavy state-control and collectivization, and its more recent shift to “market-led socialism” (doi moi), involving export promotion, decentralization and land tenure reforms. The Vietnam experience shows that policies can trump the typical FT patterns linked to general development trends and structural changes, and that the typical FT-trajectory is not unavoidable. Yet, these policies have not primarily been guided by forest concerns, but should be viewed as a side effect of the doi moi policies pursuing economic growth and of the devolution of rights and decision-making.

Coarse Woody Debris’ Invertebrate Community is Affected Directly by Canopy Type and Indirectly by Thinning in Mixed Scots Pine—European Beech Forests

Research Highlights: Thinning and tree species alter the forest floor microclimate by modifying canopy cover, radiation, wind, and humidity. Thus, forest management can directly influence the edaphic mesofauna responsible for decomposing coarse woody debris (CWD). Background and Objectives: This research was carried out in the Southwestern Pyrenees Mountains (Northern Spain) and aimed to determine the influence of forest thinning and canopy type (pure Pinus sylvestris L. or a mix of P. sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica L.) on CWD colonization by edaphic fauna. Materials and Methods: CWD samples were collected belonging to intermediate and advanced decomposition stages, approximately 10 cm long and 5 cm in diameter. Using a design of three thinning intensities (0%, 20%, and 40% of basal area removed), with three replications per treatment (nine plots in total), four samples were taken per plot (two per canopy type) to reach 36 samples in total. Meso- and macrofauna were extracted from CWD samples with Berlese–Tullgren funnels, and individuals were counted and identified. Results: 19 taxonomic groups were recorded, the most abundant being the mesofauna (mites and Collembola). Mixed canopy type had a significant positive influence on richness, whereas advanced decay class had a positive significant influence on total abundance and richness. In addition, there were non-significant decreasing trends in richness and abundance with increasing thinning intensity. However, interactions among thinning intensity, canopy type, and decay class significantly affected mesofauna. Furthermore, some taxonomic groups showed differential responses to canopy type. CWD water content was positively correlated with total invertebrate abundance and some taxonomic groups. Our results suggest that stand composition has the potential to directly affect invertebrate communities in CWD, whereas stand density influence is indirect and mostly realized through changes in CWD moisture. As mesofauna is related to CWD decomposition rates, these effects should be accounted for when planning forest management transition from pure to mixed forests.

Optimization of regional forest planning with multiple decision-makers

ABSTRACT Regional forest planning does not often progress as desired because it involves multiple decision-makers who tend to manage their own forest stands individually. This study aimed to propose a licnear programming model to maximize the integrated net present value (NPV) of forest ecosystem services at a regional scale with multiple decision-makers. The model uses a matrix comprising forest state transition rates to simulate decision-making in individual forest stands; it also aims to identify optimal solutions for forest zoning and subsidies to enhance wood production. Herein, the model’s validity was evaluated using hypothetical data. The maximum NPV was estimated for different weightings of the transition matrix. Wood production and two other ecosystem services affected by forest age and geographical conditions were evaluated against a monetary base. Using the hypothetical data, the model proposed an optimal weight and zoning allocation that increased the NPV by approximately JPY. Therefore, this model can propose optimized zoning via controlling the transition probabilities of regional forests.

Borealization of the New England – Acadian Forest: a review of the evidence

The New England – Acadian Forest (NEAF) is an ecoregion spanning 24 million hectares of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The region is characterized as a transitional forest naturally composed of both boreal and temperate species. The term “borealization” is sometimes used to describe various processes driving the NEAF toward a more boreal character at the expense of its temperate forest species and ecological communities. That the NEAF has undergone significant landscape-scale change in the last four centuries since European settlement is well understood. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the literature on the forest composition and dynamics of this region to investigate whether past, current, and (or) predicted future processes of change are indeed driving the forest toward a more boreal character. We examine studies on the historical forest composition and impacts of past and current land-use practices, as well as indirect anthropogenic changes that are predicted to influence future forest compositions of the NEAF. We review over 100 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles and government reports related to this issue. We find ample evidence to suggest that, at the landscape scale, there has been widespread replacement of temperate tree species by boreal species since European settlement. Five primary drivers have facilitated borealization across the NEAF: logging and high-grading, natural reforestation of abandoned farmland, industrial clearcutting, anthropogenic fire, and boreal conifer plantations. Furthermore, the borealization of the NEAF has continued to occur in direct contrast to the predicted impacts of climate change. We encourage future scholarship to tackle these aspects of borealization in the NEAF, including its social, economic, and ecological implications.

Carbon benefits from Forest Transitions promoting biomass expansions and thickening.

The growth of the global terrestrial sink of carbon dioxide has puzzled scientists for decades. We propose that the role of land management practices—from intensive forestry to allowing passive afforestation of abandoned lands—have played a major role in the growth of the terrestrial carbon sink in the decades since the mid twentieth century. The Forest Transition, a historic transition from shrinking to expanding forests, and from sparser to denser forests, has seen an increase of biomass and carbon across large regions of the globe. We propose that the contribution of Forest Transitions to the terrestrial carbon sink has been underestimated. Because forest growth is slow and incremental, changes in the carbon density in forest biomass and soils often elude detection. Measurement technologies that rely on changes in two‐dimensional ground cover can miss changes in forest density. In contrast, changes from abrupt and total losses of biomass in land clearing, forest fires and clear cuts are easy to measure. Land management improves over time providing important present contributions and future potential to climate change mitigation. Appreciating the contributions of Forest Transitions to the sequestering of atmospheric carbon will enable its potential to aid in climate change mitigation.

Climate regime shift and forest loss amplify fire in Amazonian forests.

Frequent Amazonian fires over the last decade have raised the alarm about the fate of the Earth's most biodiverse forest. The increased fire frequency has been attributed to altered hydrological cycles. However, observations over the past few decades have demonstrated hydrological changes that may have opposing impacts on fire, including higher basin-wide precipitation and increased drought frequency and severity. Here, we use multiple satellite observations and climate reanalysis datasets to demonstrate compelling evidence of increased fire susceptibility in response to climate regime shifts across Amazonia. We show that accumulated forest loss since 2000 warmed and dried the lower atmosphere, which reduced moisture recycling and resulted in increased drought extent and severity, and subsequent fire. Extremely dry and wet events accompanied with hot days have been more frequent in Amazonia due to climate shift and forest loss. Simultaneously, intensified water vapor transport from the tropical Pacific and Atlantic increased high-altitude atmospheric humidity and heavy rainfall events, but those events did not alleviate severe and long-lasting droughts. Amazonia fire risk is most significant in the southeastern region where tropical savannas undergo long seasonally dry periods. We also find that fires have been expanding through the wet-dry transition season and northward to savanna-forest transition and tropical seasonal forest regions in response to increased forest loss at the "Arc of Deforestation." Tropical forests, which have adapted to historically moist conditions, are less resilient and easily tip into an alternative state. Our results imply forest conservation and fire protection options to reduce the stress from positive feedback between forest loss, climate change, and fire.

Vietnam’s forest cover changes 2005–2016: Veering from transition to (yet more) transaction?

• Notions of ‘forest transition in Vietnam’ imply a long-term trend towards a stable forest cover. • New forest policies in Vietnam largely concentrate on fostering economic productivity. • Renewed deforestation has been linked to policy-driven decreases in ‘protection forestlands’. • Until now, ‘payment for forest ecosystem service’ policies had no visible effect to counter forest loss. • Aspects of ‘good governance’ are important for a ‘sustainable transition’ in forestry. In Vietnam, rapid deforestation until the 1980s was followed by a period of widespread reforestation. Acclaimed as the first ‘forest transition’ in Southeast Asia, this turn-around resulted from major environmental/socio-economic policy changes (notably land titling), successes in agriculture and plantation forestry, and state-led efforts in upland forest protection/restoration. We investigated forest trends after new shifts in forest governance towards more commodity/production orientation, underlining that recent advances are not irreversible. Using official provincial data and applying multivariate statistics, we elicited major factors influencing cover changes of two types of ‘physical forests’ (‘natural forests’ and exotic-species ‘planted forests’), in relation with changes in ‘political forestlands’ of contrasting types (lands designated either for forest ‘protection’ or for wood ‘production’), comparing periods before (2005–2010) and after (2011–2016) the introduction of Payments for Forest Ecosystem Services (PFES) policies. We find that a ‘forest transition’ only continues if the tree plantation boom (now reaching remote/marginal/poor upland provinces) is factored into ‘forest change’. Country-wide natural forest cover decreased slightly since 2006, with however regionally differentiated trends (northern increases versus southern losses, renewed deforestation near population centres). Widespread re-allocation of protection forestlands to production allowed expansion of plantations. Natural forests decreased in provinces where protection forestlands were reduced, and/or where – during 2011–2016 – plantation forests and crop fields expanded. PFES policies exerted minor influences (none to negative) on natural forest cover. PFES funding concentrated on provinces where protection forestlands contracted, and where forestland allocation to households was comparatively undeveloped. Conversely, ‘good governance’ indicators were positively correlated with sustained protection of natural forestlands. We conclude that governance emphasis on forest protection/restoration during the 1990s-2000s [‘transition’] has reverted towards a primacy of forests as spaces of economic production [‘transaction’]. Policy schemes aimed at forest protection and poverty reduction need to incorporate efficient and transparent mechanisms of participation, monitoring, and adaptive management.

Understanding of Forest Cover Dynamics in Traditional Landscapes: Mapping Trajectories of Changes in Mountain Territories (1824–2016), on the Example of Jeleniogórska Basin, Poland

Though on a global scale, for ecological reasons, increased forest cover is universally regarded as positive, on a local scale, the reforestation of arable land may pose threats to cultural landscapes by removing characteristic landscape features. Particularly vulnerable are marginal rural areas, e.g., mountain regions, where most traditional land use systems have survived and which are subject to the most spectacular land use change. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the issue of the management of forest cover in historical cultural landscapes in mountain territories in Poland within the context of widespread land use change in Eastern Europe. Land cover data were obtained from historical and contemporary aerial photographs, as well as topographic maps from five time points between 1824 and 2016. The study was conducted by means of spatio-temporal forest cover trajectory analysis (LCTA), transition and time–depth analysis, and land cover change calculations that were made by means of ArcGIS. Our research indicates that the rate of change has risen considerably in the last two decades, and the current share of forest cover is much bigger than that reflected in the official data. Eight principal forest cover trajectory types were identified. The biggest area is occupied by woodland of long-term stability. Another large group is constituted by forests created on the basis of arable land and grassland as a result of simple conversion at one point in time, mainly in the years 1824–1886 and 1939–1994. At the same time, a sizeable group is made up by areas that have been subject to unplanned cyclical or dynamic changes during various periods. A very important group is comprised new forests that were created in 1994–2016, predominantly as a result of natural succession, that are often not included in official land classifications. The constant expansion of woodlands has led to a shrinking of historical former coppice woodlands. This indicates that the current landscape management mechanisms in Poland are inadequate for protecting the cultural landscape. The barriers include the lack of intersectoral cooperation and the overlooking of the historical context of landscapes. The present situation calls not only for verification of the existing forest policy but also for increasing the role and engagement of local communities, as well as making comprehensive local development plans, all of which may be helped by the findings of our study and of similar research.

Combining spatial modeling tools and biological data for improved multispecies assessment in restoration areas

Habitat restoration is one of the actions to reduce landscape fragmentation by promoting connectivity and thus biodiversity. But knowing where to implement these habitats is a major issue and planners lack guidance for answering this question, in particular when it involves multiple species and over a large area. We proposed to combine biological data, habitat suitability models and spatial graphs to improve multiscale and multispecies connectivity in Ile-de-France, a highly artificialized region of 12,000 km2. The framework consisted of i) modeling habitat suitability for eight pond-dwelling species (Alytes obstetricans, Bufo bufo, Epidalea calamita, Hyla arborea, Rana temporaria, Salamandra salamandra, Triturus cristatus, and Natrix natrix), ii) modeling the ecological network for each species, iii) prioritizing each sampling point depending on the gain in connectivity if a new pond was created there and iv) combining single-species results to identify the areas that could improve multispecies connectivity. The multivariate statistical analysis revealed that transitional forest environments appeared to be the most strategic areas for improving multispecific connectivity (at least for 5 species). Targeted addition of habitat within an ecological network can increase habitat density in deficient areas and reconnect network sub-parts. This approach is therefore promising to guide conservation actions and “no net loss” biodiversity measures, especially the final stage of offset in the mitigation hierarchy.

The dynamics of primary growth in woody species from rain and transitional forests of Argentinean north Patagonia

The dynamics of primary growth in woody species from rain and transitional forests of Argentinean north Patagonia

Can Carbon Sequestration in Tasmanian “Wet” Eucalypt Forests Be Used to Mitigate Climate Change? Forest Succession, the Buffering Effects of Soils, and Landscape Processes Must Be Taken into Account

Small areas of the wetter parts of southeast Australia including Tasmania support high-biomass “wet” eucalypt forests, including “mixed” forests consisting of mature eucalypts up to 100 m high with a rainforest understorey. In Tasmania, mixed forests transition to lower biomass rainforests over time. In the scientific and public debate on ways to mitigate climate change, these forests have received attention for their ability to store large amounts of carbon (C), but the contribution of soil C stocks to the total C in these two ecosystems has not been systematically researched, and consequently, the potential of wet eucalypt forests to serve as long-term C sinks is uncertain. This study compared soil C stocks to 1 m depth at paired sites under rainforest and mixed forests and found that there was no detectable difference of mean total soil C between the two forest types, and on average, both contained about 200 Mg·ha−1of C. Some C in subsoil under rainforests is 3000 years old and retains a chemical signature of pyrogenic C, detectable in NMR spectra, indicating that soil C stocks are buffered against the effects of forest succession. The mean loss of C in biomass as mixed forests transition to rainforests is estimated to be about 260 Mg·ha−1over a c. 400-year period, so the mature mixed forest ecosystem emits about 0.65 Mg·ha−1·yr−1of C during its transition to rainforest. For this reason and because of the risk of forest fires, setting aside large areas of wet eucalypt forests as reserves in order to increase landscape C storage is not a sound strategy for long-term climate change mitigation. Maintaining a mosaic of managed native forests, including regenerating eucalypts, mixed forests, rainforests, and reserves, is likely to be the best strategy for maintaining landscape C stocks.

People-Centric Nature-Based Land Restoration through Agroforestry: A Typology

Restoration depends on purpose and context. At the core it entails innovation to halt ongoing and reverse past degradation. It aims for increased functionality, not necessarily recovering past system states. Location-specific interventions in social-ecological systems reducing proximate pressures, need to synergize with transforming generic drivers of unsustainable land use. After reviewing pantropical international research on forests, trees, and agroforestry, we developed an options-by-context typology. Four intensities of land restoration interact: R.I. Ecological intensification within a land use system, R.II. Recovery/regeneration, within a local social-ecological system, R.III. Reparation/recuperation, requiring a national policy context, R.IV. Remediation, requiring international support and investment. Relevant interventions start from core values of human identity while addressing five potential bottlenecks: Rights, Know-how, Markets (inputs, outputs, credit), Local Ecosystem Services (including water, agrobiodiversity, micro/mesoclimate) and Teleconnections (global climate change, biodiversity). Six stages of forest transition (from closed old-growth forest to open-field agriculture and re-treed (peri)urban landscapes) can contextualize interventions, with six special places: water towers, riparian zone and wetlands, peat landscapes, small islands and mangroves, transport infrastructure, and mining scars. The typology can help to link knowledge with action in people-centric restoration in which external stakeholders coinvest, reflecting shared responsibility for historical degradation and benefits from environmental stewardship.

Economic growth and the forest development path: A theoretical re-assessment of the environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation

This paper reviews the literature of an unresolved question in environmental economics, the environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation (EKCd). It begins by summarizing the general EKC, the idea that economies draw on their environmental resources during initial growth but, with further growth above some level, their environmental decline attains a turning point. Most investigations of the EKCd are limited to approximately 25 years of FAO forest cover data and most feature sets of developing countries. These are short time series for a resource like forests and the paucity of evidence from developed countries is another weakness. Further discussion of two related concepts, the Forest Transition and a von-Thünen-based forest development pattern, shows a second EKC turning point for deforestation which (unlike environmental resources like, say, CO2) can recover with reforestation and addition to the forest base. Altogether, this background of experience recommends that future examinations of the unresolved EKCd reconsider, among others, the duration and thoroughness of the data, the extent of the cross-sectional international coverage, and the potential of a second turning point occurring for higher levels of development.

Modeling market-level effects of disturbance risks in age structured forests

The intensity and frequency of catastrophic forest disturbances, such as wildfires, are predicted to continue increasing into the future. Market-level models can be used to assess the effects of such disturbances on timber production and on other ecosystem services provided by forests. This paper examines catastrophic disturbances in the context of age structured forests and compares stochastic and deterministic approaches to modeling equilibrium harvesting. We define the deterministic model as the certainty equivalent form of the stochastic model. Forest transition dynamics are modeled using two age classes. In each period, some share of forestland is subject to destruction, following either an IID stochastic process or determined by the expected value of the same stochastic process. Our analysis and characterization of the two models yield new theoretical results. We show that the equilibrium cycles vanish due to the presence of such disturbances. We also derive a close connection between market-level models with disturbances and the standard stand-level model with risk. We use dynamic programming to solve the state dependent policy functions for both stochastic and deterministic cases and use simulations to compare the paths of the expected timber supply, timber prices, and land allocation to young and old age classes. Our results suggest a close similarity between the stochastic and deterministic policies. This provides a justification for using the certainty equivalent specification to approximate stochastic models, even in more complex settings.

Flammability thresholds or flammability gradients? Determinants of fire across savanna-forest transitions.

Vegetation-fire feedbacks are important for determining the distribution of forest and savanna. To understand how vegetation structure controls these feedbacks, we quantified flammability across gradients of tree density from grassland to forest in the Brazilian Cerrado. We experimentally burned 102 plots, for which we measured vegetation structure, fuels, microclimate, ignition success and fire behavior. Tree density had strong negative effects on ignition success, rate of spread, fire-line intensity and flame height. Declining grass biomass was the principal cause of this decline in flammability as tree density increased, but increasing fuel moisture contributed. Although the response of flammability to tree cover often is portrayed as an abrupt, largely invariant threshold, we found the response to be gradual, with considerable variability driven largely by temporal changes in atmospheric humidity. Even when accounting for humidity, flammability at intermediate tree densities cannot be predicted reliably. Fire spread in savanna-forest mosaics is not as deterministic as often assumed, but may appear so where vegetation boundaries are already sharp. Where transitions are diffuse, fire spread is difficult to predict, but should become increasingly predictable over multiple fire cycles, as boundaries are progressively sharpened until flammability appears to respond in a threshold-like manner.

How forest data catalysed change in four successful case studies

This paper presents four case studies in which forest data catalysed shifts in public policy and corporate activities. Brazil greatly reduced deforestation during the period between 2005 and 2014; Cameroon introduced a structured forest concessions regime; Viet Nam achieved their forest transition; and corporate operations around the world invested in supply chain management to alleviate deforestation concerns. We break the problem-solving required for these achievements into four steps: problem recognition, proposal and choice of solution, putting the solution into effect, and monitoring results. At each of these steps, we consider the relevant forest data. Data helped place issues on policymaker agendas, supported reaching sound decisions and enabled quantitative targets. Policy instruments for implementing change were built around available data and forest monitoring helped evaluate progress. The details of these successes can be an inspiration to those interested in improving collection of data on forests that can effectively support decision-making and better policies. There have been impressive recent improvements to many developing countries’ national forest monitoring capabilities. The successful examples of data application presented and evaluated here provide insight into how these new data can be effectively leveraged.

Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards management of cassava pests and diseases in forest transition and Guinea savannah agro-ecological zones of Ghana

Background: Cassava is a major staple root crop in Ghana, which serves as a food security and an income generating crop for farming families. In spite of its importance, the crop is plagued with biotic factors such as pests and diseases, resulting in yield and income reductions. Methods: Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards cassava pest and disease management were investigated. A mixed method research questionnaire was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from 94 cassava farm households across two major cassava growing agro-ecologies. Results: Using descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric analysis, our study revealed that farmers’ knowledge on cassava pests was high but low for diseases. Whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), grasshoppers (Zonocerus variegatus), aphids (Aphis gossypii Glover), mealybugs (Phenacoccus manihoti), termites (Isoptera), and grasscutters (Thryonomys swinderianus) were perceived as the most common damaging pests. Farmers’ descriptions showed that disease pathogens attacked foliar tissues, stem and root tissues and caused leaf dropping and die back. Cassava mosaic disease and root rot were the most common diseases; however, disease descriptions suggested the incidence of viral, bacterial and fungal diseases. Some of the farmers observed mixed infections on their farms. The results also showed that only 25.5% cultivated improved varieties. Management actions applied included field sanitation practices and pesticide application. The effectiveness level of the control actions was rated moderately effective. Conclusions: The analysis showed heterogeneity in personal and farm level characteristics of respondents across the two agro-ecologies, but agro-ecologies were independent of the management practices employed. There is a need to improve farmers’ access to improved disease-free planting materials through efficient dissemination pathways and increase farmers’ knowledge on cassava pests, diseases and integrated management through publfic awareness creation and capacity building by extension agents and research institutions. Continued government investment is needed to achieve sustainable outcomes.

Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) of the Foothills–Andean Forest strip of Villavicencio, Colombia

The list of species associated with the Foothills-Andean Forest transition strip in the municipality of Villavicencio, Colombia is presented. This strip is characterized by a heterogeneous landscape marked by activities such as livestock and agriculture. It is composed of gallery forest relics, fragments of secondary forest and extensive open area matrices. 35 species and 17 genera were found, the description is presented with data on their distribution, ecological aspects and habitat preference, according to the abundance recorded during the study. It is compared with the distributions found in the literature and some altitude ranges are expanded. Finally, some considerations were made to improve the study and knowledge of Dung beetles fauna in Colombia.