Background: Tropical forests in Sub-Saharan Africa face rapid and often irreversible transformation due to population growth, agricultural expansion, and illegal logging. Nigeria exhibits some of the highest deforestation rates globally, and protected areas such as the Okomu Forest Reserve (OFR) continue to experience severe anthropogenic pressure. Limited high-resolution, long-term data on forest loss and gain constrain conservation planning and enforcement, highlighting the need for robust spatiotemporal assessments of forest dynamics. Objectives: This study aims to quantify annual and cumulative forest loss and gain in OFR from 2000 to 2024 using the Hansen Global Forest Change dataset. It has been hypothesized that forest loss significantly exceeds gain, leading to fragmented regrowth and persistent net forest cover deficits, with implications for biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecosystem resilience. Methods: Forest dynamics in the OFR, south-western Nigeria was assessed from 2000 to 2024 using the Hansen Global Forest Change dataset (30 m resolution) within Google Earth Engine. Forest was defined as ≥30% canopy cover in 2000. Annual and cumulative forest loss and gain were calculated by overlaying the forest mask with the loss, gain, and lossyear layers. Net forest change was computed as gain minus loss. Spatial outputs were exported as GeoTIFFs and summarized in tabular form. While high-resolution, satellite-based data may underrepresent small-scale disturbances; this approach provides consistent, multi-decadal insights into forest cover trends in a protected tropical landscape. Results: In 2000, OFR contained 99,840 ha of forest. Between 2001 and 2024, 17,262 ha (17.3%) were lost, while only 4,100 ha (4.1%) regenerated, resulting in a net decline of 13,162 ha (13.2%). Forest loss was spatially concentrated along the eastern and north-eastern boundaries, with scattered interior clearings, reflecting ongoing agricultural expansion, logging, and human encroachment. Regrowth was fragmented and localized, primarily in peripheral or abandoned areas, insufficient to restore ecosystem function. These patterns indicate progressive fragmentation of interior forest, reduced habitat connectivity, diminished carbon storage, and heightened vulnerability of wildlife. Annual loss varied, with peaks in 2001, 2002, 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2024, highlighting persistent, rather than episodic, disturbances. Conclusion: This study confirms that OFR has undergone substantial forest degradation from 2000 to 2024, with net loss, limited regrowth, and fragmentation threatening biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecosystem stability. Notably, gaps remain in detecting fine-scale disturbances and understanding socio-economic drivers of forest change, highlighting unresolved challenges for comprehensive conservation planning and effective ecosystem management.

Abstract Carbon finance initiatives such as Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), designed to mitigate climate change, offer an opportunity to also protect biodiversity. However, managing forests to store and sequester carbon does not necessarily conserve biodiversity. We evaluated the biodiversity co‐benefits of the Gola‐REDD+ initiative in the tropical forests of Sierra Leone, using bioacoustics and DNA metabarcoding under a quasi‐experimental study design. We used soundscape saturation (SS) as a measure of vocalizing diversity, and e‐DNA arthropod community as a complementary measure of biodiversity to examine whether a Gola‐REDD+ financed protected area (Treatment‐PA) conserved biodiversity more than (1) a multiuse community land (Control‐CL) and (2) a PA without REDD+ finance (Control‐PA). We found that REDD+ financing is associated with additional biodiversity co‐benefits in the Treatment‐PA compared to both control areas. Our study makes three key contributions. First, we provide concrete evidence on a carbon finance (REDD+) project's effectiveness in conserving faunal diversity while sequestering carbon. Second, we present a gold‐standard causal inference study design for evaluating biodiversity co‐benefits of conservation strategies. Third, we highlight the role of conservation technologies like bioacoustics and DNA metabarcoding in informing conservation policy.

Tropical forests are highly threatened habitats with the capacity to recover after disturbance. We studied the recovery of phylogenetic diversity (PD) and phylogenetic community structure in plants and animals along a chronosequence of regeneration. We tested expected phylogenetic patterns through succession, including a slower recovery of PD compared with species richness (SR), increasing phylogenetic overdispersion with regeneration time, and the role of environmental filtering and landscape in promoting phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion. PD recovery occurred after SR for only four out of eight groups. Frugivorous and invertivorous birds showed increasing phylogenetic overdispersion during succession, while frogs, bees and trees instead showed a tendency for increasing phylogenetic clustering. Phylogenetic clustering was mainly related to environmental factors during early and late regeneration. Phylogenetic overdispersion during late regeneration was driven by the distance to old-growth forests only in frugivorous birds. Our results show the complex nature of succession in tropical forests, reflecting idiosyncratic patterns of PD and phylogenetic community structure recovery after disturbance for plants and animals. However, they also show that PD can recover relatively rapidly under natural regeneration, suggesting that the studied communities are resilient to disturbance from an evolutionary perspective.

Deforestation and forest degradation are the main threats to biodiversity and carbon stocks in tropical forests. Advances in optical and SAR satellite sensors have enabled the development of real-time monitoring of deforestation on a global scale. SAR is particularly appealing in tropical areas due to its insensitivity to cloud cover. However, the automatic detection of small disturbed areas (such as individual tree felling gaps) remains a major challenge. Thanks to a unique dataset consisting of 23,759 locations of individual tree felling gaps and multi-date drone lidar acquisitions, we evaluated the potential of Sentinel-1 dense time series for monitoring small-sized forest disturbances substantially smaller than 0.1 ha on both FSC-certified and artisanal logging sites in the Congo Basin. We designed a new method for forest monitoring using the fused-lasso technique optimized to detect abrupt changes of at least 0.02 ha in Sentinel-1 time series using the fused-lasso technique (Fused-Lasso Change Detection, FLCD). We assessed our new method along with the Cumulative Sum (CuSum) that also proved promising for detecting small impacts, referring for the first time to precise disturbance dates over large areas. Both approaches reached similar rates of confirmed felling gaps that were similarly increasing with gap size, and similar rates of unconfirmed detected gaps. The FLCD method estimates the dates of tree felling more accurately in FSC-certified areas (−2 days difference for FLCD and −19 for CuSum on average). The effective resolution of the S-1 images limits detection for the smallest gaps, yet the approach can help detect and monitor degradation fronts. Fused lasso regression is relevant for modeling the temporal trajectories of the radar signal, which will allow taking advantage of both the increasing availability of UAV-borne data and the lengthening of the S-1 image series.

The community structure and species composition of Testate amoebae inhabiting in two different microhabitats (soil and tree moss) with a tropical forest biome in Western Ghats viz., Mannavan shola and Pambadum shola was investigated in this article. A total of 63 species were recorded in the two locations and two substrate types. The ANOSIM and ANOVA of total species richness show generally similar patterns where there is a significant difference between tree bark samples from the two sites and there being no difference in the soil samples between two sites. This is the first study of Testate amoebae diversity in the tropical wet evergreen forests of southern India and from these observations it is possible that testate amoeba in tree moss can be used as a good indicator of anthropogenic stresses in these southern evergreen forests of India.

Abstract Introduction The restoration of degraded tropical forests is a promising strategy to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises. Across the globe large areas have the potential to be restored through multiplying small‐scale initiatives implemented by landowners working at local scales. Understanding landowners' preferences related to the attributes of forest restoration could aid to scale‐up the outcomes of restoration. Objectives Our goal was to elicit the preferences of landowners working with forest restoration in the Tropical Andes of Ecuador and to evaluate how environmental and socioeconomic factors influence their choices. Methods We used a choice experiment approach to elicit landowners' preferences regarding forest restoration. We presented a hypothetical forest restoration program to 81 landowners in which coordination among stakeholders is important to diversify plant communities across restored sites. We assessed four attributes of forest restoration: (1) restoration strategy, (2) land share, (3) the coordination instance, and (4) monetary compensation. Results We found that if the proposed forest restoration program is focused on habitat enrichment and coordinated either by NGOs, farmers, or scientists, landowners will be more willing to participate than in a program led by the government and focused on nucleation. The probabilities of landowners to join the proposed program declined with elevation, while the probabilities of opt‐out declined with the size of non‐forest productive land within farms. Conclusions Trust in non‐governmental stakeholders can be harnessed to support government‐led initiatives, which have the capacity to drive large‐scale interventions. Environmental and socioeconomic factors, influence decision‐making in forest restoration.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis plays a vital role in supporting plant growth in restored degraded land and natural forests. This study examined AM communities present within the root and the rhizosphere of kaolin post-mining land areas and tropical heath forests using both spore morphology and metagenomic approaches. Soil and plant root samples were collected from three distinct zones: the kaolin post-mining land, ecotone, and heath forest, and used to establish trap cultures with Pueraria javanica. Spore-based identification revealed nine AMF species belonging to five genera, with Acaulospora and Glomus being the most dominant. Metagenomic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences from colonized P. javanica roots revealed 33 AMF-associated Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs), dominated by Glomus and Rhizophagus. Diversity indices indicated medium diversity levels across all sites, with the ecotone showing the highest evenness and species richness. Differences in AM communities between morphological and molecular approaches highlight the importance of integrating both methods to understand their diversity comprehensively. This baseline information contributes to the potential use of AMF as bio-restoration agents in the kaolin post-mining ecosystems. To our knowledge, this is the first report of AM communities in the kaolin post-mining land and tropical heath forest.

This study investigates the reproductive and vegetative development of Bryum argenteum in two contrasting tropical environments: the Seasonal Tropical Dry Forest (SDTF) and the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (BAF). By comparing ecotypes from these regions, we aimed to understand how environmental variation influences sex-specific traits, reproductive strategies and potential trade-offs between sexual and asexual reproduction. We conducted temporal analyses of protonema growth, shoot production, sex expression, bulbil formation and gametangia development in laboratory-grown samples representing male and female ecotypes from both environments. Significant differences were found between ecotypes and sexes. Male BAF ecotypes showed lower protonema growth and delayed shoot production compared to other groups. SDTF males exhibited the highest sex expression at Week 8. A negative relationship between sex expression and bulbil production was detected only in SDTF males. Gametangia development also varied, with male BAF ecotypes requiring more time to initiate sexual expression and mature phases revealing further distinctions. The observed differences across ecotypes and sexes reflect adaptive strategies shaped by the ecological conditions of each habitat. In particular, the delayed or reduced reproductive investment in male BAF ecotypes and the trade-offs in females suggest context-dependent allocation of resources. These patterns highlight the complex interplay between environment, sex and reproductive timing in tropical mosses.

Long-term data from permanent monitoring plots are essential for understanding ecological succession, detecting changes in forest structure, assessing community stability, examining species interactions, and tracking population trends of species of conservation concern. In this study, we established a permanent plot to monitor the regeneration and population dynamics of Hopea bancana (Boerl.) Slooten—a critically endangered tree species restricted to Mursala Island in western coast of North Sumatera Province, Indonesia. A 0.25-hectare plot (50 × 50 meters) was set up to collect baseline information on both H. bancana and the surrounding tree community. All trees with a Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) greater than 5 cm were measured and identified. In total, 318 trees were recorded, representing 49 species, 41 genera, and 27 plant families. Among them were nine H. bancana individuals—one mature tree with a DBH of 66.4 cm and eight younger trees with DBHs ranging from 7 to 34 cm. Given the high intensity of anthropogenic threats on Mursala Island, including illegal logging and forest conversion, conservation measures should prioritize protecting remaining forest cover, controlling illegal logging, monitoring invasive species, and preventing further forest conversion to ensure the long-term persistence of H. bancana and other threatened Dipterocarpaceae species. This dataset offers valuable baseline information for future monitoring and conservation efforts targeting H. bancana. Additionally, the study provides a replicable framework for conserving other narrowly distributed and threatened plant species in Indonesia’s tropical forests.

Comparison of Field Measured Aboveground Biomass C-stock Change (2019–2022) and Satellite-Derived Biomass in the Tropical Forests of Eastern Ghats

Abstract. The large extension and diversity of the Brazilian Amazon biome hampers the assessment of the regional-scale carbon budget based solely on local observations. Considering the shortage of observations, this study aims to examine the carbon fluxes throughout the Brazilian Amazon biome using a process-based model (JULES, Joint UK land environment simulator). A sensitivity analysis detected five critical model parameters for the Amazon tropical broadleaf evergreen forest, optimized using carbon flux and meteorological data from four forest sites. The simulations with the new parametrization were compared with JULES default parameter values and with simulations of the Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM). Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and gross primary production (GPP) estimates were improved at all sites, reaching a Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) about 30 % lower in comparison to the default version. The optimized parameter values varied among the four sites, indicating that a single parameterization for the whole Amazonia may not be adequate. JULES model parameters were spatialized for the Brazilian Amazonia, based on canopy height and leaf area index gridded data. Applying JULES with spatially dependent parameterization for the year 2021 resulted in a carbon sink of −1.34 Pg C yr−1. Regional differences were observed in the carbon fluxes, with a carbon source of 0.75 kg C m−2 yr−1 in the southwest and north, likely explained by increased ecosystem respiration in older and taller forests.

Supersection Tacsonia (Passiflora L.) is a high-Andean lineage whose geographic restriction and environmental specialization make it particularly vulnerable to ongoing climate change. However, broad-scale evidence integrating distribution patterns, endemism, protection coverage, and future habitat stability remains limited for the Peruvian Andes. Here, we assessed the spatial distribution, richness patterns, habitat associations, and climate-driven vulnerability of Tacsonia species in Peru. We compiled 1,758 georeferenced occurrence records for 25 Tacsonia species (including one unidentified taxon) spanning elevations of 1,500–4,500 m and summarized richness across administrative regions, elevation bands, and latitudinal/longitudinal gradients. We also evaluated protection coverage by intersecting records with the national protected-area system and developed ecological niche models to estimate current suitability and potential losses under climate-change scenarios. Most records occurred between 3,000 and 3,500 m, and 23 species were found between 2,500 and 3,000 m. Cusco concentrated the highest number of observations (543) and species richness (14), followed by Cajamarca (226 records; 11 species). Richness peaks were detected around 6°, 7°, and 13°S and 72°, 75°, and 77°W. Thirteen species are endemic to the Peruvian Andes, including five restricted to Cusco, La Libertad, and Amazonas. Tacsonia species occupy multiple Andean ecosystems (Tropical Dry Forest, Páramo, Puna, Yungas, and Andean Dry Forest), with P. tripartita occurring across all habitat types. Occurrences were recorded within several protected areas (Alto Mayo, Pui Pui, Manu, Río Abiseo, Huascarán, Yanachaga-Chemillén, Calipuy, Cotahuasi, Pampa de Ayacucho, Machu Picchu, and Ampay), including endemic taxa such as P. amazonica, P. huamachucoensis, P. parvifolia, P. peduncularis, P. trifoliata, P. trisecta, and P. weigendii. Niche models indicated high current suitability along northern slopes and across the central and southern eastern Andes (AUC = 0.94), but projected climate change could reduce suitable habitat by ~20%–60% by 2100. Consistent with this vulnerability, the IUCN categorizes P. kuethiana as Critically Endangered, 21 species as Endangered, and P. trifoliata, P. mixta, and P. tripartita as Vulnerable. Overall, our results provide a baseline for prioritizing conservation actions by identifying richness hotspots, narrow endemics, and regions expected to experience the greatest future loss of suitability.

This paper will discuss the land struggles and reforestation projects of the Indigenous Laklãnõ-Xokleng community in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Drawing on short-term ethnographic fieldwork and interviews conducted in February and March 2024 – as well as a review of existing legal and academic literature – it will argue that their case is significant for understanding the links between climate justice and land claims in the Global South. The paper engages how the struggles for land and the forest involve the intertwining of territorial, juridical and spiritual idioms. Local onto-epistemologies of the forest are mobilised to heal colonial dispossessions and wounds, respond to changing climatic factors, and navigate global climate finance regimes and institutions. The paper engages and advances Fraser et al.’s conception of the “Anthropocene tropical forest” published in The Anthropocene Review. Advancing their ideas on the relational aspects of forests that subvert the nature-culture divide, I propose the concept of ‘terrestrial (re)forestations’. This concept indicates the ways in which Indigenous claims to land and forests require territorial demarcations, though these are interpenetrated with evolving spiritual relations and wider historical and planetary processes.

Forest extent, assemblage, and regeneration pattern influence the biodiversity and ecosystem functions, which are often sensitive to climatic and anthropogenic correlates, especially in tropical forest systems. We quantified the diversity, regeneration potential and mapped the forest types in Panna Tiger Reserve, Central India, using Sentinel-2A multi-temporal data with a Random Forest classifier. A total of 153 stratified random plots were sampled with a focus on trees, saplings, and seedlings. Of the six forest types in the region, five forest types, except Boswellia forest, could be mapped with an overall accuracy of 88.9% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.81. Area-wise, Northern dry mixed deciduous forest (NDDF) was the most widespread forest type (36.88%), followed by Dry deciduous scrub (DDS) (16.7%), Dry teak forest (DTF) (7.64%), Dry bamboo brakes (DBB) (3.78%), and Anogeissus pendula forest (APF) (0.62%), while non-forest and water consist of 33.26% of the reserve. Overall, 64 species from 48 genera and 25 families were identified. Trees (35 species), saplings and seedlings (39 species each) had the highest species richness across all three life stages in NDDF. APF had the highest tree density of 625 individuals ha-1 and sapling density (634 ind. ha-1), while NDDF had the highest seedling density (1621 ind. ha-1). DDS had the highest regeneration potential (75%), followed by NDDF (74.5%) and BF (46%). Our results highlight that mapping forest types, together with assessing structural attributes, diversity, and regeneration potential, can contribute to better conservation planning and management actions.

ABSTRACT Aim To evaluate how elephant activity and anthropogenic disturbances (logging, secondary forest conversion, and proximity to villages) influence aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks in tropical forests and how their effects vary across tree size classes. Location Gabon. Time Period 2013–2023. Major Taxa Studied Gymnosperms and angiosperms. Methods Using 260 one‐hectare forest plots across Gabon, we employed Bayesian modelling to quantify the effects of elephant activity and disturbances on AGC through changes in stand structure—that is, basal area (), tree height (), and wood density ()—across three tree diameter () classes: small (10 cm ≤ 30 cm), medium (30 cm 70 cm) and large ( 70 cm). Environmental covariates (temperature, precipitation, and soil characteristics) were also incorporated in our models to account for broader climatic influences and to isolate disturbance effects. Results Anthropogenic disturbances, particularly secondary forest conversion and proximity to villages, were strongly associated with reductions in AGC, driven by declines in , , and . By contrast, elephant activity increased in small and medium trees, suggesting long‐term contributions to forest compositional shifts and carbon storage potential. Size‐based analysis revealed divergent disturbance impacts across tree size classes that were not evident in whole‐plot summaries. Main Conclusions Elephant activity and anthropogenic disturbances influence AGC through distinct, size‐based pathways. While human activities reduce carbon stocks by altering forest structure, forest elephants enhance traits associated with carbon‐dense composition. Conservation strategies that integrate faunal interactions with forest management are essential to maintaining tropical carbon stocks under ongoing environmental change.

Spatially explicit forest carbon assessments remain limited in many developing countries due to data scarcity. This study enhances IPCC Tier-1 carbon accounting by integrating high-resolution Sentinel-2 (10 m) imagery with a transition-resolved stock-difference framework and Monte Carlo uncertainty propagation to quantify LULC-driven carbon dynamics in the Shwe Laung Reserved Forest, Myanmar (2017–2024). The key innovation lies in applying a transition-resolved, uncertainty-aware Tier-1 approach that moves beyond conventional area-based accounting in data-limited tropical forest contexts. The findings show significant forest conversion, resulting in a net biomass carbon loss of 32,115.23 t C (≈117,756 t CO₂-eq), with transitions to flooded vegetation and rangeland accounting for the majority of emissions. The findings demonstrate the potential of enhanced Tier-1 methodologies combined with Earth observation data to support REDD+ MRV in developing regions.

Will epiphyte loss exacerbate climate change effects in tropical montane cloud forests?

Modelling carbon stock in a tropical urban forest: Insights from i-Tree Eco and pantropical allometric equations in Chattogram City, Bangladesh

Background and Research Aims: Tropical montane forests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth, yet they are also highly threatened by land-use change and historical degradation. Understanding their floristic composition and structure, its species turnover, and spatial patterns of diversity is essential for anticipating the effects of ongoing environmental change and for informing effective conservation strategies. Methods: We studied floristic patterns across eight 0.25-ha permanent plots located within a protected area in an Andean Colombian montane forest called the Cuchilla Jardín–Támesis Integrative Management District, by describing and comparing diversity patterns, species turnover among sites, and forest structure through aboveground biomass estimations. Results: The studied protected area hosts a highly spatially structured forest system, where species distributions are highly localized, conspecific individuals are clumped, and the replacement of closely related taxa drives species turnover. Each local site contributes a distinct piece of the broader regional species pool. Conclusion: This region is exceptionally rich in taxonomic diversity but relatively low in phylogenetic uniqueness, suggesting high levels of spatial replacement. Preserving the largest possible fraction of this landscape is essential for maintaining its full biological and evolutionary heritage. Implications for Conservation: We advocate strengthening conservation efforts in this region to maintain current forest cover and prevent further fragmentation by restoring degraded areas and expanding protected areas under effective socio-ecological conservation strategies. Long-term monitoring through permanent plots, as implemented in this study, will be critical for detecting changes over time and guiding adaptive conservation strategies in this biodiverse and spatially complex landscape.

Impacts of precipitation shifts and warming trends in tropical deciduous forests of Central India